Latest reviews by Rachel Drew
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
This is now the third year I've run this race, and I will keep coming back. Excellent course support, mostly flat course, enthusiastic and appreciative volunteers, great post-race snacks, access to real bathrooms and space to wait inside in case of inclement weather. Registration is only $20, but you are encouraged to do some fundraising, as this is intended to benefit Vermont Respite House. They give age group awards for 1st and 2nd place in each 10 year age group male/female, as well as overall winners male/female. I do wish they'd give tech shirts as opposed to cotton, but for a charity race, that's perhaps unrealistic. If you want a fun, feel-good 5k race, this is a good one for you.
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
I registered for this race last-minute while visiting family in DC. On-site registration was very easy, and $25 for a chip-timed race is a pretty great deal. You can also register for the entire series (5 races, every Friday night through April) for $100, and registering for the series gets you either a tech shirt or a $10 gift card to a local running store.
The registration area is in a mall, which is great because it offers access to real bathrooms, and there was a bag check as well. Lots of people come straight after work and need to change and stash their stuff. In my case, I was a tourist, so having a place to change and safely store my backpack was awesome. It's also metro-accessible, which was really nice for me as an out-of-towner.
The race starts and ends in a park right across the street from the mall/registration area, and there was a great community vibe. Lots of people obviously knew each other/had run the races before, and were ready to have a good time. The route is nothing spectacular, but the volunteers and police escorts are amazing, there's one water stop on the course, and plenty of bottled water at the end. If you're looking for a fun, casual 5k, this is the race for you.
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
This was my first year running this race; I was registered last year but couldn't run due to injury.
Pre-Race:
Registration was available online, with incremental price increases up to $55. Registration fee includes the Santa suit with pants, jacket, beard and hat, and if you have a suit from a prior year, you can get a "race only" registration for $10 less. You are "required" to wear the suit in order to race, but people definitely made modifications. Packet pickup was available the two days prior to the race as well as race morning right at Ri Ra's Irish Pub downtown. They were well organized, and in addition to my Santa suit, I got two $5 off coupons for Ri Ra's, a coupon for a free cup of tea at David's Tea, and a running magazine. Tech shirts were available for purchase for $15. I personally would rather get a nice red long sleeved shirt or half zip to wear for the run than the cheap felt Santa suit, but the event is a fundraiser, so I guess I get it.
Race Day:
Parking downtown can be tricky because of road closures, so I recommend parking South of Main Street. Since it was Sunday, parking was free at all meters, so I parked in the lot at the corner of King Street and St. Paul. Ri Ra's is less than a half mile from the lot, and I was able to get out of the downtown "core" and home with zero hassle.
It's a great party atmosphere at Ri Ra's on race morning. There was a DJ and music, lots of photo ops, news coverage, and the restaurant was open for bathrooms and to get out of the cold. There was also a coffee station, which I thought was really nice. The PA system made it really easy to know what was going on, and we started about 5 minutes late because it's tough to wrangle 1500 runners in such a small area.
The race course is somewhat hilly; within the first mile you run up Battery Street, which is sort of Burlington's own Heartbreak Hill during the Vermont City Marathon. There are some nice views of the lake as you run down Main Street, and when you run down South Willard there are some great views down the hill as well. The race ends right back at Ri Ra's, and right after finishing I got a full-sized bottle of water.
Post-Race:
The race is chip-timed, and results are available online. As part of your registration, you get a free Irish breakfast, which I didn't end up getting; breakfast was at Memorial Auditorium, which was just far enough away that I didn't feel like walking all the way over, plus I was busy that day and needed to get home, but I've heard great things about the food.
Overall, this is a fun race, but I HIGHLY recommend that you DON'T run in the flimsy felt Santa pants that come with registration. I can't even begin to count the number of folks, myself included, who were struggling with ill-fitting pants that kept sliding down--I had to stop to re-tie my drawstring twice. In the future, I'll be wearing red leggings.
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
First things first, let me be clear that the 2015 Wine and Dine Half Marathon was not a typical runDisney event. Due to "severe weather" warnings, the start of the race was delayed an hour, and due to the delays and permitting restrictions, the course was shortened to just under 7 miles.
