Trying to plan some goals for my first run Disney race (Fairytale challenge weekend) and I need some help. Are the characters spaced out evenly? How often? Same for water stations?
I feel like this is a dumb question but I’m working with a trainer who doesn’t know anything about Disney races so kind of the blind leading the blind in that regard.
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I haven’t done runDisney but I stumbled across this blog today:
RunDisney tips
Check out the Training guides!!
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Thank you! I do a run- walk- run now. I would like to understand how the characters are spaced out to judge my current pacing and how to know if I have time to stop for pictures. I remember seeing a photo of the character stop line up and what miles they were at but can’t find it now.
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Water stations are spaced out at about 1.5 mile intervals, but adjusted to make sure none are in-park, onstage. If they hold to form for the half, I would expect them to be:
-on the overpass bridge right by mile 1 on EPCOT Center Drive
-just past the MK parking gates, before the former speedway
-just beyond the TTC, before you head for the contemporary
-top of the hill coming up from the water bridge
-just offstage behind splash mountain
-just before the entrance to the GF
-fuel station will be near the TTC parking lot. could be gels, could be sport beans. watch the race packet to be sure.
-on world drive, just beyond Fuel station
-world drive before the cloverleaf
-EPCOT center drive, shortly before the hairpin turn
-backstage at EPCOT before you come onstage at SSE.
Characters could be anywhere, but, there tends to be one stop on EPCOT Center drive before you make the turn; one on World Drive (in the center; you can hit this on the way back if you miss on the way up), 2-3 in the earlier parts of the TTC Parking lot, 3-4 onstage in MK, train at the crossing as you go offstage, one backstage at MK, behind splash with a parade float, at the entrances to GF, SoG, and Poly, (hit World Drive stop in the center on the way back if you need) and then 1-2 inside EPCOT - though my experience with that course is only with Marathon Weekend, not fairytale weekend.
When the Course maps are released, they will have the water and fuel stops shown, so you can check my memory, but won’t show character stops, as these are always subject to change at Disney’s discretion.
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Thank you!!! This breaks it down nicely!!! The Dopey is my plan for 2020! Beyond that we’ll see. I wanted to do a coast to coast but that’s not an option currently. 
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I would google search “Disney Princess half marathon characters” and you should get some lists of the different years. I will say that for the half, there have been at least two character stops on the long highway stretch between Epcot and MK (tend to be a group of princes and then pirates). These usually repeat on the way back (they switch from one side of the road to the other.
I satisfied my usual “Coast to Coast” itch by earning my first “Castle to Chateau” medal this year.
The comparative cost of hotel, park tickets and registration of DLP to DL made the more expensive transatlantic flight still give me a comparable trip budget.
Just a thought. 
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I was shocked to see it was very comparable to WDW trip!!!
Makes me think about putting off the Dopey!!!
Why not do both?
My Castle to Chateau this year was Dopey + 36k Challenge…
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Cost. I’m doing Fairytale in February 2019. However, I’m looking into just going myself and seeing if a friend might meet me there so I’m not completely alone (I’m 37 but this was my mom’s request so I’m asking). I’m playing around with airports and splitting the room cost and I’m hoping to make it work. Then do the Dopey in January 2020.
So, add DLP in September of 2020… plenty of time to budget!
Heck that’s the earliest I’m considering a return to DLP. I’m reasonably decent roommate… 
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Please remember me. I would love that! 
️
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My son and I are running the Star Wars 10K in April. This will be our first Run Disney and we are super excited.
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