Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend
February 24 – 26, 2012

$150 per person / $300 per team, limited space remains

In 2011, this was the weekend of my first Disney World race, the Royal Family 5K.  This weekend race was sort of a validation moment for me, and I have nothing but good memories of it.  It’s designed as a family race, and parents are encouraged to run with their kids.  There’s even a stroller division that allows for you to push along a child as you run.  This race starts and finishes in the parking lot of Epcot and travels through backstage areas as well as World Showcase.  Plenty of characters can be found along the way it’s a lot of fun.

The big race of the weekend is the Princess Half Marathon.  Disney presents this as a race for women, but the truth is that anyone can run it, because as with every Disney race the only current requirement is a pace of 16 minutes or less per mile.  What I enjoy most about this race is that it has more costumes than the WDW Half and Full Marathons.  This year I’m looking forward to being able cheer for a number of friends running in this race – the very first Disney race for some of them.  The race follows the same course through Magic Kingdom and Epcot as the WDW Half Marathon.

Hosted at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, the Fit for a Princess Expo is a great place to pick up some new running gear, or some last minute items you might need for your race.  The Complex will also be hosting race packet pickup, so why not stop by since you’ll be there.  You could also head out to the Track & Field area to see the Royal Family Kids’ Races complete with a Diaper Dash (yes, racing babies).  And all the big race weekends have a Pasta in the Park Party, this one takes place in the Wonders of Life Pavilion and finishes up with IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.

Expedition Everest Challenge
May 5, 2012

Individuals:
$89 between December 13 – February 26, 2012
$99 between February 27 – April 15, 2012
$109 between April 16 – May 5, 2012

Teams:
$175 between December 13 – February 26, 2012
$190 between February 27 – April 15, 2012
$205 between April 16 – May 5, 2012

Without a doubt the most fun of the 5K races I’ve run was the Expedition Everest Challenge.  As the name implies, it’s not just a race, it’s a challenge.  Several in fact.  There is of course the race itself, a 5K course that leads individuals and teams of two around the parking lot of Animal Kingdom through the park and out to Conservation Station, and back to the parking lot again.  There’s running through back stage locations, as well as characters along the way.  And don’t forget the obstacles.  While not as bad as they might sound, they are available to try along the way if you want to.

The fun of this race lies in part with its backstory.  You are a member of a expedition team headed up Mount Everest in hopes of capturing a glimpse of and possibly catching the elusive Yeti.  First there is the trek to the base of the mountain itself – the 5K.  Then once you “arrive” you need to solve a few puzzles as part of a scavenger hunt in order to be able to complete the race, and “climb” Everest.

I highly recommend doing this race as a team, it’s the sort of thing you really want to get to experience with someone else.  This year I’m hoping to get to run it with my wife, Cheryl.  Of all the races I’ve run so far, this one has the coolest looking medal, and that alone might be enough to incentivize you to run.  And if it’s not, the race is now held at night and is followed by a post-race party in Animal Kingdom where you can ride Expedition Everest as much as you like.  It brings a whole new perspective to the ride if you’ve never done it before.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend
September 28 – 29, 2012

$150 per person (approximately, cost currently unknown)

This race has me more excited than any other coming up right now.  It’s a new offering from runDisney, that both resurrects and pluses the old Tower of Terror 13K (about 8 miles).  This is a 10 mile race through Disney’s Hollywood Studios and is sure to be a blast.  Based on prior races, it’s very likely that this race will not actually start inside the Studios but will more likely start outside the park.  The most likely starting point would be the ESPN Sports Complex itself, but another spot that has potential is Blizzard Beach.

No matter where it starts though, this race is going to end somewhere in Hollywood Studios.  The most desired finish would be near the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – after all the race is named after this attraction.  This race is sure to be a thrill as it’s also going to be dedicated to all the Disney Villains, and they’ll be out all over the race course to delight and maybe even scare the runners.  This race goes on sale February 14, 2012.

I’m expecting this weekend to not have a race expo, similar to how there is no expo for Expedition Everest.

Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend
November 9 – 10, 2012
* projections based on the Relay and Half Marathon deferral pages

Relay: $230 – $250 per team (projected cost)

Half Marathon: $145 – $165 (projected cost)

While no specific details have been revealed about this years race, we do know that it was moved from the first weekend of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival to the last weekend in order to make way for the new Tower of Terror race.  Overall the weekend offerings should be very similar to last year.  This means that there will be a Half Marathon and a Half Marathon Relay.  There is some question as to when the Halloween 5K race will be held – it could potentially remain at the beginning of Food & Wine with the Tower of Terror Race.

