As most of you know, I love runDisney races. I also love the Tower of Terror. A lot. So, when runDisney announced that there would be a new race in 2007 and that it would be the Tower of Terror 13k, I was all over it. I ran it all three years and loved every step! I was devastated when I learned that the 2009 that it was “The Final Race.” You can imagine my joy when I learned that the Tower of Terror event was coming back, but as a 10-miler, rather than a 13k. So, I signed up and ran the 2012 Tower of Terror 10 Miler. Click here for my thoughts and recap on the Inaugural event. The basics are all the same, so I’ll give the highlights here instead of rehashing the entire event again. There will also be a number of SUPER-highlights, because runDisney made some improvements that really enhanced the experience.
The expo went smoothly. There were buses from each of the “sponsoring” resorts* so non-drivers could get to the ESPN Wide World of Sports’ Jostens Center easily. As I walked from the bus to the expo, I found my first SUPER-highlight.
This is a major improvement over previous races. When I ran the Expedition Everest Challenge in May (see Dave’s recap, including the traffic issue), it took over an hour to get a bus to Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, because of traffic. And I was staying at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is about 5 minutes away. Traffic has been a notable problem at a number of these events, so I was happy to see that runDisney had found a solution that diverted traffic away from the event site, but still allowed participants to get there without having to stay at an official Disney hotel.*
As usual, there were many different photo ops for participants and expo attendees, including Tower of Terror cast members in full bellhop uniform, a countdown clock and elevator.
The runDisney booth had a green screen set where runners could be turned into ghosts.
I was able to pick up my gear, visit the runDisney merchandise shop, where, thankfully, the purple shirt hadn’t sold out yet and there were plenty of medals for my Vinylmation. The only disappointment there was that the ribbon pin had sold out within hours on the first day of the expo. I will say again that I think event participants should have prior access to ALL merchandise. If I’m putting in the training and the time and money and actually running those 10 miles, I should be able to buy at least one of every item on offer. Non-participants should not have access to race merchandise before I do.
As I mentioned before, I ran this event every year when it was a 13k, and I really wish they would go back to that distance. It fits the theme of the Tower of Terror better, plus it doesn’t take as long to run 13k as it does to run 10 miles, which can be very important when the race doesn’t start until 10 pm.
We started the 10 miles at the entrance to the Auto Plaza at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (DHS). Well, we started a little before that, actually. Runners were corralled twice, first back on the parking lot to the left of the DHS entrance plaza, then led corral by corral nearly a mile to the start area. Disclaimer: I used my iPhone for pictures during the race and it’s not really meant for night photography. I’ll keep working on ways to get better pictures during these events.
After leaving the parking lot, we headed out onto Osceola Parkway, which took us into the entrance of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Before entering the actual park, we veered around, ducking under a giant spider, and ran back along Osceola Parkway to a dirt path that had been commandeered by pirates.
We escaped the pirates by heading into ESPN Wide World of Sports, circling the track and field oval and the warning track of Champion Stadium.
We found our way back to Disney’s Hollywood Studios,
ran through Lights, Motors, Action (wave at the Jumbotron!), up New York Street, past the Sorcerer’s Hat, and then around the back to finish at the Tower of Terror.
runDisney has an amazing set of mile markers for this race. My favorites were Mile 1 and Mile 9, because Evil Queen and Chernabog are my favorite Disney villains.
Based on these mile marker photos, can you figure out another reason why this race is much better suited for a 13k?**
This is a night race entirely within the confines of Walt Disney World, so you wouldn’t expect a lot of spectators, but runDisney has that covered. There were several areas set aside specifically for spectators, friends and family, and on various other sections of the course, volunteers were plentiful and always cheering.
Here is my favorite sign of the night:
Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of pictures of costumes, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t a lot of amazing costumes out there. My favorite, of which I do not have a picture, was a woman with her face painted as a Day of the Dead skull.
I was dressed (conceptually) as the scariest candy in the trick-or-treat bag – black licorice! Well, it’s not scary to me, because I love black licorice, but I know many people hate it.
