Disney Marathon, 5K, or Obstacle Course?

So Disney just did the Disney Marathon last weekend at Disney World.

Actually, there were several different races:

• Marathon
• Half Marathon
• Marathon Relay
• Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge
• Buzz and Woody's Best Friends 5K
• Mickey's Marathon Kids Fest

Basically, if you want to run, there's something for everybody in this Marathon weekend.  And what better venue than running through Disney Parks!  

I'm soooooo not a runner.  Meaning, I don't run just to run.  I need more motivation than that.  I can't just run down the road, on a treadmill, around a track.  It's boring.  Now, if I had to run through Disney World where I could be completely distracted from the fact that I'm running miles and miles because I get to see the parks at the same time...well, I might be open to that.

Disney has several other endurance events during the year.

• The Princess Half Marathon at WDW in February (and the related shorter races)
• The Wine & Dine Half Marathon at WDW in October (and the related shorter races)
• Expedition Everest Challenge at WDW in May

I'm not a fan of E:E at AK.  Love the theming; the drop is not my thing.  So I almost overlooked that last event there because to me, that sounded like riding E:E over...and over...and over again.

Then I looked a little deeper.  Obstacle course?  Scavenger Hunt?  Through AK?  Only 5K (~3 miles)?

Hmmm...that sounds more like my type of thing.

I'm all about obstacle courses and scavenger hunts.  Make it interesting!  This sounds like a very lite Amazing Race-type thing.  (Though can you imagine what a real Amazing Race type thing would be like at WDW!  I'd be on top of that in a heartbeat!)

I regularly do 5 miles on the elliptical at the YMCA.  I know, I know...it's not that same as running on hard ground.  

Dude...don't care.  I'm not road racing...I'm racing at WDW!

Plus, if the scavenger hunt is the same concept...the clues you get are totally based on your knowledge of Animal Kingdom.  Shouldn't be a problem.

So...I'm seriously thinking about it. 

Should I do it?  What do you think?

Celebrate The Magic - June 15, 2010 - The Purple Van and AK

I know I said I'd talk about the party, but this update got a bit longer than I anticipated.  Since I know I'll have a lot to say about the party, I'll save that for the next posting.

We went to bed early and slept in a bit today.  A bit meaning that people got up after 7:30am.  We're early risers at my house anyway so sleeping in, even for my teens, doesn't happen frequently.

Over breakfast in the room, we decided that we'd head to Animal Kingdom since we hadn't been there yet.  Plus, the kids were clamoring for Kali River Rapids, especially since it was soooo hot.

Stefan was not in the mood for Cheerios, so we headed down the road to the McDonald's by the All-Stars since it was on the way to AK.  Stefan loves their breakfast burritos.  At the intersection, I had my first sighting this trip of The Purple Van from Owner's Locker!

Hi John!

So we got the food and drove the short distance to AK.  We had a fairly front parking spot, but there were a lot of people waiting for the tram.  We decided to walk it rather than wait for another tram to come along.  As it was, we got to the front area at about the same time.

It was just after opening, so it was still a little busy.

We got in and decided to head for Kilimanjaro Safaris.  The stand-by wait said 10 minutes, but the line was already outside the actual entrance.  We decided to get Fastpasses so we had about 40 minutes to kill.

Tip for AK:  Utilize every shop with A/C you can.  I do that everywhere, but it's darn near essential here.  The tropical-like nature of this park seems to condense the humidity and just makes it blech.

Stefan and Caitlin decided they needed a drumming break:

And then we happened to run into Flik with no wait.

We headed to Kali River Rapids.  Bryan took care of all the stuff because he doesn't ride rides where it says, "you WILL get wet."  Scoutmasters melt in water, don't you know?

So here's a few shots he snapped below.  I rode Kali once - the kids rode it three times in a row.

And the two of them totally soaked after their water adventures.

We headed back over to Kilimanjaro Safaris, used our Fastpasses and got right through.  I think we maybe waited in line 5 minutes before getting on a truck.  We saw fellow incentive group achiever Karen Z. there as well!

Here's a few shots from the Safari:

Birds on top of hippos under water

Hippo coming up for air

Baby Giraffe

Another baby giraffe lounging around

Baby elephant and mama

 

After the safari, we were hungry so we headed to our favorite counter service in all of Disney World - Flame Tree BBQ.  Bryan and Cate had the ribs and I had the BBQ Chicken Salad.  Stefan was still full from breakfast burritos.

We headed home after that for a break.

Since dinner was at the party and not until after 7pm, we did some grab & go at the Rix Cafe and ate in the room after a brief pool break.

Next up:  The private party at the Studios!

Freebies at Walt Disney World - Part 2

I'm a bargain hunter just like everyone else. It's nice to find some free options when I'm on vacation.  I'm sure you feel the same way.

Here are a few more to consider on your next visit:

1. Free Movies.
Fort Wilderness has a campfire program where they roast marshmallows and make s'mores followed by a movie on a large outdoor screen.  You can bring your own marshmallows, buy the kits at the General Store or bring your own snacks if you like.  This is open to all Disney Resort Guests. 

2. Visit Downtown Disney
This might seem obvious, but sometimes the obvious needs to be stated. It doesn't cost you anything to do to Downtown Disney and walk around. Your kids can do some creating at the Lego Store. Ghirardelli tends to give away small pieces of chocolate. You can even take the boat down to Old Key West or Port Orleans.  Bottom line - there are a lot of free options here.

3. Tour Wilderness Lodge
Inquire at Guest Services about their guided tours.  You can ask about the Hidden Mickey Hunt as well.  Guest Services should have a list for you to work with.

4. Discovery Club Passport at Animal Kingdom.
This is at the park, not the resort.  You can get the passport and head to the different learning stations throughout the park.  Each time you finish a station, you get a stamp.  When it's all done, you have a cool. educational memento to take home.

That's all for today.  I'm sure I'll re-visit this subject later on!