Monday, March 10, 2014

2014 Inaugural Enchanted 10K

Happy Monday after Daylight Savings Time!  Although I’m not a fan of the loss of an hour of sleep, I do enjoy the extra daylight this time of year brings! Spring is on the way!

Back on the Disney Princess Weekend recaps, here’s my version of the Inaugural Enchanted 10K.

Enchanted 10K Cover

Also, if you missed prior recaps, here they are:

  • Princess Half Marathon Weekend Expo & Vlog
  • Cinderella Royal Family 5K & Vlog

Enchanted 10K

My alarm was set for 2:30 a.m. the morning of the Enchanted 10K and I had plans to meet up with Pam at the bus stop to ride to the start line together. We ended up missing each other (totally my fault) and I arrived at the bus stop just as her bus was pulling away. Thankfully, another bus was right behind it so we didn’t spend much time waiting around.

Enchanted 10K 2

Another perk of arriving that early – NO traffic!!

Enchanted 10K We Run Disney

Thankfully Pam hadn’t gone far - we were able to meet up in the family reunion area and chat a little while before she left for her corral. She was focused and had big plans that morning…I am so proud of her – she placed second in her age group!!

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After saying goodbye to Pam, I found Heather and her mom. We were able to chat for a while before the Team runDisney meet-up.

Enchanted 10K 4

Such a fun group of people!

Enchanted 10K 6

A short time later, my friend Melissa arrived. We took a few pictures, then headed on over into our corral. Similar to the 5K the day before, runners stood in marked groups until their corral was allowed into the starting area.

Enchanted 10K 5

I can’t continue on with this recap without giving major props to my husband and Melissa’s husband – they both came out TWO mornings in a row to support us and cheer us on. They are such good sports…well, most of the time! :p

Ok back to the race…

Enchanted 10K 7

Before long, we were off!

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Perhaps one of the coolest features of the 10K was Queen Anna on an overpass, talking to all of the runners. An added bonus, we ran through SNOW as we crossed under the bridge! (Ok, so it was actually foam bubbles but whatever….)

Enchanted 10K 9

My first character stop was actually the White Rabbit. As I got further up in line, I heard his handler say that he was going to take a 5 minute break. Wouldn’t you know (my luck), I was next in line before the White Rabbit departed…and although I snagged an official Marathon Foto picture, the cast member refused to take one with my handheld point and shoot. Hence, no White Rabbit photo. Basically, I wasted 5 minutes of my race in line for a picture I more than likely won’t ever own. Ah well.

Enchanted 10K 10

Pocahontas and Meeko were next…Percy was in the photo, too!

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The race continued on down this highway – it was a four lane roadway which yielded for plenty of room for runners and walkers alike. I loved being in such a wide open space (I’m so not used to that at Disney races).

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As I continued on, I noticed a familiar costume…so I stopped over to say hi. This lady’s name is Kimberly and she is one tough, running, cancer fighting machine. I absolutely LOVE her positivity and her will to fight. As an oncology nurse, she inspires me on a daily basis and I’m glad I had the opportunity to tell her so. It was great meeting her!

Our first sighting of a theme park was around mile 3, when we reached the back roads into Epcot.

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I absolutely love the Toy Solders from the Christmas parade!

Enchanted 10K 14

I stopped for water at Japan and admired World Showcase – it was a beautiful sight!

Enchanted 10K 15

…and always let your conscious be your guide….

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I enjoyed being in Epcot as the sun made its appearance – it was neat to see the park go from dark to daylight and not the other way around.

Enchanted 10K 17

Tiana, Louis, Prince Naveen were out to say hello!

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Another favorite pavilion of mine is France. I think it’s gorgeous.

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Marie!

I’ll admit, just that small section of World Showcase took a lot of time to get through. I was having fun though…so who cares! This was my first Disney race to run alone and although I didn’t have anyone to talk to while I ran/waited for pictures, it was fun to really “people watch”. Loved it!

