The Disney Wine and Dine was my reward race for getting fit & healthy and something I was really looking forward too. It was a 'destination' race that cost a fair amount of money and time. I really have a ton of mixed feelings about this race and some general impression of Run Disney races now.

My wife and I got to the expo on Mid-Day on Friday afternoon. The management and efficiency of getting your bib and shirt is flawless and as good as I have seen. The downside is that much of the 'prime' merchandise quickly sold out on Friday morning in the first couple of hours. The only merchandise I really wanted was a wine glass and they were sold out. Being a first time Disney runner, I found out that if there is something that you really want, you better get to the expo early. That is a tip for anyone doing their first Disney race. The other downside is that the race merchandise is not cheap at all. There was some stuff I liked but was not interested in spending the money on it. I thought many of the vendors were clearly more focused on women than men. This is understandable when 2/3 of the race registrants were women. I don't have a problem with this but it just meant that there was not many vendors that appealed to me.

Pre-Race:
Transportation to the race from the Disney properties was pretty flawless. I got to the race a couple hours early and waited in line for a picture with Mickey. It was well worth the wait. They had a stage with big video board that kept the crowd entertained. The lines for the characters was not bad. They also had plenty of ports-potties. The wait was long but manageable.

The Weather:
What was a very nice but warm and humid night, quickly turned ominous with dark clouds quickly rolled in with major lightening in the area. This caused an entire evacuation of the area. I have to give the race committee and volunteers tons of credit in their efficiency in moving 13,000 runners to a safe place. This put the race in peril with no one really knowing what was going on. Twitter became the best place to get any information. Much of the information there being reported was correct and being said before official race communication. After waiting for quite a while, we were told that the race was being delayed until 10:45PM but more importantly was being reduced to just about 7 miles. Hence, why I am calling it the Wine and Dine 11K. This included removing the entire animal kingdom section which was a big part of why I had registered for the race. I will admit, I was completely disappointed and pretty upset about it. I understood the situation but still was pretty disappointed. I think the race director did as good of job as they could with the hand that was dealt to them. This was a lot of time, money and training put into running this half so it was hard not to be disappointed.

Race:
I think Disney did a great job of putting runners into proper corrals. You have to submit a proof of time to get assigned a corral. I was fortunate to be in corral B which meant I was starting in the first 1000 runners. Unfortunately, like any race you had people jumping fences and being in corrals they did not belong. This causes problems with runners the father back you were placed.

With the new modified course, the first several miles were out on the highway with some entertainments and a few characters. No one I was really interested in getting a photo with.

The aid stations were very well stocked and well manned. The volunteers out on the course were simply outstanding. I could not say enough good things about them. I think they did a good job of trying to raise some people's spirits who were disappointed about the course change.

Prior to entering Hollywood Studios there was a nice little incline that Sarge from Toy Soldier was barking at you that was pretty cool. The running through Hollywood Studios was pretty awesome and especially the Osborn Lights. That was clearly the highlight of the run. After exiting Hollywood Studios, you ran along the Boardwalk back to Epcot. The run through Epcot was very quick but great crowds.

I ended up being closer to the front and so I had no issues with crowding or congestion but I heard some horror stories from people who were much farther back on crowding and poor runner etiquette. I think a lot of this had more to do that you got into a crowded section way earlier than you would have with the full distance. The crowd did not have a chance to thin out.

The race finishes up in the parking lot of Epcot. You are quickly ushered through this section very efficiently and receive your medal and some water and Power Ade along with a cool towel. The running temperatures that night was about 80 degrees with 98% humidity so it was pretty brutal. My biggest complaint with the race was that there was no cold water or drinks. I could not drink the PowerAde or water. I was already somewhat frustrated and disappointed so that kind of put me in a worst mood. They have a nice area for those that want to do a finisher shot. Since I will admit, I was not in a good mood I skipped this and just went to bag check. The race had a nice area for you to change and then you could get a drink coupon for wine, beer or soft drink. Since I need something cold i went with the Chardonnay. A first for me in that I was hydrating with Wine.

The race medals were very nice. While I did not run a half, it is still a nice memento from the race. I like the medals more for a memento than anything else anyways.

Post-Race:
As part of the race, you had a 15 voucher at the Food and Wine Festival. This was a lot of fun. Since I got done early in the first wave, it was pretty empty to get stuff. However, after about 90 minutes it became very crowded and the lines very long for drinks and food. All in all, that was pretty cool. However, I did have to buy and $85 finisher line party ticket for my wife which did nothing but get her into Epcot at 8pm.

There was some attractions open including Soarin and Test Track which i took advantage of at 330AM.

Conclusion:
I learned that the Run Disney events is really a lot more about 'fun' and 'gimmicks' than being a serious run. I don't mean that in a negative way because it takes a lot to do a 1/2 marathon. However, this seemed to have many more walkers (pure numbers and percentages) than any other race i have done. There is nothing wrong with this but if you are looking for something more serious, probably not the best run for you. I ended up finishing 237 out of almost 13000 and I am anything but an elite runner. This was more a definition of what the race is like. I think people have to realize that going into the race it is going to be a ton of walkers and people who want to do the photos with characters and etc. They are clearly there for the fun aspect and taking in the Disney experience. I would never go and just do a 'Disney' run again without a group or just for the run but I would do one again if I was on a vacation and/or it was a family event.

I think the race committee did as good of a job as they could with what was handed them with the weather but it still made it a disappointment for me who wanted to run a half. The after party was a second thought to be but for many that what was most important.

For some people, I think they will love these races but for me, it really is not something I would look to do again. I don't think my feelings about the race is as much as there is something wrong with the race as it is a personal preference for me and what I am looking for in races.