One thing I recommend is that if you’re training for the January 2013 races, consider running one of the two parts of the Wine & Dine Relay like I did.  Doing this was a great milestone in my training to get me prepared for what was ahead.  It also helped removed a lot of my fear and doubt about doing a Half Marathon.

Since this is a Half Marathon Weekend, there should still be a race expo to attend.

Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend (still for 2012)
January 10 – 13, 2013 (projected dates)
* projections based on the Half Marathon & Full Marathon and Goofy deferral pages

Full or Half Marathon: $140 to $160 (projected cost)

Goofy: $310 to $330 (projected cost)

It’s hard to think about Marathon Weekend when it just passed less than a month ago, but I chose to include it to complete a look at the year ahead.  You can expect a Full Marathon, a Half Marathon, a return of the Half Marathon Relay, and a 5K as well as the largest of the Health & Fitness Expos put on by Disney during the year.

While no official dates have been announced, I did find the deferral pages for people who were unable to attend the 2012 races.  These pages allow them to use money they had paid toward a 2012 race and apply that payment toward a 2013 race.  From these pages, I was able to determine a set of projected dates for the 2013 Marathon Weekend as well as project the cost of the race packages.  Otherwise there is not much info at this time.

Which race is right for you? Are you a princess? A frog? Perhaps a Sherpa far from home? An undertaker who fancies a midnight run? Like to end your runs with a glass of wine or a beer? Or just a bit Goofy or Dopey?

Interested in learning more about Walt Disney World races from the TouringPlans.com brain trust?  What about resort running?  Favorite running paths?  Tips about running?  Training for the Walt Disney World races? Etc.  What if we took all that knowledge and boiled it down into an eBook that you could download and take with you?  Please let us know in the comments below.  Thanks!

Upcoming Walt Disney World Races is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook

Show Notes can be found at http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/2012/01/disney-film-project-podcast-episode-56.html

The Disney Film Project Podcast is Copyright © 2010-2012 by Ryan Kilpatrick, Todd Perlmutter, Briana Alessio, & Cheryl Perlmutter, all rights reserved

Sponsored by TouringPlans.com. Providing pre-made or custom Touring Plans that help you avoid long lines while you’re in the parks.

You can find us at the Disney Film Project website http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/ or at our PodBean websitehttp://disneyfilmproject.podbean.com/

Please visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DisneyFilmProject or contact us on Twitter as @DisFilmProject (http://twitter.com/DisFilmProject) or email us at disfilmproject@gmail.com.

You can hear our show on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favorite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, BlackBerry or Palm phones. Find it in your app store or at http://stitcher.com/

The Disney Film Project website http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/ is also the home to Ryan Kilpatrick’s blog where he is attempting to view all the Disney films, including shorts, features, and whatever else comes along. Ryan can also be found on Twitter as@RyanKilpatrick (http://twitter.com/RyanKilpatrick)

Todd Perlmutter’s lifestream can be found at http://perlmutter.me/ - and is a collection of his various activities around the Internet. Todd can also be found on Twitter as @tperlmutter (http://twitter.com/tperlmutter)

You can follow the adventures of Briana Alessio at The Adventures of Brie found at http://adventuresofbrie.blogspot.com/ or find her on Twitter as @BufferflyBrie (http://twitter.com/BufferflyBrie)

Cheryl Perlmutter is our podcast Producer, Editor, and Girl Friday. You can find her at http://about.me/cherylp3 and also find her on Twitter as @cherylp3 (http://twitter.com/cherylp3)

Blogs by Todd and Ryan can also be found at the TouringPlans.com Blog (http://blog.touringplans.com/) where they write about their experiences at Walt Disney World.

Ryan is also the Film Blogger for the Disney Driven Life (http://thedisneydrivenlife.com/) where you’ll also find Todd working his technical wizardry as the Chief Technical Officer and Briana as the Attractions Blogger.

Thanks for listening.

7:00 am

The Sun has begun to rise, and the scene is gorgeous. I start to cry a bit as I realize where I am. I’m about to cross under the “Underwater Bridge” that connects Bay Lake with the Seven Seas Lagoon. The early sunshine is glinting off of Space Mountain and the Contemporary. For the past year I’ve joked with Cheryl about running right here on this very spot. I take a few pictures and then prepare to head underwater by holding my nose, something my father used to have me do at this spot. Moments later an arm comes around me, and I’m caught off guard. It’s Len and Laurel, we talk a bit and pass a few bad jokes back and forth before they run off ahead. I text everyone on Main Street, U.S.A. to let them know I’m coming.

