Look Back: 2021 Wine & Dine Half Marathon
A look back at the 2021 runDisney Wine & Dine Half marathon on
Originally posted on November 23, 2021 on imgoingto.run (link)
runDisney is officially back! Earlier this month, runDisney hosted the Walt Disney World Wine and Dine Half Marathon weekend, the first in person race since the pandemic started. While there were some differences from past races, the event still had all the fun that one would expect from a runDisney race and overall, loved every moment of the race. Here are some notes from my experience in participating in the event.
Starting with the Expo and Bib Pickup, the overall experience felt mostly the same. Runners were still required to attend the expo to pick up their bib and race shirts. However the big change here was the introduction of digital waivers, which was a hit and miss for some participants. For myself, I had no issues accessing my digital waiver, so I signed it before I headed for Florida. The system presented me with a digital confirmation of my waiver that I presented at bib pickup, which allowed for a quick and easy process. Some runners did not get to see their waivers online, so runDisney helped these participants out by having paper wavers available on-site, allowing for an easy pick up process for these individuals as well.
For the actual race, there were a few things that felt different which I'll highlight in the bullet points below:
As a start, arriving at the Magic Kingdom parking lots offered the usual music and Emcee entertaining us, however the thing that was lacking were character meet and greets. Instead, photo ops with some props were provided. While Ursula was roaming around, this was a distanced experience like the character meet and greets in the park.
The staging areas were "seeds" instead of corrals, ranging from 1 to 4. This was designated by the number on your bib - s1, s2, s3, s4. Once in the seed groups, waves were sent out at specific intervals - these individual waves were a "first come first serve" order, so arrive early if you want to get out as early as possible
The race course and entertainment were still very true to the runDisney experience - there was plenty of music and characters on the course, along with amenities for rehydration.
Character meet and greets were distanced experience. Runners were at least 6 feet part from the characters, but the photographers did a great job to frame the runner and character in the shot
For the hydration stations, water was still distributed in cups with volunteers wearing masks and gloves
The food/snack provided on this course were Honey Stingers Energy Chews. I got the cherry flavor which I actually enjoyed a lot
At the finish line, not all volunteers were putting medals around racer's necks. In many cases, I saw medals being handed to racers (a common practice I've seen at races due to the pandemic)
The snack box did not have Oreos - but included Goldfish vanilla wafers, some chips, cheese, sunflower seeds, and a wipe. The snack distribution also included Powerade, water, and my favorite - bananas
Overall, runDisney has done a great job in bringing racing back in a safe way. Participants were not required to wear masks in the staging area, but were required on the provided transportation - so you will still need to have a mask with you for this run.