The Dopey Challenge - The Travel Oracle

Since 2023 is slated to be my last big year of marathon running, I wanted to challenge myself as much as possible. In late November I was able to snag a charity bib for the Dopey Challenge down at Disney in Orlando. This challenge consists of four races over four days:

A 5k on Thursday
A 10k on Friday
A Half-Marathon on Saturday and
The 30th annual Disney Marathon on Sunday.

I figured this “Dopey Challenge” was a great way to kick off this crazy year of running and racing. Having never done this race before, I was fortunate to have many experienced, crazy friends who could show me the ropes.

Before We Were Dopey

Race week kicked off on Wednesday with a quick trip to “ESPN Wide World of Sports” for packet pickup.

Man in an orange shirt and baseball cap standing in front of a metal globe that says “ESPN Wide World of Sports” and two palm trees.

The doors were slated to open at 10 am but since I like to be early, I got there a little after 8 am to join the queue. When I got there, already there were about 20 people were ahead of me. Since the weather was decent, I think I made the right call by showing up when I did.

I spent the next two hours chatting with other crazy runners from around the world. Somehow they were also drawn to the “Happiest Place on Earth” for four days of punishment. To our delight, the doors opened a little early and I managed to get in and out with my bibs and shirts before 10 am.

Man standing before a poster of Dopey running and it reads “Perfect” — Perfectly Dopey

From this point on, the goal was to rest as much as possible in preparation for the 2 am wake-up. (That’s right, I said 2 am).

Dinner with our Chicago Besties

My friend and kidney recipient, Harvey, just so happened to be in Orlando with his ENTIRE FAMILY at the same time we were! Fortunately they were able to carve out a little time, between all the theme parks, for us to join them for dinner. Spending time with them is always good for our souls, and this time was no exception. Although we would have liked to visit longer, I knew my first 2 am wake-up call would be arriving before I knew it. So we headed back to our villa around 9:30pm, in time for me to lay out my gear and get ready for bed.

A man and woman seated with a woman and man standing behind them.

The Dopey Daily Ritual

Each day of the challenge had me rise at 2 am. I tried to be as quiet as possible to not wake Jill. Since we had a two bedroom villa, I was able to keep all my race gear in one room, whilst we slept in the other. And when you do four races in four days, you need a LOT of stuff.

I brewed the coffee while I got dressed before heading out for the ten minute drive to Epcot – the place where each race would start and end. On the advice of friends, my goal was to arrive at the property by 2:30 each morning. This arrival time would allow me to avoid road closures and reduce the risk of being late.

Dark, empty street with a sign reading “Walt Disney World” across it.

On the drive over I ate mini donuts and drank the coffee, while listening to my pre-race motivational playlist. Each morning, I met my friend Mike shortly after going thru security and we headed over to the staging area together.

There we would mill around with thousands of other runners, excitedly trying to figure out what the heck we were doing there. Around 4 am we moved into our start corrals. Before the start of each race we would sing the National Anthem, watch the wheelchair athletes head out, and move to the front of the corral in anticipation of our start.

Dopey Race #1 – The 5k

Before the race started I was so happy to see Jenny, Jenny, and Shawn. I didn’t really have a game plan for the 5K, having only raced a couple of them during my 12 years of running. I lacked the experience for proper pacing so my strategy was to run by feel and see what happened.

Archway that says “Disney 5k” — This way to the 5k

Since it was warm and humid, I was glad I was only running just over 3 miles. As I cruised thru Epcot (my first time there) I loved seeing the park all lit up and felt strong.

My breathing had been not so good since having Covid over a year ago, but that day, it seemed that things were finally getting better. I managed to clock negative splits with my miles being 6:39, 6:36, 6:36, and 6:23 for the last tenth.

Two men in running gear and holding race medals in front of a Disney sign.

My friend Mike finished shortly after me and we got together for a post race picture with our medals. Since they don’t provide stats for the 5K, I don’t know where I placed. I do know there weren’t many people in front of me and I was pleased with my time of 20:34 (6:36 pace).