7:10 am

From the backstage entrance to Magic Kingdom, I get my first glimpse of Cinderella’s Castle, and I get excited. There has been no part of this race I’ve enjoyed more in the past few years than cheering for the runners on Main Street. Now here I was, one of those runners. I know to stay to the left side and exactly where to look for my friends. Arriving, I see friends including Dana and Shalon. I’m shaking hands and hugging a lot of people, and then I find Cheryl and give her a big hug and a kiss. I remember saying hi to Beci, Lou (who was excited to see me wearing a WDW Radio hat), MoJo, and the “Box People”.

7:15 am

Heading through the Hub, they send us into Tomorrowland. Once there, I stop for pictures with Buzz Lightyear and then Stitch near the entrance to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Again, I make a quick call to the Be Our Guest Podcast live show. The connection is much better for me this time, we chatted briefly, told them I was having an awesome time, and said good-bye. Then I’m off again.

After a quick dash, I stopped in front of the Mad Tea Party to take a picture with the Queen of Hearts. Texting with Cliff, he pointed out I was going to want to stop again for Flynn Rider and Rapunzel who were just around the corner past The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I started to run again, but just past Snow White’s Scary Adventures, and before going through Cinderella’s Castle, I stopped for a picture with the Castle itself and then again with Donald and Daisy.

7:34 am

Emerging from the Castle, I head around to the front to pose for the official race picture, only to bump into my friends Dee and Neil. Entering Liberty Square I passed by Mile Marker 6. Then its picture time once again, this time with Tiana, Prince Naveen, and Louis. I got to wait in line with Dee and Neil and talk with them some more. Entering, Frontierland I can’t resist a picture with the Country Bears. Heading out of Magic Kingdom I caught some pictures of the Pirate Ship parade float, the line was crazy-long and I wasn’t willing to wait for this one.

7:51 am

Just outside of Magic Kingdom I passed by Mile Marker 7, and saw Mary Poppins and Bert. Though I’d been warned this can be a fairly boring stretch of road, I decided that it was time for the trek back to Epcot, and I’d spent enough time with characters. I knew there were friends waiting for me up ahead. Once more I kept to the left along the orange cones, and not long after Mile 8, near the Polynesian Resort, I got to see, wave to, and blow kisses to my Disney Film Project Podcast co-host Ryan, his wife Sally, and the rest of Clan Kilpatrick.

8:16 am

Running along World Center Drive there was a table sponsored by the Clif Bar Company. They were handing out some of their new Clif Shot Gel flavors. Now the last time I had one of these it wasn’t something I enjoyed. However, at the Health & Fitness Expo table they had talked me into trying one, so I grabbed a mocha. Honestly, I’m sticking with the Bloks – it was like sticking raw brownie batter in my mouth. Not necessarily a bad thing, just not a taste I want in my mouth during a race.

8:30 am

It’s time for what Mike Scopa has referred to as the Heartbreak Hill Trinity. You start up the incline of one of the widest diameter butterfly exit ramps in perhaps all of Central Florida. At the top you get one of the neatest effects in the entire race. You can look down at the runners crossing underneath the World Drive overpass that you’re now standing on – I spent a few minutes cheering them on with some other guys.

Then you realize why he calls this a trinity. Sure you made it up the ramp, but now you see before you another hill. And beyond it you can see more runners heading up a third hill & second overpass that takes them over the entrance road for Epcot. Mile Marker 11 is at the top of the second hill. At this point my iPhone starts playing Life’s a Happy Song from The Muppets and it feels so perfect and right as I look and see Spaceship Earth. Another tearful moment for me.

8:45 am

On that third and final hill, my iPhone bids me farewell as it runs out of juice. That’s what I get for texting and taking pictures all race long. I wrap my earphones around the phone and tuck it into a belt pouch. Coming over the hill I see the bus stops and again know to stay to the left. Up ahead I again find Lou, and my wife Cheryl. I give her another big hug and kiss. And then I run off again.

8:50 am

Now I’m inside Epcot, passing by Spaceship Earth, heading past the Fountain of Nations, and down around the Christmas Tree at the entrance to World Showcase. This is it, the home stretch. Less than a mile to go until the finish line. They lead us backstage and past a gospel choir. Truthfully if all races don’t end with a gospel choir, they probably should (write your Congressman). Once again I stay to the left and get to see Shalon, Dana, and Kelly once more right there at Mile Marker 13.

9:05 am

At this point if you haven’t resigned yourself to being done, you will. One tenth of a mile from the finish line in the Epcot parking lot, and nowhere else to go, I bow to my friends and run off. Knowing I want a really good photo for my finish, I get a nice gap between myself and other runners. Giving a High-5 to Mickey Mouse, I cross the finish line and I’m done. Not far after that I get my Donald Duck medal, and I’m crying and laughing all over again.

