Overall: this is a fun 5k that is pretty walker-friendly (16 minute/mile is the required pace), though many people seem to think “Disney” means “we don’t make you complete the full distance.” Many runners do the course in intervals, alternating running and walking. This is my third year running this race, and every year I’ve seen a number of kids running with their parents. Many people choose to run in costume (though if you do so, please be sure to read the rules carefully!). While I can’t personally see flying across the country to do ONLY the 5k, or making this my first 5k (due to the expense of the bib!), perhaps if you were traveling with your family it would be worth it.

Shirt/Swag: The shirt for this event is always a unisex cotton t-shirt. Some runners would prefer a tech tee, but I have gobs of tech tees and don’t mind a cotton one. Pluto is the main character for this race, and he is featured on the medal (which is made of rubber) and the shirt. I’d prefer an actual medal instead of a rubber one, and have always wondered what the rationale is for making this one rubber. (The Kids’ Races do give out rubber medals too.) Of course it’s a 5k, and at any other 5k I don’t expect a medal at all.

Elevation: not much. The course is relatively flat, with a few banked roads (canted to the right). A portion of the course is along roads on the Disney property, and a portion goes through the Epcot theme park, around the World Showcase. There are portions where the course narrows, and they are well-marked and announced, as are the speed bumps as you enter the park property.

Aid Stations: water only. I would have liked to see electrolytes at one in the middle, simply because of the humidity. While I think there was an on-course medical tent, I’m not 100% sure about it (I didn’t need it, so I wasn’t looking). The volunteers are all terrific.

Course scenery: pretty hard to beat. It’s not the most gorgeous course, but I really enjoy running through the park before it is open, and getting to watch the sunrise over the lake in Epcot. (That is, when it isn’t super foggy or otherwise overcast.) As with all Disney races, there are characters out in costume, and many runners stop to wait in line and take pictures with them. Some cast members are out in full costume (e.g. the national costumes from the world showcase nations). The park is closed while the 5k runs through, so there are no options to ride the rides or buy food (like there is with the marathon). I’m fine with that, but some runners seemed genuinely surprised.

Expo: I rate this pretty low for a number of reasons. One, given the size of the events over Walt Disney World marathon weekend, I expect a bigger expo. This one is smaller than the expo for most of the larger events I have run, including all of the Rock ‘n’ Roll series races and the Detroit Marathon. It is about the same size as the expo for the Portland Marathon (at least as of 2002 or so). I would like to see more vendors, and more space—the expo is held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, so there is plenty of room to branch out and add more vendors by taking over additional space. Two, there is generally a mad frenzy over at the Official Disney Merchandise portion of the expo. People literally push and shove to get certain merchandise on the first day of the expo. (I recommend avoiding the first day of the expo. You won’t die if you don’t get that jacket or whatever.) Popular items sell out, and can be found on eBay later in the day for three times the retail price. Three, the official race charities don’t even all have booths. (Disney gives bibs to certain charities—or sells them at a deep discount, I’m honestly not sure which—and runners fundraise for those groups.) I’d like to learn more about the other groups running on course, and I’m sure other runners would too. Four, the same exact mix of vendors tends to be at every runDisney expo. The main race sponsors have significant real estate, with a giant amount of space (comparatively) going to New Balance, which makes officially licensed Disney character inspired shoes. (People also go nuts over these, so much so that there is a limit to how many pairs you can buy, and a separate reservation system to get fitted.) Smaller vendors probably can’t afford the booth fees, but I’d love to see more family businesses and new products.

Parking/Access: if you are going to run any of the Disney events in Florida, I highly recommend staying at one of the host resorts. There is free bus transportation to and from the event from those hotels and it is the most convenient way to get to the races. (You can also take the monorail from the Contemporary). Parking is free and plentiful, though it adds to the number of pre-race steps you need to walk before you get to the corrals. I have limited experience with this—drove TO a race once, and received a ride FROM the race to another destination another time.)

Race Management: runDisney could do a few things to improve the management of this race. Specifically, I would suggest making smaller corrals (there are currently wheelchair plus A-F corrals) to help avoid the bottle-necking problems in narrow areas of the course. I would also add recorded announcements of basic runner etiquette at key portions of the course—for example, pass on the left and slower runners keep right announced at the narrow spaces.

Spectators: there are several “chEAR squad” packages available for the Florida Disney races. I’ve never bought one, so I don’t know all of the options. I do know there are bleachers/stands set up at the finish line. Aside from the start and finish, there are not really any other great spots for spectators for this short course.

Misc: hot coffee is available for purchase (cash only) before the race. There is a bag check available. Mylar blanket “heat sheets” are available at the finish line if the weather warrants it. Post-race snacks include bottled water, bottled PowerAde, a banana, and a snack box. (Contents of the snack box vary from race to race; this year there was a Clif Builder Bar, some cheese dip, bite sized tortilla chips, dried fruit mix, and a 2-pack of Oreos. Also a wet nap.) Contrary to popular assumption, you do NOT get free park entry because you ran in a race. (I have no clue why people believe you would get a free ticket, since it does not indicate that anywhere on the race website or in any of the pre-race emails.)