Getting "Extra" Time to Finish a RunDisney Race

I remember the first time I realized Disneyland has races.  I was thumbing through a magazine at the doctors office and there was an ad.  It was not just any ad.  It was an add with a runner dressed in costume and running through the Disney castle!  My heart stopped.  What is this great experience I have been missing? 

A typical RunDisney ad

 
Now, I do not call myself at runner.  At the time I saw the ad, I had not ran since high school and I was 412 years old.  I was overweight, out of shape, and had tried many times to get in shape but, for various reasons, I had not succeeded.  Then I saw this ad for the Tinkerbell Half Marthon and I wanted to know more.  Run through the castle, in costume, before the park opens?!  Hello, someone take my money!!  A quick internet search came up with the RunDisney site.  As I devoured the information on the races, my heart sank.  RunDisney half marathons have a pacing requirement of 16 minutes per mile.  I could not even run around the block much less run the half marathon.  Sound familiar?  Well, this post will put your fears to rest and provide some guidelines as to how to give yourself a little buffer, especially if you were a beginning runner like me.



What is "Sweeping" and Who Are the "Balloon Ladies"?
The official policy of RunDisney is that you must maintain a 16 minute per mile pace.  If you are unable to maintain that pacing requirement, you are placed on a bus and driven to the finish line. This is what is referred to as "being swept".  What Disney does not tell you is how they know whether or not you are maintaining the required pace. 

The sweeper clock does not begin UNTIL the last person crosses the start line.  The pacers (for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon and Princess Half Marathon it was two ladies) for the 16 minute miles start right after the last person.  They maintain a 16 minute pace throughout the race.  So, how do you know which of the 25,000 participants are the pacers?  The two pacers have a helium balloon and the sweeping brigade made up of the bicyclists and sweeper buses remain behind them.  Because the pacers have balloons and are ladies, they are referred to as the "Balloon Ladies". 

I had the opportunity to talk to these wonderful ladies after the Princess Half Marathon as well as a few of the runners who kept pace with them.  The balloon ladies are very nice and the runners said they were very supportive and motivational. It looked they had a party going on the entire race!

How Do I Know If I Will Be Swept?
The balloon ladies let you know if they are passing you.  The bike riders and balloon ladies also let you know if you are behind pace and how much time you have to reach the next stop.  I am told by people who were swept that you are given ample warning before you are swept.

How Do I Give Myself Extra Time?
There are thousands of people who are running the race at RunDisney events so Disney uses corrals so everyone does not start at the same time (I'm sure this would be chaotic).  For example, at Tinkerbell Half Marathon for 2013, there were corrals A through G (7 corrals) and the corral start times were 5 minutes apart from each other.  If corral A started at 5:00 a.m., corral B started at 5:05 am and so forth.  This means that the higher corrals had an extra buffer of time (remember, the pacers do not begin until the last person crosses the start line). 

So, how do you get assigned to a corral?  Disney assigns corrals based on timed, verifiable race that are submitted by you.  Under each race under "Registration" there is a header for "Proof of Time".  For the Tinkerbell Half Marathon for 2014, it states:

If proof of time is not provided by November 1, 2013, data provided is incomplete or cannot be verified, you will be placed in the last start corral. To provide or update your proof of time, you must email all proof of time data requested above to disneysports@trackshack.com. No corral changes will be made after November 1, 2013.

It is important you do a 10k and submit the time by the deadline to Rundisney.  This will boost your chances of getting assigned a higher corral.  Disney assigns corrals based on your proof of time and estimates your finish time.  The faster runners/walkers are assigned the higher corrals. 

Also, move towards the front of the corral.  This will prevent you from being blocked in when your corral starts.  If you are worried about blocking faster runners, then stay on the right so others can pass you easily.  The further you are away from the back of the pack, the less likely you are to be swept.

The biggest tip I can give you is to train.  If you have trained, you should be fine.  I love the Galloway Method where you do run/walk intervals.  Below is one of the training videos for his method. 

The most important tip of all: have fun!  It's an incredible feeling when the volunteer places the medal on your neck and you realize what you have accomplished!  What Disney race are you training for?