Well, here we are, the day before the race! You have worked hard and trained hard to get to this point! Run Disney is not your average race, so there are some things you definitely need to know before you toe that start line!
Go to bed early! I know you are at Disney and there are a lot of things going on, but the night before the race you will need to go to bed early! The night before I will typically try to go to bed between 8 - 9 p.m. This will give you ample opportunity to get enough sleep going into race day! ** If you are staying in a resort near magic Kingdom or Epcot remember they do have night time fireworks. Check the schedule because they will wake you up. I stayed at Wilderness Lodge, just outside of Magic Kingdom, one year during Princess Weekend and we all went to bed around 8 p.m. At precisely 9 p.m. we were all awoken by the Wishes fireworks show. It was a little hard to go back to sleep after that!
Get Ready to Wake up Early! The Run Disney busses start running between 3-3:30 a.m., depending on the race. For the morning of the 5k or 10k I am typically waking up at 2:30 a.m. to guarantee I have enough time to get ready and get out to the busses. For the morning of the half, I am typically waking up around 2 a.m. Runners need to make sure they are on the bus by 4 a.m. to guarantee they will make it to the start on time.
Don't forget to Eat! If you have a specific pre-run meal, don't think about skipping this on race day. You will want to make sure your body is properly fueled for the race. If there is any fuel or hydration you have trained with, make sure you bring this with you as well. We want to treat race day like another long run...with just 25,000 of your closest friends.
It's Time to Have Some Fun! After you get on the race bus, it will take you to the start line area. Before you are able to go to the corrals there will be a large open area with a DJ and some photo opportunities. Run Disney does a really good job keeping your mind off of what you are about to do. They will typically open the area for the corrals not to long after you arrive and you can head over there at any time to get in place. Run Disney advises al runners to be in their corrals 30 minutes prior to the start of the race.
Let's Do This! This is typically the time that my nerves start to get the best of me! Once you are in your corral, you are able to watch the live entertainment and all of the other corrals go off. This is where your race journey starts!
You are now ready with all the information you need, leading up to race morning! Follow along with my own race weekend going on this weekend! All of my social media handles are linked to the blog, so follow along through Instagram for the most updates!