Pre-Race:
Registration for this race was available online in March, and sold out in less than an hour, so I consider myself very lucky to have gotten in. Registration was just about $200, which is much more than I would normally pay for a race, but runDisney races are incredibly popular for a reason; they pull out all the stops regarding medals, shirts, merchandise, and post-race experience, so I was willing to spring for it.
This was my first ever expo experience, and it was a little overwhelming. The expo opened at 10 am on Friday, and I got there around 10:30. I got my Bib, post-race party bracelet, and gEAR check back at the Josten's Center, then headed over to the Field House to get my shirt and check out the vendors. There were SO. MANY. PEOPLE. I wandered around with my friends for a while, but the crowds and lines were crazy so I didn’t buy much.
On race day, free shuttle bus transportation was available from all Disney "host" resorts starting at 7 pm, and runners had to be on a bus by 8 pm to ensure that they made it to the staging area by the 10:00 pm start time. I walked onto a bus shortly after 7 pm with no wait, and was at the staging area right around 8 pm. There were lots of porta-potties all around, and the gEAR check area was clearly marked. There was a big stage area with music and emcees, and lots of photo ops. There was also a water table in the Runners Only area.
Around 9 pm, we received word that due to severe weather warnings, we would be evacuated either into the Stadium or the Field House. We were delayed for about an hour, and while runDisney tried to keep runners entertained, there weren't enough bathrooms in the stadium for everyone, and they kept blasting music while making important announcements, so it was hard to know what was going on. Eventually, the herded us back to the staging area, where we waited for another little bit, and then we finally headed into the corrals. Runners are allowed to drop back to a slower corral to stay with friends, but they do actually check your bib to make sure you're not jumping up.
During the Race:
While waiting in the corrals, we found out that the entire Animal Kingdom portion of the race would be eliminated, which was a huge bummer. runDisney only had permits to keep the roads closed for so long, and because of the delays, they knew not everyone would be able to finish the entire course in the allotted time.
They set off fireworks before each corral, which is a really nice touch. I was in Corral F, and we started around 11:30 pm. The first mile or so was on highway, but there's music and character stops to keep runners entertained. There were water stations every mile or so, with both water and Powerade. Because there are so many runners, there are parts of this course that are EXTREMELY crowded, and I was actually pushed by another runner at one point.
As I stated above, the course was just shy of 7 miles. We ran through Hollywood Studios, and the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, which was one of the coolest things I've ever seen during a race. The path along the Boardwalk from Hollywood Studios to Epcot is by far the most crowded portion of the race. Just go with the flow and try not to get frustrated. The finish is in Epcot, and seeing Spaceship Earth all lit up at night is really cool.
Post-Race:
Post-race is a bit overwhelming. The finisher's chute is really long and winds around toward bag-check and the changing tents. You get a medal, Powerade and/or water, a box of snacks (processed cheese, crackers, some trail mix, and chocolate), and you have to carry all this stuff until you get to gEAR check, which was actually INCREDIBLY organized. They had my bag ready for me seconds after I walked into the tent.
The changing areas were divided into Men and Women, but the lines were really long, so I went straight to the line for free beer, which took a while, and then the free beer was Mich Ultra, which was a bit disappointing, as I've heard that in years past it was Yeungling, which is a far superior beer. I changed in a bathroom in Epcot instead of waiting for the changing tents, which was a great choice.
The post-race party in Epcot is pretty cool. The parks stay open for runners and spectators until 4 am, and you can ride rides, take character photos, and take part in the International Food and Wine Festival. I stayed until they closed the park down, and had a great time. I never had to wait too long for food or drink, and got some great pictures.
Overall:
If you don't like crowds, runDisney is not for you. If you don't really like Disney, runDisney is not for you. If you're trying to run a competitive race, make sure you're in a speedy corral and seed yourself appropriately.
If you love Disney, don't want to speed through, and want to have fun, this is a great race. The medal is large and of high quality and the long sleeve tech shirt was nice as well. You just need to be prepared for the cost and the crowds. I was very disappointed that the race was cut short, but that will not stop me from registering for future Wine and Dine races.
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Pre-Race:
Registration was available online and increased in price incrementally as race day approached. I had a 20% off code and registered at the early bird rate, so I ended up paying only about $80 (I ran the shortest available course, the 5ish mile Spartan Sprint). Race day registration was available, but quite expensive.
