𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒊𝒕, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒕.

This was my very first marathon and first Dopey.

(For those of you new here, the Dopey challenge is a 5k, 10k, half marathon and a full marathon back to back over 4 days for a total of 48.6 miles. It’s Disney’s ultimate race challenge because well, you’d have to be Dopey to do it!)

It still slowly sinking in that I did this amazing thing. I've been going through a rollercoaster of emotions, still in disbelief and shock that I finished this. I cried like a bitch after crossing the final finish line on Sunday. I know I pushed through really hard and did this but for some reason I'm still feeling imposter syndrome. And then there's the weird doubt where I didn't do as well as I wanted to, fighting the part of me that just wanted to just finish and be happy with that if I completed it because it was SO DAMN HARD. If you're going through the same internal demons, I'm just here to say, be kind to yourself and keep reminding yourself that YOU DID THIS. You put in the work and it's real. Wear those medals.

I also want to make it a point that I didn’t do this alone. This absolute magic was achieved through so many things and the support of so many people. From all the cheerleaders screaming my name from the sidelines when I needed it most, the IG running friends I've made over the years, even random spectator strangers, family, friends and coworkers supporting me even from home (from baking me cookies for the road trip there, posting stories and captions shouting out their support, sending me runner themed care packages and gifting me new race shoes), texting me all morning to check in, sending encouragement and cheering me on, those who have been supportive all through months of training when I was crying and at my low points, answering all my DMS, the YouTube/IGTV videos that inspired me to try the Dopey when it opened up, those who talked me through hard times during the quarantine when races were cancelled and I felt like life was throwing me curveballs and I was stressed as to what my next step should be, those who there to just listen and not judge, offer advice and just talk when I needed someone, and the brands that took a chance on little old me and helped support me gifting me race accessories and outfits. Thank you all for believing in me. You will all never know how much all those little things added up to help me achieve this once seemingly impossible goal. They all mattered.

The Expo

The official race weekend started on Wednesday Jan 5 at the expo at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, located near Epcot, where every runner is required to stop by and pick up their race packet, aka the bibs and t-shirts. There are three main buildings you’ll walk through; one building has your bibs, one has your shirts and vendor merch you can purchase last minute in case you need anything extra for the races (running skirts, shoes, headbands, headphones, race fuel, sunglasses, etc.) and the last building or rather the one closest to the entrance has the official runDisney merch if you’re looking for hoodies, shirts, magnets, pins, keychains, cups, etc. This last building always has the longest line first thing in the morning and everything sells out quick. Luckily enough, I’m not crazy about official merch. I barely wear the free t-shirts that we get with our bibs so I never found a reason to buy anything from here. I used to buy the matching pins that were mini replicas of the medals but have since forgone this since I stopped wearing pins or decorating my backpacks with them anymore. I basically visited this building for the cute photo ops they had inside with the race numbers and the giant Disney castle replica. Bib pickup I found to be really quick and ran really smoothly for Dopey challengers. They gave me my bib and shirts all in the same room instead of two buildings, which all the other race registrants had to do. I ended up going to the second building anyway since my sister was running the 5k and 10k and had to pick up her shirts separately.

I ended up getting to meet Olympian Jeff Galloway this way as he was at his own booth helping people with advice before the big day. I got to talk to him and told him my success with his training program. He was really nice and advised me to listen to my body and trust the training out there on the course. The two biggest pieces of advice he gave me were (a) when it feels tough, try to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep going and (b) to walk the half and save my energy for the full since Sunday was predicted to be hot and humid and he advised me to slow down, hydrate hydrate hydrate at every stop in order to finish strong. I fully intended to listen to his advice on walking the half marathon. Unfortunately when the day came, the race got the better of me and I felt like running and ended up running more than I should have, ended up injuring myself as my left knee gave out around mile 11 and I would end up paying for it later during the full. Lesson learned: Listen to the Olympian. He’s an Olympian for a reason, he knows what he’s doing. Especially when his training program has helped so many people get to this day to complete these goals, INJURY FREE and finished strong.