Dopey Race #2 – The 10k

The weather was much cooler on day two. Between that and my breathing feeling better than it had in over a year, I was feeling confident I could run a decent time. The first two miles of the race were along the road on the outskirts of Epcot and I clocked splits of 7:00 and 6:51. One of the highlights of Dopey is stopping during the run to get pictures taken with various Disney characters.

Although I didn’t make any stops during the 5K, I committed to trying to get at least one picture on each of the remaining races. Since I was at the front of corral A, there weren’t many people in front of me. This allowed me to get some pictures without having to wait in line. I managed photos with Scrooge McDuck and Lumiere.

Man in racing gear next to a person dressed as Scrooge McDuck

Man in racing gear with a person dressed as the candle from Beauty and the Beast

Miles three and four came in a little faster with splits of 6:39 and 6:33. Even though I had two longer races left, I felt good so I tried to keep the pace as the race went on. My mile five split was the slowest at 6:40. With only just over a mile left, I was able to pick up the pace – clocking in at 6:31 for mile six.

Man in running gear racing around a fence

I wasn’t exactly sprinting at the end but I did drop down to a 6:15 pace for the last .35 of the race, crossing the finish line in 42:28. I hung out after the race to wait for my buddy, Phil, so we could celebrate “Beer Run Friday” together.

Two men holding craft beer in large, plastic, Disney cups

After an icy cold beer on a chilly morning, it was time to head back to the villa to start the recovery process for the next day’s half marathon. I ended up placing 4/493 in my age group and 39/11,871 overall. I’m pretty sure this may be PR for that distance as well.

Dopey Race #3 – The Half Marathon

Day three is where the real work begins. Racing a half marathon whilst knowing a marathon was to follow the next day requires proper pacing and a controlled effort. So that was my plan going into the day.

The walk from the parking lot to the start corrals was a mile but I wasn’t unhappy since it let me warm up a bit. This morning ended up being the coolest of the four days with the starting temps in the 40s. Having run plenty of races in cold weather, I was well prepared and pretty cozy in my bunny suit and bathrobe.

Man wearing a red bathrobe over a bunny suit with floppy ears

Miles 1 – 6

That day’s course started on the road outside of Epcot and headed towards Magic Kingdom. I decided to try and hold a 7:00 pace for the race whilst still getting some character pictures and allowing myself to enjoy the scenery. I managed splits of 7:01, 6:58, 6:57, 6:53, and 7:01 during this stretch.

There wasn’t much to see as it was very dark but there was plenty of loud Disney music to enjoy along the way. Miles six took me thru MK. I loved seeing everything all lit up and managed a 7:03 split. It was really cool running thru the castle and getting my picture taken with Mickey as well as Goofy and the Chipmunks, especially since this was my first time ever in MK.

Person wearing a Mickey Mouse costume next to a man in running gear

People dressed as the Chipmunks next to someone dressed as Goofy. In front is a man in racing gear giving two thumbs up

Mile 7 to the Finish

The next six miles were on the road back to Epcot. The first two miles after MK were super dark and it took a lot of concentration to make sure I stayed vertical as I tend to fall often, even under the best of circumstances. Around mile nine I was able to get a picture with a princess (not sure which one).

Man in racing gear next to a Disney princess. A gazebo is behind them

My splits for this stretch were 6:56, 6:59, 7:03, 7:06, 7:16, and 7:10. After mile twelve, we re-entered Epcot for what ended up being just under a mile and a half. I managed to snag a picture with Jafar and The Genie.

Man in running gear next to someone dressed as Jafar from Aladdin

Man in running gear next to someone dressed as the Genie from Aladdin

I’m really good at running tangents but hitting the character stops did add some distance to the run. After crossing the finish line in 1:34:29, I hurried back to the car because I was freezing and I really wanted to jump in the hot tub. Placing for this race had me at 10/669 in my age group and 87/15,343 overall.