The feeling of accomplishment and the emotion wrapped inside of it is incredible. I’m starting to plan more Disney races going into 2013, and I’m considering (but not yet comfortable with) doing the Full Marathon instead of the Half – a Mickey Medal does sound nice. I’d love to do the Expedition Everest Challenge again, and I’m planning to definitely do the Tower of Terror 10-Miler. Not to mention all the friends I’m planning to cheer for during the Princess Half Marathon, and helping to encourage others to also run. Running is an exciting part of who I am, and I intend to continue sharing it with you.

What about you? Did you run any races during Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend? The 5K? The Half? The Full? How did you do? Did you have fun? If not, are you interested in doing so in the future? Words can’t express what we’re all feeling at this very moment.

Running the Walt Disney World Half Marathon – Part 2 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook

Show Notes can be found at http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/2012/01/disney-film-project-podcast-episode-55.html

The Disney Film Project Podcast is Copyright © 2010-2012 by Ryan Kilpatrick, Todd Perlmutter, Briana Alessio, & Cheryl Perlmutter, all rights reserved

Sponsored by TouringPlans.com. Providing pre-made or custom Touring Plans that help you avoid long lines while you’re in the parks.

You can find us at the Disney Film Project website http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/ or at our PodBean websitehttp://disneyfilmproject.podbean.com/

Please visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DisneyFilmProject or contact us on Twitter as @DisFilmProject (http://twitter.com/DisFilmProject) or email us at disfilmproject@gmail.com.

You can hear our show on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favorite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, BlackBerry or Palm phones. Find it in your app store or at http://stitcher.com/

The Disney Film Project website http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/ is also the home to Ryan Kilpatrick’s blog where he is attempting to view all the Disney films, including shorts, features, and whatever else comes along. Ryan can also be found on Twitter as@RyanKilpatrick (http://twitter.com/RyanKilpatrick)

Todd Perlmutter’s lifestream can be found at http://perlmutter.me/ - and is a collection of his various activities around the Internet. Todd can also be found on Twitter as @tperlmutter (http://twitter.com/tperlmutter)

You can follow the adventures of Briana Alessio at The Adventures of Brie found at http://adventuresofbrie.blogspot.com/ or find her on Twitter as @BufferflyBrie (http://twitter.com/BufferflyBrie)

Cheryl Perlmutter is our podcast Producer, Editor, and Girl Friday. You can find her at http://about.me/cherylp3 and also find her on Twitter as @cherylp3 (http://twitter.com/cherylp3)

Blogs by Todd and Ryan can also be found at the TouringPlans.com Blog (http://blog.touringplans.com/) where they write about their experiences at Walt Disney World.

Ryan is also the Film Blogger for the Disney Driven Life (http://thedisneydrivenlife.com/) where you’ll also find Todd working his technical wizardry as the Chief Technical Officer and Briana as the Attractions Blogger.

Thanks for listening.

One thing I felt I never had a complete picture of was the race itself – the journey I had been looking forward to for so long. I’d heard about it from so many others, but it was something I was craving by the time it finally came around. And so it was that on the morning of January 7, 2012, I traveled along with more than 26,000 others from one end of Walt Disney World to the other and back again. It went something like this…

2:00 am

When I checked the clock I realized it was 15 minutes before my alarm was supposed to wake me. The rooms in Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge gets so dark at night you can easily lose your bearings. The pre-race meal of a Burger & Fries at the Turf Club Bar & Grill I’d had the night before was, as planned, ready to be burned off. Getting out of bed I stretched a bit and felt like I’d gotten plenty of sleep. Doing my best not to wake my wife, Cheryl, I put on a pot of coffee and then woke up our friend Dana. She was coming with me to the start of the race in Epcot, and the coffee was for her.

Grabbing my race clothes, which I’d known enough to lay out the night before, I went into the bathroom, washed up, and got ready. After running the Expedition Everest Challenge, I’d learned to lay out my race clothes the day before planning to use them. No one wants to futz with safety pins and a race bib last minute, especially in the dark. Cheryl decided to get up earlier than she had originally planned and go with us.

3:30 am

by Lindsay Thomason

We met Jackie and Lindsay in the Kidani lobby – our rooms were just down the hall from each other. Together, we headed out to catch one of the special event buses to Epcot. We had to wait about 10 minutes before one arrived. The morning was a little bit chilly and the bus was nice and warm when we got on. I took a moment to text our friend Cliff that we were on our way. Minutes later the driver tells us that World Drive is already incredibly backed up and he’d do his best to get us all there quickly. It wasn’t nearly as bad as it had looked, but we did plan to adjust the following morning to leave at 3:00 am for the Full Marathon as a result.