The Races

• The 5k

  • I find this distance to be very doable and comfortable for beginners if you’re interested in trying out runDisney. I don’t particularly like it though because I find the route too short and I don’t care to run just through Epcot. I do find that it’s a short enough distance that you have enough time to get back to your room, shower and get ready with enough time to spare to relax before the parks open and go get breakfast.

• The 10K

  • I actually enjoy this distance a lot as my regular warmup/maintenance run at home. The last time I did a Disney 10k, the route was through Epcot and a lot of the Boardwalk. This time it went through Epcot, a little bit of Hollywood Studios and the Boardwalk. I found it really cool to be able to run through another park other than Epcot. It was really cool to see the Tower of Terror lit up at night, as I usually never stay in Hollywood Studios long enough to see this. I crossed the finish line just as the sun started rising. It was dark when I crossed but light by the time I got to the buses to head back to my resort. Again this distance is great because I had enough time to clean up, take a nap, and then get ready for the day at Epcot. I did retire early to my room to prep and recover for the next day’s run, the half.

  • I noticed that for the 5k and the 10k they only give out water. The half you get both water and Powerade, and one gummy stop. The full, you get both Powerade and water at nearly every mile, 2 gummy stops and about 3 banana stops. There were also a lot more medic stations at the full. They knew it was going to be a battlefield.

• The Half Marathon

  • I learned after 4 years of running that this is probably my favorite distance for a race. It’s just challenging enough without making me hate myself for making these life decisions. And it’s my favorite route because you get to run right through the castle. That main street feel is my absolute favorite forever-ever. The highway stretches used to seem long but now they’re not so bad as this was my third time doing a half at Disney. This is also the first time I ran to Magic Kingdom and it was still somewhat dark out. But by the time I got to the front, alas, that sunrise is quick! It crept up on me as I was waiting for that front of the castle pic. Unfortunately for me, the civilian and the photopass failed me at getting the perfect pic, posed in the center with the full castle in the back. I need to start running with a collapsible pocket tripod or something. I get so disappointed when a civilan sucks at getting you the shot in this day and age, meanwhile when they ask me to take a photo, I give you angles and multiples so you have options! Le sigh. It’s 2022, level up your photo game, plebs! Anyways, rememeber I was supposed to walk this? I was planning to run just up to the castle and then walk the rest but my family was too late to meet me at the castle due to unfortunate mishaps and late running monorails so I told to forget it and just go to Epcot instead. So now I had to book it to Epcot to meet them there. Which was probably dumb on my account as I expended my energy too soon and then paid the price when my left knee decided to give out at mile 11. I had 2 miles left to go so I slow jogged/walked it to the end. For the rest of the day, I took it slow walking around Animal Kingdom, doing just 2 rides before calling it a night because I was just way too exhausted from the half. I retired super early this day at 5pm, got dinner and then headed to bed, hoping to recover enough to make it through the full.