The race entertainment started with a dance party at the start. People were doing the Time Warp, the Zombie dance from Thriller, the Wobble, and I think I even heard Footloose at one point.
There were plenty of photo ops, too.
Food trucks were also on hand, though I wouldn’t even consider eating at a food truck right before a 10-mile race. Or a 3-mile race for that matter. There were plenty of family and friends there to keep them busy, though.
There were also plenty of port-a-potties, which is one of runDisney’s strong points, especially when they provide portable sinks, as well (and a zombie or two, apparently).
Along the course were many favorite villains (including one who has since mended his ways and is now a hero). I was amazed, astonished, delighted and thrilled to see the Old Hag with her cauldron and apple. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is my favorite classic Disney film and I can’t remember ever seeing the Hag in the parks. Thank you, runDisney, for this wonderful opportunity! Please bring her back next year!
The GraveDiggers – ever and always my favorites – were digging the track at ESPN Wide World of Sports (this isn’t an improvement, because they were there last year, but I love them, so they’re a SUPER-highlight for me)
Another SUPER-highlight was running around the warning track in Champion Stadium. Big deal, you might think. We run around the warning track in Angel Stadium for the Disneyland and Tinker Bell half marathons. But, during Tower of Terror, runners are transported into the Twilight Zone as soon as they step foot on the warning track. Apparently, an alien invasion has just occurred and all of the players have been abducted! All that remains are their uniforms and equipment (see photo above). The sports announcer pleads with us via the Jumbotron to leave the stadium before we’re abducted, too. Could the score hold a clue to what’s happening?
Another SUPER-highlight for me is the photo op with the Haunted Mansion ballroom dancers with the gates and cemetery.
Jack and Sally were out, but I think that was to fit in with the Halloween theme, rather than as villains.
For the most part, the villain on the mile marker matched the villain photo op on the course:
James P. Sullivan was on the course, but as his Monsters University self, which was a bit villainous, I guess.
A cuddly, but unrepentant, villain was out, too, for the after party, along with many of the course villains who somehow made it back before I finished. I suspect they used magic, though I was running slowly.
Two of my constant race companions were also there in their physical forms, but that didn’t stop me from feeling them during the race!
Bellhop Goofy and the rest of the Hollywood Tower Hotel staff were on hand to welcome us back.
Another improvement, though not comprehensive enough to warrant SUPER-highlight status, was the addition of lighting to some of the photo op areas. With so many people making the photo ops a feature of their races, I think runDisney should do more to make sure those pictures come out well. There were some Marathonfoto photographers on the course, which is where the best lighting was, but each of those photo ops deserves optimal lighting conditions.
Once again, the race finish area was seamless. Runners were offered full bottles of Dasani water and PowerAde as they finished and were then given a runDisney snack box and a banana as they crossed to the photo area. My biggest issue with the finish is the long, long walk to the Indiana Jones amphitheater to pick up checked bags. The party afterwards was fun and not as crowded for me, because I took so long to finish. Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania and Rock-n-Roller Coaster were all open with short waits (about 20 minutes each), with plenty of food stalls open for snacking. The buses back to the hotels were running pretty much non-stop, though they might have slowed down towards the end of the event, when there weren’t as many people going back.
Will I do the Tower of Terror 10 Miler again? You bet! It’s my favorite solo-runner event at Disney World (I run the Expedition Everest Challenge with my sister every year). It’s got a great theme and runDisney has applied the incredible attention to detail that we all love and expect from Disney. There is also a Happy Haunted 5k the morning of the race, which runs along the trails of ESPN Wide World of Sports. Maybe, someday, I’ll get to do that one, too. If Halloween is your holiday and you don’t want to run 10 miles, go for the 5k!
*For runDisney races held at Disney World, there are usually discounted rates at one or more hotels in each category (value, moderate, and deluxe) and participants staying at those hotels receive free bus transportation to and from the expo and the race.
** The elevator marker goes to 13 and the floor marked matches the Mile (kilometer).
For more running adventures, family travel news, reviews, and trip reports, be sure to follow Adventures by Daddy on twitter and “like” our facebook page too.
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire