2014 Inaugural Enchanted 10K

Happy Monday after Daylight Savings Time!  Although I’m not a fan of the loss of an hour of sleep, I do enjoy the extra daylight this time of year brings! Spring is on the way!

Back on the Disney Princess Weekend recaps, here’s my version of the Inaugural Enchanted 10K.

Also, if you missed prior recaps, here they are:

• Princess Half Marathon Weekend Expo & Vlog
• Cinderella Royal Family 5K & Vlog

My alarm was set for 2:30 a.m. the morning of the Enchanted 10K and I had plans to meet up with Pam at the bus stop to ride to the start line together. We ended up missing each other (totally my fault) and I arrived at the bus stop just as her bus was pulling away. Thankfully, another bus was right behind it so we didn’t spend much time waiting around.

Another perk of arriving that early – NO traffic!!

Thankfully Pam hadn’t gone far - we were able to meet up in the family reunion area and chat a little while before she left for her corral. She was focused and had big plans that morning…I am so proud of her – she placed second in her age group!!

After saying goodbye to Pam, I found Heather and her mom. We were able to chat for a while before the Team runDisney meet-up.

Such a fun group of people!

A short time later, my friend Melissa arrived. We took a few pictures, then headed on over into our corral. Similar to the 5K the day before, runners stood in marked groups until their corral was allowed into the starting area.

I can’t continue on with this recap without giving major props to my husband and Melissa’s husband – they both came out TWO mornings in a row to support us and cheer us on. They are such good sports…well, most of the time! :p

Ok back to the race…

Before long, we were off!

Perhaps one of the coolest features of the 10K was Queen Anna on an overpass, talking to all of the runners. An added bonus, we ran through SNOW as we crossed under the bridge! (Ok, so it was actually foam bubbles but whatever….)

My first character stop was actually the White Rabbit. As I got further up in line, I heard his handler say that he was going to take a 5 minute break. Wouldn’t you know (my luck), I was next in line before the White Rabbit departed…and although I snagged an official Marathon Foto picture, the cast member refused to take one with my handheld point and shoot. Hence, no White Rabbit photo. Basically, I wasted 5 minutes of my race in line for a picture I more than likely won’t ever own. Ah well.

Pocahontas and Meeko were next…Percy was in the photo, too!

The race continued on down this highway – it was a four lane roadway which yielded for plenty of room for runners and walkers alike. I loved being in such a wide open space (I’m so not used to that at Disney races).

As I continued on, I noticed a familiar costume…so I stopped over to say hi. This lady’s name is Kimberly and she is one tough, running, cancer fighting machine. I absolutely LOVE her positivity and her will to fight. As an oncology nurse, she inspires me on a daily basis and I’m glad I had the opportunity to tell her so. It was great meeting her!

Our first sighting of a theme park was around mile 3, when we reached the back roads into Epcot.

I absolutely love the Toy Solders from the Christmas parade!

I stopped for water at Japan and admired World Showcase – it was a beautiful sight!

…and always let your conscious be your guide….

I enjoyed being in Epcot as the sun made its appearance – it was neat to see the park go from dark to daylight and not the other way around.

Tiana, Louis, Prince Naveen were out to say hello!

Another favorite pavilion of mine is France. I think it’s gorgeous.

Marie!

I’ll admit, just that small section of World Showcase took a lot of time to get through. I was having fun though…so who cares! This was my first Disney race to run alone and although I didn’t have anyone to talk to while I ran/waited for pictures, it was fun to really “people watch”. Loved it!

After leaving World Showcase, runners were directed out of Epcot through the International Gateway and on to the Boardwalk area.

It was at the Boardwalk that I spotted my absolutely favorite character of the race – Baseball Goofy. A lady in front of me in line was joking that Goofy must be a Yankee because he was wearing pinstripes. I agreed and joked that above all else, I hoped he wasn’t a Brave – she agreed with me. (Sorry Brave fans…its all in good sport!)

As she approached Goofy, she asked if he was a Yankee or a Brave. Goofy shook his head and put his head in his hands (it was rather amusing). She asked again and he pointed at himself – he wasn’t a Brave OR a Yankee, he was “Just Goofy”!  :0)

We continued on through the Boardwalk, then out near the Yacht and Beach Clubs, before arriving back at Epcot.

As we were making our way back to Epcot, others were headed out for the Boardwalk.

Oh, Classic Donald. Where were you in January of 2013 when I needed you?

Mile 6, almost there!

…and done! Part one of the Glass Slipper Challenge complete!

I found my peeps, then headed back to Port Orleans Riverside for a breakfast of Mickey Waffles! After another hot and humid race, I really enjoyed the chance to relax and cool down.

Over all, I had a great time running the Enchanted 10K. I wasn’t sure what to expect because this was my first Disney World 10K (I ran the Disneyland 10K last Fall) but I was pleasantly surprised. Water was in decently supply and I felt as if there were plenty of characters on the course. I would run this race again in the future if the opportunity arose!

Have you run a Disney 10K in the past? If so, what did you think?