Parking was a breeze--I arrived an hour before my scheduled heat (10:15 am) and had minimal traffic to deal with, and got a parking space pretty close to the start/finish line. Shuttle buses ran every few minutes to carry runners from the further away lots. The registration area was very well organized--tents were set up for specific bib number ranges, and I had my packet within minutes of arrival. Extra waivers were available if you forgot to fill yours out in advance, and bib numbers were listed in case you forgot yours. My only gripe at this point was that spectators had to pay a $25 fee just to watch the race, which to me seems like blatant money grabbing. No one should have to pay to stand around and watch a race.
Waves of runners were released every 15 minutes, and there was a brief warm up before each wave. Plenty of porta-potties about 200 yards from the starting line, all of which were relatively clean and had LOTS of extra TP. Several vendor tents were in the area as well.
During the Race:
Overall, the toughest part of doing any Spartan race at Killington is the fact that you essentially have to go up and down the mountain. The elevation gain/drop is no joke, and since it rained on Saturday night, the trails were quite slick and muddy at times. The views, however, were absolutely gorgeous. The course was supposed to be about 5 miles and have 20+ obstacles, but I sat down after the race and even though I'm confident I remembered every obstacle I came up against, I only came up with 16 total. I guess you could count the mountain itself as an obstacle or two.
The obstacles we faced were not as challenging as I initially feared--climbing up and over things at about 4-5 feet high was a common theme, along with climbing up a rope, rock climbing walls, a spear throw, sandbag carry, jumping over fire, barbed wire crawl, tire pull etc etc. The penalty for any obstacle you're unwilling or unable to complete is 30 burpees, but nobody is really watching you and counting unless you're in a competitive heat, so you could totally just skip them if you didn't feel up to it.
The "up" portion was very grassy, as we were going parallel to a lift line. The "down" portion was a lot of single track trail--muddy, rooty, and rocky. My second complaint is this: there are often Sprinters, Beasters, Ultra Beasters, and "elites" on the course at the same time, and those who are more competitive tend to yell and push around those who are just out there to finish. I witnessed several near collisions and one instance where an "elite" runner was so focused on pushing past a group on the single track trail that he went off track and ended up tripping and falling, hard. I strongly feel that there should be completely separate competitive and non-competitive days, to avoid situations like this. I know it's hard, particularly because the Beat and Ultra Beast courses take so long to complete (anywhere from 7-11 hours), but it's not safe to have people pushing other people around like that, especially when the course is already so challenging.
Third complaint: there wasn't a water/hydration station until mile 3.5. Most sprinters didn't bring Camelbaks or water bottles, assuming that there would be hydration available on course, as advertised. Thankfully, it wasn't a super sunny or warm day, but even so, by the time I reached the water station, I was already dehydrated, and ended up getting some ferocious calf cramps at several points during the race, to the point where I couldn't even walk. If the day had been any hotter, I doubt I would have made it through the entire course.
Post-Race:
Immediately upon finishing and receiving my medal, there was a Clif tent where they had several flavors of Builder Protein bars available. I also got a really delicious, Paleo-friendly, gluten-free recovery drink called FitAid, and half a banana. There was a tent for post-race photos, and then there was a beer garden set up in the center, and each runner got a free beer, either Shock Top or Goose Island on tap. There was a large area for hosing off, but no actual showers, and changing tents for men and women. Killington Resort had also opened up their lodge and was selling food, but it was incredibly expensive. The shuttle buses continued to run every few minutes to bring runners back to their cars, which was very helpful.
In addition to the medal and beer, each finisher received a "Finisher" shirt, which was a nice cotton/poly blend. I was just disappointed because they were a unisex fit, and I would have liked something cut a bit nicer for women. I also felt rushed in making the size decision and wish I'd taken a bit more time, because the shirt I ended up with is far too big to wear other than around the house. For the price of registration, a tech shirt would have been nice, too, but what can you do?
Overall:
Spartan events seem to be very well run, and I only had a few complaints, which I will reiterate here:
- MUST have more hydration on course for Sprinters
- For safety reasons, I would prefer separate days and or times for competitive runners so they're not pushing non-competitive runners around
- Regarding t-shirts, gender specific sizing is always preferred, and I would have loved a tech shirt I could actually run/train in rather than the cotton/poly blend
- Charging spectators $25 to watch the event is NOT OK
Otherwise, it was a challenging, but totally doable event for someone who is reasonably athletic, and I had a lot more fun than I expected to.