4:30 am

Finally arriving at Epcot, I gave Cheryl a hug and a kiss good-bye; she was planning to see me run in Magic Kingdom and then back at Epcot. While we walked over to the pre-race area over in the Wonder parking lot, I got a text from Shalon that she was tied up on World Drive. Jackie, Lindsay, Dana and I hung out for a bit, as I needed to wait for Cliff. He and I were planning to start the race together in Corral E. Eventually as time wore on a bit, Jackie and Lindsay decided to make their way to the starting line. Dana and I gave them big hugs, we wished each other luck, and for the second year in a row I watched my two “cousins” head off to go run a race.

About 10 minutes later Cliff showed up with our friend Kelly who was planning to hang out with Shalon and Dana and cheer for everyone. After making introductions, I made sure that Shalon and Dana could contact each other. Then Cliff and I headed off. We waited about 10 minutes to use the bathroom, and then started the long walk to the corrals. Let me tell you this walk is insane. You walk along the backstage road at Epcot. At one point you’re literally walking toward a barbed wire fence and I’m thinking that Disney is planning to weed out some of the runners early. After surviving, we turned out onto Overpass Road and then again down a ramp, and we were on Epcot Center drive – the corrals were right in front of us.

5:15 am

We made our way into Corral E, which was really easy to get into as you just had to walk into the back of it. We joked a bit, and got ourselves ready to run. This was the first Half Marathon for both of us, and we’d spent a lot of time “training” together long distance. And we were both very excited. Preparing, I loaded up the RunKeeper app on my iPhone and set myself up to listen to a shuffle of Disney movie soundtracks. Taking a moment, I call into the Be Our Guest Podcast live show to say, “Hi!” – I can barely hear them, but it was fun to do anyway. Next thing we know the Star Spangled Banner is being played. We hear the wheelchair racers get their start.

5:30 am

by Lindsay Thomason

The initial barrage of fireworks go off, and the race is officially underway. As we’re in corral E we have to wait almost 30 minutes to even cross the start line. Slowly we move up chatting a bit more and trying to get a glance of what might be going on. Somewhere along the way I hear my name and my friend Dan is there in the corral. We say hello and wish each other luck. Then just beyond him I hear my name again and there’s another friend, Moms Panelist Erin. This was totally cool, I remember when Erin first started running; now she’s a fellow blogger at TouringPlans.com and a fellow runner.

6:00 am

Crossing the start line finally, it’s wild – there’s fire spewing out above me, and I can see people in front of me finally starting to run. I hit “Start” on RunKeeper, flash Cliff a thumbs up and we’re off. We know to stick to the left as there’s a spot right near the beginning where I know Dana, Shalon, and Kelly will be cheering for us. I stop a second at the spot and manage to see the sign they’ve made for me, pointing them out to Cliff. We took a moment to jump up and down a bit, and scream back at them and then we headed off.

6:15 am

We were running a bit more than I was planning originally, so I have us slow down a second so I can pop a Clif Blok in my mouth and swig some water. The course took us past some guys on stilts, and down the off ramp from Epcot Center Drive to World Drive. Spotting our first character, we stopped for a picture with Ludwig Von Drake and then one in front of a hot air balloon. Finally, after stopping for a school band, and before the gate to the Magic Kingdom parking lot, Cliff and I split up. We sort of knew this would happen, but kept in touch via texting for the rest of the race.

6:35 am

After running through the parking lot gate, I stop in a line for a pic at mile marker 3. This is just before the 5K point in the race. Not far after that point, past the 5K marker, and over the music in already in my ears I hear the Darkwing Duck theme song. About a quarter mile later (no joke the music was that loud) there he is, the “dangerous” one himself. Of course, I stopped for a picture.

6:50 am

Winding my way through the Magic Kingdom Parking Lot with the other runners, I came upon a screen playing Chip and Dale cartoons, with a row of classic cars lined up in front of it. Stopping for a picture of them, I shook the hand of one of the owners, thanking him for bringing the cars out. They were a super treat to see. Then it was out through the parking lot, through the Transportation and Ticket Center, and then back onto World Drive again.

Continued next week. Don’t touch that dial. Stay tuned.

Running the Walt Disney World Half Marathon – Part 1 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook

Show Notes can be found at http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/2012/01/disney-film-project-podcast-episode-54.html

The Disney Film Project Podcast is Copyright © 2010-2012 by Ryan Kilpatrick, Todd Perlmutter, Briana Alessio, & Cheryl Perlmutter, all rights reserved

Sponsored by TouringPlans.com. Providing pre-made or custom Touring Plans that help you avoid long lines while you’re in the parks.

You can find us at the Disney Film Project website http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/ or at our PodBean websitehttp://disneyfilmproject.podbean.com/

Please visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DisneyFilmProject or contact us on Twitter as @DisFilmProject (http://twitter.com/DisFilmProject) or email us at disfilmproject@gmail.com.

