Dopey Challenge recap

[stephm0188]

I'll try to keep it shorter. I can be wordy.

Last week I completed the Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World. Dopey consists of running a 5k, 10k, half marathon, and full marathon across 4 consecutive days. 

I signed up for the 2021 challenge back in March 202 before the world shut down. I trained through the summer and into fall before it was cancelled due to Covid. Getting here was a nearly 2 year journey! I originally had planned to use a Hal Higdon plan written for this specific challenge, but an injury early in training forced me to reduce my mileage while I attended physical therapy. I was pretty far off track by the time I finished therapy, so I hired a running coach to help me rebuild safely. The bulk of my runs were done at an easy pace, with one day of speedwork each week up until taper. I was a little nervous heading in because her plan ended up being drastically different than the typical Higdon or Galloway plans written for the challenge, but I trusted her and the process.  I use the Galloway method and run/walk 2:00/:30 intervals.

This was my first full marathon, and I was still feeling a little wary of potentially re-injuring myself so my only goals were to finish and have fun. I decided this would be about the experience and not my paces or times. My family also traveled with me and I ran the first couple races with my husband and son.


Thursday was 5k day, and it kicked off at 5:00 am outside Epcot. We ran just outside the park before looping back in through World Showcase. I'll be honest, this one felt more like meeting a bunch of characters at Disney and we just happened to be running from stop to stop. I've walked 5ks in less time than it took us to complete this one, but the experience was a blast. We didn't run/walk this one... just ran from character to character.

Friday was 10k day, and again it kicked off at 5am outside Epcot. This time we ran toward Hollywood Studios before running through the park briefly, then back toward Epcot around the Boardwalk resorts. We stopped for several character pictures along the course and kept our running pace conversational. 

Saturday was the half marathon. Same time, same place. The route took us from Epcot up to Magic Kingdom and back to Epcot.  The beginning of this one was rough. My right calf felt so tight and painful. I knew from experience it would loosen up, but the first 4 miles were pretty rough. I ran this one with my husband, and the plan was to make it to the castle while it was still dark out, then take things easy through the finish. We did indeed run down Main Street and through the castle while it was still lit up. By the time we hit mile 8, the sun was coming up and it was starting to heat up. We both felt fine, but many people had started walking and the congestion on the course was tough to navigate. We were both just ready to be done, so we stopped stopping for photos and started trying to pick up the pace to finish. 

Sunday... marathon day. My first marathon. I knew this one was going to be hot. They had warned us the morning before about the potential for potential for the heat and humidity to impact runners. The marathon route in 2020 had been shortened due to weather conditions, and there were concerns that marathon day this year could be a repeat of that.  I adjusted my strategy a bit for the day- I was going to try to make it as far as I could before the sun came up, which meant not stopping if I could avoid it. I opted to wear my hydration vest even though I knew it would be a little more difficult to keep my core cool with it on. I figured the benefit of being able to carry water and an electrolyte drink outweighed the negatives of the additional layer. 

Just like the day before, my calf felt tight almost immediately after starting. Mile 3 was the worst, and I was walking a lot more than I would have cared to at that point. I knew it would ease up but I also wanted to be smart and avoid injury.  I stopped for Biofreeze at the first medical tent and it helped enough to allow me to pick up my pace a bit more. By the time I entered Magic Kingdom at mile 10, it was feeling pretty good. By then, the sun was starting to come up. I was running based on effort and sticking with my intervals without any issues.  We entered Animal Kingdom around mile 16, and despite the increasing temps, I was still feeling pretty good. I texted my coach that I still felt strong but it was so so hot. Shortly after that, I grabbed a wet sponge they were handing out near mile 17 and stuffed it own my bra to try to keep my core cool. I rewet it at water stops after that and started dumping water on my arms to stay comfortable. At mile 20, I grabbed ice from a medical tent and stuffed as much of it as I could fit into my bra as I could. It got me some funny looks from people around me, but it did the trick. I was able to continue running comfortably when most others around me had started walking due to the heat. I entered Hollywood Studios at mile 21 still feeling okay. From there, it was back around the Boardwalk and into Epcot to finish. Aside from being so effing hot, I felt great. I never hit the wall, didn't struggle mentally aside from when my stupid calf was being stupid, and when I looked at my splits after finishing they were fairly consistent. (I ran based on effort and not pace, so that surprised me!) Somehow, I managed to negative split the marathon, and I had stopped for character photos in the backhalf of the marathon. 

Recovery was another surprise to me. I completely expected to feel like trash after the marathon, but I had minimal soreness. Our room was on the 4th floor and I was able to take the stairs with no issues. I kept waiting for DOMS to set in the 48 hours after, but it never did. I think I did a pretty good job of recovering between races and keeping my body moving post marathon and that definitely helped.

So, yeah. That's my super unexciting recap. The most exciting part of the weekend was Brittany Charboneau absolutely crushing Dopey and becoming the first runner in history to win all four distances. Kinda cool to be there for that bit of history.

[sadie]

Amazing! This is such a huge accomplishment! This is one of my long term goals once I start focusing on distance.

[sadlebred]

What a great accomplishment! I can't imagine running a marathon on day 4 of racing!....and in the FL Heat!

[Wines Not Whines]

Congratulations! I can’t believe that was your first marathon!

[wawa]

That's amazing! What a fantastically strong performance. And I salute your slight insanity that this was your first marathon.

I am so intrigued by Dopey as a challenge, but the logistics seem challenging. Did you stay on site? How early did you have to get up to get where you needed to be? Are you generally a "disney person" so you're already familiar with the whole shebang?

