I ran the 2018 Wine & Dine Half Marathon as a pacer. While I have done the WDW Marathon Weekend Half a few times, Star Wars Half, and Princess Half, this was my first time running the Wine & Dine.

Wine & Dine Half Marathon used to be a night race, but due to weather issues, runDisney changed it to a morning race in 2017. I do think it kind of takes away from the whole Wine & Dine experience, having it in the morning. This means that the after-party, which is held at the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival takes place that evening. So, you have the race in the morning, and party at night.

Race morning is like any other runDisney race, early! You have to get to the event super early, as the race start is at 5:30am. Since the start is at Magic Kingdom, you take a bus there from either your resort (if you stay on Disney property), or from EPCOT Center if you drive in. The Finish is at EPCOT... just don't forget where you parked your car at dark-o-thirty if you drove in! :)

Since I tend to be in a back corral, I wait awhile before starting. It's usually around 6:15am when my corral hits the starting mat. This year, it was a bit crazy weather-wise during the wait. We had coolish/nice temps, then it rained. Later, it got humid... so it was definitely a wacky morning.

runDisney races are always a great time, with lots of characters along the way, and you get to see some of the parks. Not all of the 13.1 miles is in the theme parks though, as you run on roads as well, in between the more fun parks.

The course can get a bit tight at times, especially at some of the turns and on/off ramps, so that's always something to keep in mind. I mean, there are thousands of other runners/walkers doing these Disney races! The best thing is to just go out there and run it for fun.

Wine & Dine is overall a good race, but I'd have to say it wasn't my favorite half I've done out there. My favorite is the WDW Marathon Weekend Half Marathon, followed by the Star Wars: Dark Side Half Marathon. If you love the Food & Wine Festival though, this one might be right up on your favorites!

You can check out my personal race recap on my blog:
http://girlsgotsole.com/blog/race-recap-2018-wine-dine-half-marathon/