• The Full Marathon

  • Ah, the main event. The big one. The morning wasn’t too bad but I still wasn’t feeling 100% confident. I remember walking by the finish line that morning on my way to the starting line and thinking I should take a picture of the finish line in case I never make it here, hahaha. I told the guy standing next to me this and he was like oh shit, I should too and followed suit. I wonder if the gods took pity on me when they saw this. The first 10 miles weren’t too terrible. I had enough in me to get to Magic Kingdom, of course I did, I love this freaking part of the course. The magic would power through me all the way up to the castle. BUT. Just to the castle. At around mile 11, same as the half, my left knee started to give out again. And this time, my right mid-foot started to become sore and painful too. So I slowed down to a walk to see if it would help my knee but discovered that it hurt more to walk than run, feeling it in my feet. It was a tough battle between trying to numb my left knee and ignore my right foot. I remember somewhere after mile 12, there was someone shouting TYLENOL GET YOUR TYLENOL HERE and I stumbled as fast as I could over to that medic tent and was like GIVE ME YOUR DRUGS. I’ve never had to take anything before for a run but at this point I was desperate, really scared that I woudn’t finish and feeling really shitty. It’s not like the Tylenol could make it worse at this point. While I don’t 100% know if it had any effect, I guess it did something because I kept going, albeit slower than my first 11 miles. I started to have to run/walk and felt so defeated. Every time a medic on a bike passed me, I started thinking should I flag down the next one and call it quits? I wanted to quit like 5 times in my head. But at the same time, every time I looked up I saw everyone around me struggling too and still trying. So I remembered what Jeff Galloway said to me and kept putting one foot in front of the other no matter how slow I was going. I took every Powerade/water stop. I took every gummy and banana and scarfed it down even if I wasn’t hungry. I remembered what he said. Keep fueling even if you don’t feel like it because if you don’t, once that wall hits and you’re running on empty, there’s nothing that can save you. So in the end, I guess it worked because today I can actually say I completed the Dopey. It was hard but I did it. I remember towards the end too, I was down to a defeated walking pace that a photopass even ended up taking a very unflattering but accurate picture of how I felt at that point in time but then like a miracle, towards the last mile, I heard someone scream out WOOOOO LETS GO BARBIE, I looked up and recognized @runninginmakeup and it was the spark of motivation I needed to pick it up and finish. I ended up racing past my family, not noticing them because I had regained my focus and was zooming towards the finish line. My husband took a funny picture of me zooming, weaving through people. I was in the zone. The finish line was finally in sight, I could hear the crowds, I felt so relieved and when I finally crossed, I burst into tears. It felt like the hardest thing I had ever done and it made me so emotional. I couldn’t believe that this was real. That mix of pain and relief was in my face as I crossed. Forever captured in time through photos. It wasn’t my best picture but now I know this distance is just as hard as I thought it was, 26.2, along with the fact that it was a dopey; a full after 3 days of running, especially a half. It’s a lot. It’s very taxing on your legs. And it pays a toll on your mental health. It’s absolutely true what they say that the marathon itself is more mental than physical. You really need to dig deep and find it in you to keep going when your body starts to want to quit.
    I’m proud of myself for pushing through because I really didn’t think I would finish. I was really ready for some embarrassment and a lot more crying and tears if I had to go back home and admit defeat and failure. And while my time is absolute shit, I was really happy in that moment that I had finished. 3 hours or 7, I was now a marathoner. I was now a Dopey. A mile is a mile no matter how long it takes you. It all boils down to you putting in that work.

The Outfits

I race bounded as the mascots for the races, except for the full marathon, which I bounded as the Dopey to represent completing the challenge. I’m not experienced enough to race in full blown costumes. I wanted to be comfortable since I’ve experienced chafing issues, and chest pain when not wearing activewear with enough support beyond certain distances. At first I thought maybe my outfits were too subtle, but in the end, I really love how everything came out and photographed on the race course through my photopass pictures. They were simple but still bold, loud pop of colors. For the full, I wore a light hoodie because I knew I was going to be out for a long period of time that day in the sun and I didn’t want to burn or tan. (The first 2 races the sun didn’t come up til after I finished and for the half, I wasn’t in the sun for too long before I finished.) But for the full, I knew for the amount of time I was going to have to be out there, no amount of sunscreen would have saved me given how fast I would’ve sweat it off and I didn’t want to carry it with me and try and figure out when to reapply through the heat and sweat conditions. So I planned ahead with a light hoodie that I was able to take off towards the end near the finish line though when the temperatures really starting ramping up. Luckily enough the beginning portion of the race wasn’t too terrible so I was able to keep it on without too much difficulty temperature wise. I tried to cool off best I could at every water station.

For the 5k, 10k and the half, all outfits are from Popflex Active, from the Tropicana, the Basics and the Cottagecore collection. They were the perfect pieces to mix and match to bound as the race mascots. For the full, I wore the green holographic set from BuffBunny’s Mad Scientist collection, and doubled up on my bras with the lime sports bra from the Popflex Tropicana collection and it helped to reduce my chest pain that I usually experience beyond 13 miles greatly. For all the races, my outfits performed well, no issues. I was worried about chafing in such short shorts for the 5k but the distance was short enough that it wasn’t an issue. Same thing with my skort for the half. I did have body glide in case but it wasn’t necessary as my skort held up fine with no issues, luckily enough.

