Overall, amazing race and weekend. I was doing the DOPEY challenge, which is running all 4 races, and this was the start of the race. I've never done a Disney 5K, but this one seemed large compared to the rest of the 5Ks, but that was mostly because of everyone doing Dopey. About half of the runners were doing the challenge.

T-Shirt/Swag: The only downside to the shirts were they were cotton. When you picked up your bib and shirts, you got a small cliff bar, but there were plenty of samples throughout the expo. The medal was a soft rubber, which was a little disappointing, although it was much lighter. There are more kids doing the 5K than the other races, so maybe that's why they use the soft rubber. Usually you don't even get a medal at a 5K, so at least we got something to show our efforts.

Aid Stations: Like all races, there were plenty of water stops and stations on the 5K. There were 2 water stops and medical tent. There were portapotties a plenty at the start and finish, and during the race you could use the parks bathrooms. Well, people were using them, not sure what the official word is on if it's allowed or not.

Course Scenery: Can't beat Disney, even if it isn't the most gorgeous. Since its fully on property, there were characters all over the place. The beginning of the race you are on the WDW highway, but you quickly entered the park. Sunrise over epcot lake was pretty wonderful.

Expo: Crowded. I usually just pick up my bib and leave, buying gear is usually pricey and with the cost of the race I'd rather just skip everything. I was with a friend who has a list of things she wanted so I went to get in line with her so we could be there at the opening. While looking for her things I saw a track jacket I really liked and was able to pick up the last one in my size. By the time I left the crowds had come in full force, the lines to check in and purchase items where long and it was hard to navigate. There is usually a bunch of shoving and pushing to get the official "RunDisney Merchandise" which is why I usually avoid it, but since I was there so early I made it out before the craziness started. The merchandise area did seem smaller than at the princess race, but I really don't spend much time at One nice thing was that the check in and the shopping were at different buildings, so you could completely avoid the craziness of the gear area.

Elevation Difficulty. I can't remember a single hill, other than ramps once inside Epcot.

Parking: I stayed on property and took a shuttle, which made travel very easy. The lines for the shuttles can be long, and with a 5am race, you are up by 3, it makes for a long day. If you choose not to stay on property, the parking lot was getting filled up real early and the traffic to get in was very long.

Race management: Overall, the management at Disney Races are great. There's always ways to improve though. First, the Corrals are HUGE, which causes bottle necks when the course gets narrow. Second, lots of people run these races, most for fun, but so many people are not aware of basic race etiquette, such as keeping right if your slower, rasing a hand if you're starting to walk, passing on the left, not walking 4 people wide and taking up the whole path.

Other: The Snack box at the end of the race is pretty nice, although it changes each year. This year there was a cliff bar, cheese tip, tortilla chips, dried fruit, oreos and a wet nap. They also hand out bananas. If the weather warrants, they hand out Mylar blankets to keep warm. There's plenty of water and powerade in the finish shoot as well. PHOTOGRAPHERS are everywhere on the course, and in the finish shoot. At the expo you have the option of purchasing all the photos of you for a discounted rate.

I highly recommend this race. although I won't do it again since there are so many other runDisney races, and coming from Seattle the costs add up, so I don't do repeats here.