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After leaving World Showcase, runners were directed out of Epcot through the International Gateway and on to the Boardwalk area.

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It was at the Boardwalk that I spotted my absolutely favorite character of the race – Baseball Goofy. A lady in front of me in line was joking that Goofy must be a Yankee because he was wearing pinstripes. I agreed and joked that above all else, I hoped he wasn’t a Brave – she agreed with me. (Sorry Brave fans…its all in good sport!)

As she approached Goofy, she asked if he was a Yankee or a Brave. Goofy shook his head and put his head in his hands (it was rather amusing). She asked again and he pointed at himself – he wasn’t a Brave OR a Yankee, he was “Just Goofy”!  :0)

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We continued on through the Boardwalk, then out near the Yacht and Beach Clubs, before arriving back at Epcot.

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As we were making our way back to Epcot, others were headed out for the Boardwalk.

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Oh, Classic Donald. Where were you in January of 2013 when I needed you?

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Mile 6, almost there!

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…and done! Part one of the Glass Slipper Challenge complete!

Enchanted 10K Finish

I found my peeps, then headed back to Port Orleans Riverside for a breakfast of Mickey Waffles! After another hot and humid race, I really enjoyed the chance to relax and cool down.

Over all, I had a great time running the Enchanted 10K. I wasn’t sure what to expect because this was my first Disney World 10K (I ran the Disneyland 10K last Fall) but I was pleasantly surprised. Water was in decently supply and I felt as if there were plenty of characters on the course. I would run this race again in the future if the opportunity arose!

Have you run a Disney 10K in the past? If so, what did you think?

22 comments:

  1. Your photos are terrific Karen. Thanks for the kind words....what I remember most that day was seeing my friends and the heat and humidity during the race. It was brutal!

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    1. Thanks, Pam..I agree, the humidity was awful!!

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  2. Awesome recap Karen!!! Looks like you had a blast! I ran the 10K in January....so fun!

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  3. How fun! What a bummer that the White Rabbit's handler wouldn't take your picture :( I love the one with Jiminy Cricket!

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    1. Yeah, isn't that silly? Oh well, I found him for the Half instead! Thank you, Jen!

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  4. Love the photos! The 10K course sounds like a lot of fun - I've heard nothing but good things about it. That is too cool you ran through snow along the course!!

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    1. Thanks, Lauren! I loved Queen Elsa's part! It was SO neat!!

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  5. Since it was the same course as Dopey 10k I wished it was a little different. Also lack of powerade on the course was a thumbs down, but I did enjoy it this time more than during dopey!

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    1. Yeah, I sure could have used some powerade - I downed a bottle as soon as I finished (and I never do that)!

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  6. You got some great pictures! This race was definitely one of our favorites! We had fun!

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    1. Thanks so much! Glad y'all enjoyed the race - I agree, this is definitely a favorite!!

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  7. I love the toy solider from the Christmas parade and Meeko! Looks like you had a blast!

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    1. ME TOO! I was so excited to see the soldiers!! Thanks, Sarah - I really did!

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  8. What a great re-cap and fun photo's! Congrats on your race and finish!
    I did a Disney marathon several years ago, it was a lot of fun, they are great races!

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  9. Nice recap! It looks like they made the Enchanted 10K a better race than the Walt Disney World 10K in January with more characters. I don't understand why the folks at runDisney couldn't incorporate DHS with EPCOT in their 10K race. After all, from the back of DHS to the Finish outside of EPCOT isn't a full 10K at the Marathon. The Disneyland 10K is still my favorite 10K course.

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    1. Ah what a great idea! That would make so much sense!! Loved the Disneyland 10K, too!

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  10. Lots of great photos! Looks like fun as all Disney races do, I hope someday to get to do one, or more, but starting with just one is good :)

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    1. I hope you get to run one, too! You would love it - they are so much fun!

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  11. Looks like you had so much fun! I really enjoyed Elsa on the overpass as well.

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    Replies
    1. Yes! She was one of my favorite parts of the race!

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