The Parks

Did I do the parks every day after the races? You bet I did. I actually couldn’t sleep the first night before the 5k for some reason. It’s weird. I wasn’t nervous about the 5k distance at all because come on, it’s a 5k, but I think it was race jitters for the Dopey in general. I slept the nights before that just fine so it was weird. BUT I remember the last runDisney vacation, I was able to sleep fine after I tired myself out at the parks so that was my plan this time as well. I strategized my park days, with Magic Kingdom being the first since I wanted to see fireworks so I had to be out a little later and it wouldn’t be as terrible if I didn’t get enough sleep before the 10k the next day. But for the days after, I chose Epcot before the half and Animal Kingdom before the full purposely because those parks are relatively short parks for me to explore so I could get through them easy and head back to my room to retire for the rest of the evening. I did listen to my body and retire as early as possible when I could feel myself fading fast. I also cancelled breakfast and took a nap after getting back from the 10k, as both my party and I were exhausted from Magic Kingdom activities the night before. I skipped out on Hollywood Studios this trip because I wanted the fourth day to be in Magic Kingdom again to take medal pictures. I didn’t bother with a park hopper this trip because I didn’t think it would be worth it. It would be too much back and forth walking around on already tired legs. I’ll be back next month anyway and I didn’t think I was missing out much in Hollywood Studios by skipping this trip. My advice if you’re interested in doing the parks post-race everyday is to take it slow, just pick a few must-dos and don’t go crazy if you can’t get it all done. Your energy levels for the next day are more important. And remember to eat, eat, eat! I picked a bunch of good restaurants to help fuel for the next day’s races as well as recover from the one done that morning.

The Takeaway

So what did I learn?

A 5k is hard. A 10k is hard. A half is hard. A marathon is hard. 3am wakeups 4 days in a row is hard. There were so many points throughout the race course where I contemplated throwing in the towel and giving up because I thought it was way too hard. But I kept looking all around me and seeing everyone push through. And then I remembered Jeff Galloway’s advice for when it feels tough. Just put one foot in front of the other. So I pushed. I kept going. Til I reached the end.

A marathon isn't just 26.2 miles. It's hundreds and hundreds of miles. Looking through my past year's run logs, I clocked 1285 total miles of training for this. Training was hard. It was a lot of trial and error. A lot of bad days. Prioritizing time for training over other events. Researching. Getting better shoes and socks. Testing race gear and costumes. Trying out new race fuel. Making sure I was fueling properly, staying hydrated and eating right, keeping up with my nutrition. Always making sure I stayed active. A lot of mental gymnastics. Fighting heat, extreme cold, getting caught in storms, everything. I feel like we got lucky with the weather for this race event as they were very favorable even with the heat and humidity on the last day. But still the actual course felt very challenging. Make no mistake, a marathon, let alone a Dopey is no joke. I've been reading through a lot of everyone's stories of the challenges they faced this weekend. I watched everyone of my fellow runners fight through the course like their own personal battlefield, while we all fought through this together. There was a lot of beautiful camaraderie and support for each other when someone saw another runner fall down or fading wanting to give up but we would pep talk them through it and it made my heart so happy watching everyone want the best for each other. Whether you completed the courses or not, much respect to everyone who got up, trained, and gave it their all to make this goal a reality.

Now the big question everyone has been asking me, would I do this again? At the current moment, my answer is no. Now I know I also said that after my first half marathon back in 2018 and now look at me, but currently I feel like the half is my sweet spot for long distance races. It’s the perfect distance I feel I can maintain without destroying my body and hating myself. Maybe one day I’ll have the courage to muster up another full, but I don’t know if I’ll ever attempt another Dopey. This may be a one and done for me. Although my husband is very skeptical. He thinks the answer is contingent on the medal reveals as that’s my problem with runDisney. It’s always the medals that get me…

Anyways, congratulations to every runner this week! You are all absolutely amazing.