You can hear our show on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favorite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, BlackBerry or Palm phones. Find it in your app store or at http://stitcher.com/

The Disney Film Project website http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/ is also the home to Ryan Kilpatrick’s blog where he is attempting to view all the Disney films, including shorts, features, and whatever else comes along. Ryan can also be found on Twitter as@RyanKilpatrick (http://twitter.com/RyanKilpatrick)

Todd Perlmutter’s lifestream can be found at http://perlmutter.me/ - and is a collection of his various activities around the Internet. Todd can also be found on Twitter as @tperlmutter (http://twitter.com/tperlmutter)

You can follow the adventures of Briana Alessio at The Adventures of Brie found at http://adventuresofbrie.blogspot.com/ or find her on Twitter as @BufferflyBrie (http://twitter.com/BufferflyBrie)

Cheryl Perlmutter is our podcast Producer, Editor, and Girl Friday. You can find her at http://about.me/cherylp3 and also find her on Twitter as @cherylp3 (http://twitter.com/cherylp3)

Blogs by Todd and Ryan can also be found at the TouringPlans.com Blog (http://blog.touringplans.com/) where they write about their experiences at Walt Disney World.

Ryan is also the Film Blogger for the Disney Driven Life (http://thedisneydrivenlife.com/) where you’ll also find Todd working his technical wizardry as the Chief Technical Officer and Briana as the Attractions Blogger.

Thanks for listening.

Show Notes can be found at http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/2012/01/disney-film-project-podcast-episode-53.html

The Disney Film Project Podcast is Copyright © 2010-2012 by Ryan Kilpatrick, Todd Perlmutter, Briana Alessio, & Cheryl Perlmutter, all rights reserved

Sponsored by TouringPlans.com. Providing pre-made or custom Touring Plans that help you avoid long lines while you’re in the parks.

You can find us at the Disney Film Project website http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/ or at our PodBean websitehttp://disneyfilmproject.podbean.com/

Please visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DisneyFilmProject or contact us on Twitter as @DisFilmProject (http://twitter.com/DisFilmProject) or email us at disfilmproject@gmail.com.

You can hear our show on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favorite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, BlackBerry or Palm phones. Find it in your app store or at http://stitcher.com/

The Disney Film Project website http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/ is also the home to Ryan Kilpatrick’s blog where he is attempting to view all the Disney films, including shorts, features, and whatever else comes along. Ryan can also be found on Twitter as@RyanKilpatrick (http://twitter.com/RyanKilpatrick)

Todd Perlmutter’s lifestream can be found at http://perlmutter.me/ - and is a collection of his various activities around the Internet. Todd can also be found on Twitter as @tperlmutter (http://twitter.com/tperlmutter)

You can follow the adventures of Briana Alessio at The Adventures of Brie found at http://adventuresofbrie.blogspot.com/ or find her on Twitter as @BufferflyBrie (http://twitter.com/BufferflyBrie)

Cheryl Perlmutter is our podcast Producer, Editor, and Girl Friday. You can find her at http://about.me/cherylp3 and also find her on Twitter as @cherylp3 (http://twitter.com/cherylp3)

Blogs by Todd and Ryan can also be found at the TouringPlans.com Blog (http://blog.touringplans.com/) where they write about their experiences at Walt Disney World.

Ryan is also the Film Blogger for the Disney Driven Life (http://thedisneydrivenlife.com/) where you’ll also find Todd working his technical wizardry as the Chief Technical Officer and Briana as the Attractions Blogger.

Thanks for listening.

Last week, I read Ryan’s post about how his wife and his mother-in-law are about to run their first 5K this upcoming weekend and it got me thinking – that was me once. I was in a car at 2am on my way to Epcot to cheer on some friends as they ran in the 2010 Half Marathon. Nothing could have properly prepared me for what I saw that day. Previously, when I though of runners I pictured Olympic athletes moving like gazelles across the race course. What I learned is that, like many things, that’s far from the truth – runners come in all shapes and sizes. I also learned that a weekend full of races is a lot of work. Enjoy the adventure that awaits you.

For 2012, Marathon Weekend runs from Thursday January 5th – Sunday January 8th. If you are looking to track runners, this year’s tool not only provides you with the ability to track runners via text messages (which haven’t been super reliable at past events), but also to track them via email, Facebook, and/or Twitter. This is a great leap forward. If you’re looking for some Disney cheering swag, there are ChEAR Squad packages that come in several levels depending on the experience you desire.