Man crossing the finish line at a race with his arms raised

The Dopiest Race #4 – The Marathon

After three days of decently fast running, I decided that taking it a bit easier was the order of the day for the marathon. I went in with a plan of breaking it into three even parts of 8:30, 9:00, and 9:30, which would allow me to finish in just under 4 hours.

Once we got to the staging area, I was super happy to run into Jenny and Jenny before beginning the walk to the corrals. The start line was the same as the half marathon so once again we had the long walk and the temps were only slightly warmer than the day before. Fortunately I had my Dory onesie and a bathrobe to keep me warm.

Two women wearing thermal blankets next to a man wearing a Dory onesie and a bathrobe — The Jennys and Dory

The First Half

The first two miles were on the road outside of Epcot, followed by a quick mile in the park. My splits thru here were 8:29, 8:14, and 8:19. This was a little faster than planned but things felt easy so I wasn’t too worried about it. The next seven miles were on the road to MK. It was dark and I don’t really remember a lot about this stretch so it must have been uneventful. I managed splits of 8:15, 8:15, 8:08, 8:12, 8:27, 8:02, and 8:06.

At this point I should have been slowing down but decided to just listen to my body and run a pace that felt comfortable. The next mile plus took us thru MK and I was fortunate to once again have the castle to myself. I hit the halfway point in 1:48:57 with splits of 8:12, 8:19, and 8:14 as we worked our way towards Animal Kingdom.

Man in racing gear with the Disney parks lit up behind him

The Second Half

The jaunt thru AK was very aromatic and came shortly after passing by Disney’s sewage treatment plant. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed when those miles were completed. My splits thru here clocked in at 8:16, 7:59, 8:06, 8:02, and 8:01. Not sure if it was the smell but for some reason I did pick up the pace for this stretch. So much for my game plan of slowing down.

Miles 19-21 were on the road between AK and Blizzard Beach. I had never been to BB before and still haven’t, as we never ran into the park. Instead we zigzagged thru the parking lot for one mile amidst a sea of orange cones. (I almost felt like I was back in Michigan for construction season!) I managed splits of 8:04, 7:57, 8:03, and 7:53.

Miles 23-24 took us to and thru Hollywood Studios, another park I had never been in. I knew my friend, Jill, would be spectating along this stretch and was so happy to see her and grab a quick hug before heading black to Epcot one last time.

The last two plus miles took us along a boardwalk area and back thru Epcot. This was the first time all weekend that I got to see Epcot during the day and I was pretty happy about that. (Especially since I knew this meant the finish line was close by!) My splits for this last stretch were 8:14, 8:10, 8:09, 8:01, and 7:43.

Man in racing gear crossing the finish line with his arms spread wide

I crossed the finish line with a time of 3:36:10, wearing a smile on my face. Shortly after crossing, I got to catch up with my friend Shawn and he walked back to the parking lot with me. He encouraged me before the weekend to not JUST race and make the most of the experience. I’m so glad I took his advice to heart. This was marathon number 26 and the first time I ever ran a negative split. I also managed two character stops with photos with Timon as well as Buzz Lightyear and Jessie. My placement for the marathon had me at 22/581 in my age group and 207/12,690 overall.

Person wearing a Timon costume from the Lion King and a man in running gear

People dressed as Buzz Lightyear and Jesse standing on either side of a person in running gear

Possibly Converted

Although I’m not a huge Disney fan, it was a fun challenge and one I’m happy I participated in. I had a solid four days of racing with some good results to start off the year. More importantly, I got to spend time with some of my favorite running family. I guess they know what they are talking about when they call Disney “The Happiest Place On Earth”.

Man wearing 6 Disney themed medals and Mickey Mouse ears, standing in front of a tree.

Thanks for joining us for this fun jaunt around the parks! If you have a big race in your future, feel free to reach out for some advice or even race pacing!