[minzy]

Wow! Congrats! I am also super impressed you did all that ahead of your first marathon!

[mccallister84]

Great job! Sounds like a lot of fun!

[stephm0188]

Jan 17, 2022 6:50:56 GMT -5 wawa said:

That's amazing! What a fantastically strong performance. And I salute your slight insanity that this was your first marathon.

I am so intrigued by Dopey as a challenge, but the logistics seem challenging. Did you stay on site? How early did you have to get up to get where you needed to be? Are you generally a "disney person" so you're already familiar with the whole shebang?

I would say that we're Disney people. I've done several previous runDisney events so I'm pretty familiar with all the logistics. My first half marathon was one of their challenge weekends where you run a 10k and a half. I also tried to incorporate tune-up races during training that would mimic race weekend. 

I did stay on site for the race weekend. They provide bussing from each of their resorts to and from the start/finish. It makes it really easy to get there, espeically on marathon day when many of the main roads were closed for the race.

I was up at 1:45am each day in order to be at the bus stop by 2:15 because the first bus was scheduled to leave at 2:30. I like to be on the first bus because I like to be first in my corral if I can be. Disney has started breaking each of the corrals into smaller waves. For any other race I wouldn't care, but runDisney's official training plan is written by Jeff Galloway, and many run/walkers walk the first three races per his recommendation leading up to the marathon. I'm fine with that- it's a sound strategy if you can maintain the pace- but I also don't want to weave around them. Corrals open at 3:30 am.  Most normal people don't care about that and get on the bus around 3 or 3:30.  I avaoided napping after the races and went to bed around 5:30 each evening.

[lilypad1126]

Congrats! Sounds like it was a fun weekend!

[breezy8407]

Congrats! I have always been in awe of the Dopey challenge. Great job!

[melmel48]

So awesome! I did a 39.3 challenge once; half on Saturday and full on Sunday. I thought that was difficult.. what you did is incredible! Well done! Congratulations on your first marathon as well.

My cousin was at Disney last week and sent me a text asking if there was a race because she saw a lot of people in running gear.

[osulori]

Congratulations!

[sassystace]

That's awesome! I always wondered how/why someone would tackle this challenge. Your next marathon will e a piece of cake.

[scm1011]

You are such a badass! Way to kill it with an impressive first marathon+ challenge.

[mrsslocombe]

Jan 17, 2022 6:50:56 GMT -5 wawa said:

That's amazing! What a fantastically strong performance. And I salute your slight insanity that this was your first marathon.

I am so intrigued by Dopey as a challenge, but the logistics seem challenging. Did you stay on site? How early did you have to get up to get where you needed to be? Are you generally a "disney person" so you're already familiar with the whole shebang?

I did Dopey a few years ago. I stayed on property, partially because we're Disney people and we always do, but also to use the free transportation. I had previously done the WDW Half and Glass Slipper Challenge. 

Caveat that I am a very experienced runner and have my morning routine down. But I woke up at 3:00ish and got on the buses around 3:20, except for marathon day, when it was at the bus by 3:00. I lay out everything the night before and prep my breakfast, so all I have to do is put my clothes on and throw my hair in a pony tail. I eat my breakfast slowly while waiting at the start village. We went to the parks every day, and I was usually in bed around 8:30. I don't usually sleep the night before a marathon anyway.

I always wait until the last minute to get into the corrals because there aren't any port-a-lets in the corrals and I always have to pee about 20 times before the race start. 

I was surprised that the distance/4 races didn't really feel that challenging. I think because I didn't feel any time pressure and was truly there just to enjoy the experience, I didn't feel the miles as much as I sometimes do. I ran them all at a comfortable conversational pace. I think I only stopped for a photo once each race, and then one bathroom break during the marathon. 

I'm glad I did it, I never need to do it again. The early wake ups were annoying but sitting around the start area for 2+ hours four days in a row was the worst part (and is something I struggle with at all the major marathons). It is very challenging to run any sort of goal with Disney races due to the crowded courses and high number of run/walkers. It's definitely a "go and enjoy the experience" race. I highly recommend doing it with other people to get the best experience-I ran the first three races with a running friend I rarely get to see, and then the marathon with my sister. Made it easier to just go with the flow than concentrating on my pace/time. 

[Wines Not Whines]

I thought I responded to this earlier. Congratulations! Did you wear a costume for any of the races? Would you do it again?

[stephm0188]

Jan 20, 2022 18:03:54 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

I thought I responded to this earlier. Congratulations! Did you wear a costume for any of the races? Would you do it again?

Thanks!

I went with Disney-inspired outfits and that was a first for me. I've done Disney races before but have never dressed up because I 'm picky about the stuff I run in.

The 5k character on the medal was Pluto, so I did running shorts and a tank in that yellow-gold color and topped it off with a Pluto hat that had floppy ears for fun. 10k was Oswald, so I wore blue shorts and a black tank, plus a set of Oswald ears.  The half marathon was Donald Duck. I already had a blue tank, so I bought a red bow tie to pin onto the neckline and a fluffy featherylooking skirt to wear over my running shorts. Marathon day I went with comfort and wore a tank and my favorite shorts, but I wore a sparkle skirt over my shorts for a little flair. The two skirts, bow tie, and hat/ears were the only things I purchased specifically for the races. Everything else was gear I already owned.


I would do it again. I'm contemplating it next year. The training is the only thing that makes me hesitate because the peak mileage is happening at an already busy time of year during the holidays. The back to back long runs and recovery after quickly ate up my weekends.