There is also the Online Spectator Planning Tool if you’re looking to plan out some nice spots to watch your runners. You’ll need to have know their expected pace or finish time. Be forewarned though that if your runner is like me you should be padding this time out somewhat because there will be things to stop off and see along the way like characters, and photo opportunities in from of Cinderella’s Castle in Magic Kingdom. So use it as a guideline, and be prepared to adjust as needed.

Health & Fitness Expo
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
10am – 7pm – Thursday January 5, 2012
9am – 7pm – Friday January 6, 2012
10am – 5pm – Saturday January 7, 2012

Located inside of the HP Field House and the Jostens Center. Inside you will find various seminars and tons of official race merchandise, as well as vendors selling you all sorts of running paraphernalia from headphones to sneakers. All race packets, ChEAR packs, pasta party tickets, etc. must be picked up at the expo the day prior to each event.

In order to pick up your race packet you will need create, print, and bring your personalized waiver. If you’re unable to pick up your own packet, there are some special instructions for absentee pickup you can find on the Event Details page. Inside you will find your numbered bib, which for runners of the Half Marathon, Marathon, or Marathon Relay will have your tracking tag affixed to it – don’t remove the tag, it doesn’t go on your shoe any longer. You’re pack will also include your bag clear check bag and a sticker for it that matches your bib number – if you’re going to use your bag, make sure it’s stuck on.

Bus transportation for the Expo between Walt Disney World Resort Hotels to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will be provided.

Family Fiesta 5K (instructions)
Epcot
6:30am – Friday January 6, 2012
Arrival Runner / Spectator: by 5:45am

Cheering for the 5K is fairly simple. You can watch the runners at the start of the race, and then again at the finish of the race. This is all from the Imagine Parking Lot – you will not be allowed into the park to cheer. The course is very similar to other Epcot 5K races with a slight adjustment to the starting area, and some additional turns near the end of the race. For runners there are a number of interesting backstage elements as well as character meet-and-greets all along the race course. So runners be prepared with your camera or smart phone.

Half Marathon (instructions)
Epcot / Magic Kingdom
Start / Finsh: Epcot
5:30am – Saturday 7, 2012

For the Half Marathon while there are several viewing locations available throughout Walt Disney World property along the race course, Disney recommends the following 5 locations:

Mile 0 – Start – Epcot Center Drive
Mile 4.2 – Transportation and Ticket Center
Mile 5.3 – Magic Kingdom / Main Street U.S.A.
Mile 8.1 – Floridian Way (near the Polynesian)
Mile 13.1 – Finish – Imagine Parking Lot

While this year I will be running in the Half and leaving leading details for my friends for this race in the capable hands of my friend Shalon and my wife Cheryl. However, my personal preference for cheering is Epcot Center Drive (Mile 0), then to Main Street U.S.A. (Mile 5.3), then back to the bus terminal at Epcot to catch the runners as they return to Epcot (just about mile 11.5), then finally at the Mile 13 marker which is near the old Epcot dog kennel. Depending on the speed of your runners, you may have to run between those last two locations yourself.

Marathon (instructions) & Relay (instructions)
Epcot / Magic Kingdom / Animal Kingdom / Hollywood Studios
Marathon Start / Finish: Epcot
Relay Runner #1 Start: Epcot – Finish: Magic Kingdom Simba Parking Lot
Relay Runner #2 Start: Magic Kingdom Simba Parking Lot – Finish: Epcot
5:30am – Sunday 8, 2012

The course for these two races visits all four Disney World Theme Parks. Disney recommends the following 9 cheering locations (** = relay transfer point is not for spectators):

Mile 0 – Start – Epcot Center Drive
Mile 4 – Epcot Center Drive (they pass you twice)
Mile 9 – Transportation and Ticket Center
Mile 10 – Magic Kingdom / Main Street U.S.A.
Mile 12.5 – Floridian Way (near the Polynesian)
** Mile 13.1 – Relay Transfer Point – Magic Kingdom Simba Parking Lot
Mile 16.5 – Animal Kingdom
Mile 23 – Hollywood Studios
Mile 25 – International Gateway (also allowed along World Showcase & Spaceship Earth)
Mile 26.2 – Finish – Imagine Parking Lot

For these races, I will be cheering with some friends for some other friends. I do not plan to cheer in either Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. It’d be very difficult to cheer in all four parks, and due to the various road closures and detours you’re better off sticking to Magic Kingdom and Epcot as you do for the Half Marathon though you could also choose to do the Studios instead of Epcot. My recommendation is to start at Epcot Center Drive (Mile 0 / 4), then Main Street U.S.A. (Mile 10), then back to Epcot to see runners inside the park.

