Overall: this is a real-live half marathon. Yes it is at Disney, and yes it is pretty walker-friendly (16 minute/mile is the required pace), but many people seem to think “Disney” means “we don’t make you complete the full distance”—people were swept from the half. If you have previously run a half marathon, I highly recommend following the instructions to submit a “proof of time” for corral placement; the later corrals are larger and have less time between starts (or at least it seems that way), and if you plan to run the entire event (many runners do the course in intervals, alternating running and walking) you will have a very difficult time doing so if you start in the back.

Speaking of corral placement, people get positively obsessed with which corral they are in for this race (and for the marathon). This is my third year running this race and I am still shocked by the inordinate amount of whining about corral placement that goes on just prior to the race. The purpose of corral placement is to regulate traffic flow, and attempt to prevent slower runners from getting run over by faster ones (while allowing faster runners to move forward with the fewest roadblocks possible).

Many people choose to run in costume (though if you do so, please be sure to read the rules carefully!). Every year I doubt the wisdom of this, as I see costume pieces ditched by the side of the road. If you plan to run in costume, I strongly suggest doing at least a 10 mile run in your costume elements before the race. The fluffy tulle skirt that felt fine at the 5k may cause unbearable arm chafing at a half marathon.

This race, like the marathon, is substantially bigger in size than the 5k and 10k races. (There are more than double the number of participants.) The half marathon is also the first race of Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend where cheating runs rampant, even before the race. (People actually cheat at other races to get a faster “proof of time”!) During the race, runners regularly cut the course, for example. Fortunately more and more runners are disgusted by cheating, and reporting is on the rise.

Shirt/Swag: The shirt for this event is a long-sleeved tech shirt. For as long as I have run with Disney, the shirts have been Champion brand, and they are available in both women’s and men’s sizes. While there is a size chart available online to guide you, if you choose the wrong size chances are pretty good that you can swap for the right one. Donald Duck is the main character for this race, and he is featured on both the shirt and the medal. The medal has a great design, is gold-colored (shiny), and comes on a colorful, fat ribbon that compliments the design. It’s no surprise that runDisney medals are very popular with the Medals for Mettle kids, or that some runners can completely finance their trips to runDisney by selling them on eBay. The race bag also includes a small Clif Bar, safety pins, and a race weekend booklet.

Elevation: not much. Like the 5k, the course is relatively flat, with a few banked roads (canted to the right) and a run over the bridge near the Dolphin and Swan hotels. 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 is also a portion on the boardwalk that goes by the beach club resorts; while neat to run through the area, it’s a bit treacherous after it has rained (wet wood is no bueno for running). Be careful if you have any issues with clearance between shoe and road, or are prone to stubbing your toe, or tripping over relatively flat areas. 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: well-stocked and attended, with water and yellow PowerAde. One aid station provided ClifShot in various flavors. I carried my own hydration and nutrition, but did take some of what was provided on course. (By the way, you can get water bottles refilled at an aid station, making it easy to mix your preferred brand of electrolytes on course.) As always, if you haven’t trained with the nutrition and hydration offered on course, you should carry your own and stick to what you have used in training. Race day is not the time to find out the citrus flavored gel gives you the runs, for example.

The course also had multiple medical stations. As at the marathon, there are trained medics on hand (volunteers are required to have a valid license) and EMTs at the ready. There is also a selection of “self help” supplies, including BioFreeze, Vaseline, Band-Aids, etc. Unfortunately, the medical team was busy at the half marathon tending to both emergencies and undertrained runners.

Course scenery: pretty hard to beat. This is the shortest distance to run through the Magic Kingdom park in addition to Epcot. (The 5k and 10k only run through Epcot.) It’s not the most gorgeous course in terms of trees and nature (that’s why I do trail runs), but I really enjoy running through the parks before they open. The half runs down part of Main Street USA, which is lined with volunteers, cast members, and a cheering throng of friends and family—lots of people to take your picture with the castle in the background. It is pretty cool to see the castle all lit up for Christmas/winter in the early morning (topped with characters from “Frozen,” no surprise!). This year there was a bit of a problem with running through the castle though, as some people decided to come to a dead stop in the center of the castle to take pictures. One runner yelled “please keep moving, this is a safety issue”—which it is, since it is a narrow, confined tunnel through which all 25,000+ runners will pass—and I was appalled when the response from the selfie-takers was “you’re running the wrong race.” Dude, look, I get you want to stop and have fun at the Disney race, but PLEASE don’t come to a dead stop in the middle of the road.

Within the Magic Kingdom the course runs through most (all?) of the “lands.” (Personally, I recommend Tomorrowland as the best place to find an indoor toilet.) We ran past the carousel, the tea cups, and the new Dwarf mine ride, among others. It’s a fun way to see the park, since the crowd is largely confined to the course’s path, and you can see many things you might not otherwise notice when the area is jammed full of park-goers.

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 wearing their usual costumes (their work clothes). The parks are closed while the half marathon 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-P corrals) to help avoid the bottle-necking problems in narrow areas of the course, or adding more time between the later corrals. I know some people would hate this suggestion (after all, the P corral already starts the race over an hour after the A corral starts), but I think it would help. 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 such as the transition to the back stage area at Magic Kingdom—and designated runDisney staffers to ensure people do not stop drop and selfie in the middle of the castle. As long as I’m making wishes, I’d also like to see some of the parks’ bathrooms converted from “men” to “women only” just for the duration of the race. While men have other options—I saw more men drop trou and pee on the side of the road at the half marathon and marathon this year than I’ve seen in my entire life—women generally do not.

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 multiple other great spots for spectators, including Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom. The runDisney website has a complete spectator guide, including where to see the runners during each race.

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, though I didn’t see them for the half or the full marathon. (Pro tip: when you can, save a few of these and keep them with your race gear. They are great for pre-race warmth, and for tucking into your checked bag for use in case none are available after the race.)

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.)