Last Minute Tips for Wine & Dine Half Marathon

This Saturday is the second running of the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon and the second time I am running it.  Clearly this makes me an "expert"* on the subject ;)

For my family and friends who aren't familiar with what I will be up to on Saturday night, this is a night time half marathon that starts at 10pm.  The course starts at ESPN Wide World of Sports, heading down Osceola Parkway, through Animal Kingdom, back down Osceola to Hollywood Studios.  You go through the Studios, and down the path leading to the Boardwalk hotel, past the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts and then onto Epcot for the finish line!  There is also a 2-person half marathon relay taking place at the same time.  Runner #1 runs from the start line to Animal Kingdom, where they hand off to Runner #2 who completes the course and finishes at Epcot.
The best part of the night is after the race when we get to enjoy some Epcot rides and the Food & Wine Festival at the Post Race Party! Cannot wait! 

Here are some tips & reminders for fellow runners about the weekend:

1.  Print out your race waiver and have it with you when you go to packet pick-up.  It will save you some time, allowing more time for the important stuff like shopping at the expo or having a glass of champagne.. that they will likely have for sale since this is all about Wine & Dine baby! 
2.  Throughout the weekend, take care of yourself.  Sure, you are at Disney on a vacation of some sort, but on Saturday (the day of the race) you need to take care of yourself.  Try and eat your bigger meal of the day early (and really no later than 2pm or so) and have your typical pre-race fuel as your "dinner".  In this year’s program, Jeff Galloway outlines a great race day preparation routine.  Read it.  Live it.

My plan for Saturday:  Volunteer at Kids Races (kharma people, get out and volunteer!), pool at the Beach Club, nap in the late afternoon and then it is 13.1 miles of party time! 
3.  Make sure you read the Final Race Instructions for all you need to know about where to be and when... and how to get there. 
4.  Go to your assigned start corral for the race.  If you want to be with your friends/family, you need to go back in the corrals, people should not be moving forward.  Respect your fellow, faster runners. 
5.  Love the fact that the weather during the race will be about 70 degrees with about 70% humidity.  Honestly, living in Miami this sounds pretty great to me (I am crazy).  A few days ago it was predicted to be warmer, so I am pretty psyched that it seems to be "cooling off" a bit.  The low for Saturday night is 65, chil-ly! :)  Kidding, I am not that crazy.  The temps will be great, there will be no sun (praise God for the night race) but the humidity may not feel great.  Just get in the mind set, hydrate and you will be fine. 
6.  Thank your volunteers along the way.
7.  Spectators... as you are cheering us on don't forget to shout out our names - they are on our race bibs for a reason!  We love it, appreciate it and sometimes need all the encouragement we can get to finish this thing!
8.  Look for the sign at about mile 12.5 that says "Cold Bear Ahead" and know that is making me very happy! 

I hope this has shed a little light on what to expect during race weekend.  Good luck to everyone, it's gonna be a great night!

* Please note these are my opinions based on last year’s experience.  I am not any sort of professional anything and if you choose to follow this advice it is at your own risk.