Transportation for the Half, Maration, & Relay

On Race day, the monorail will begin running at 3am to take both runners and spectators from the Contemporary, Grand Floridian, and Polynesian to Epcot. All other WDW Resorts will start running buses to Epcot at the same time. It is suggested that all runners plan to board a bus or monorail no later than 4am as they are required to be in their corral at 5am. Spectators that wish to view the start of the race should plan to either travel with their runners or arrive no later than 5am.

If you are traveling by car to Epcot expect their to be delays. Roads around the Walt Disney World resort will start being closed on both Friday and Saturday night, and there will be several detours . Most importantly on both Saturday and Sunday morning from 5am to 7:30am the Entrance to Epcot will be closed. During this time all traffic will be directed to the Magic Kingdom Parking Lot where you will then be able to take the monorail to get to Epcot.

For the Relay, both runners should follow the same 4am / 5am planned arrival to Epcot as the runners for the Marathon. However, once Runner #1 heads to the corrals, Runner #2 can then board a special bus from Epcot to the relay exchange. Runner #2 must take this bus by 7am, but should plan accordingly by taking into consideration the pace of their partner.

After the races there will be bus or monorail transportation back to resorts as needed. However this special transportation will end at 10:30am on Saturday and at 2:30pm on Sunday.

What to Wear / Carry

Two years ago I stood in the parking lot of Epcot before the Half Marathon and watch it snow and then stood in sleet the rest of the day. In 2011 I fought a bitter early morning chill only to be warmed up later on when the Sun came out while cheering for both the Half and the Full Marathons. This year looks to be a warmer year – to me it looks to be perfect running weather. On Saturday the low will be 54 and the high 75, then on Sunday the low will be 59 and the high will be 78. It means I’ll be sticking with my planned t-shirt and shorts for the Half.

I also plan to have a running belt with me that will carry two bottles of water so I can hydrate at my own pace rather than wait for the water tables. On the belt I will also carry a towel so I can wipe down if needed. Inside the pouches of my belt will be my room key, my ID, my Annual Pass, a package of Clif Shot Bloks which I use to fight off hunger while running, and, of course, my iPhone. I’ll be listening to a round of Disney Movie Soundtracks throughout the run.

In addition to entertainment, my iPhone will be my lifeline to my friends who are both running like Lindsay and Jackie. I’ll be texting through both races with them and others. This is primarily so we can be motivational with each other and it allows for friends who are cheering us on to get a better idea of where we are throughout the race. I do this during my walking intervals, I’m not sure I could manage to type on my phone while running. I’m ready to run this race and cheer for my friends as well.

What about you? Are you planning to run any of the races Marathon Weekened? Cheer for a particular runner? Just there to watch? Hiding in your resort room until it’s all over? No matter your choice, good luck, and have a safe race day.

Never Fear Marathon Weekend Is Here is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook

Show Notes can be found at http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/2012/01/disney-film-project-podcast-episode-52.html

The Disney Film Project Podcast is Copyright © 2010-2012 by Ryan Kilpatrick, Todd Perlmutter, Briana Alessio, & Cheryl Perlmutter, all rights reserved

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You can find us at the Disney Film Project website http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/ or at our PodBean websitehttp://disneyfilmproject.podbean.com/

Please visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DisneyFilmProject or contact us on Twitter as @DisFilmProject (http://twitter.com/DisFilmProject) or email us at disfilmproject@gmail.com.

You can hear our show on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favorite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, BlackBerry or Palm phones. Find it in your app store or at http://stitcher.com/

The Disney Film Project website http://www.disneyfilmproject.com/ is also the home to Ryan Kilpatrick’s blog where he is attempting to view all the Disney films, including shorts, features, and whatever else comes along. Ryan can also be found on Twitter as@RyanKilpatrick (http://twitter.com/RyanKilpatrick)

Todd Perlmutter’s lifestream can be found at http://perlmutter.me/ - and is a collection of his various activities around the Internet. Todd can also be found on Twitter as @tperlmutter (http://twitter.com/tperlmutter)

You can follow the adventures of Briana Alessio at The Adventures of Brie found at http://adventuresofbrie.blogspot.com/ or find her on Twitter as @BufferflyBrie (http://twitter.com/BufferflyBrie)

Cheryl Perlmutter is our podcast Producer, Editor, and Girl Friday. You can find her at http://about.me/cherylp3 and also find her on Twitter as @cherylp3 (http://twitter.com/cherylp3)

Blogs by Todd and Ryan can also be found at the TouringPlans.com Blog (http://blog.touringplans.com/) where they write about their experiences at Walt Disney World.

Ryan is also the Film Blogger for the Disney Driven Life (http://thedisneydrivenlife.com/) where you’ll also find Todd working his technical wizardry as the Chief Technical Officer and Briana as the Attractions Blogger.

Thanks for listening.

Shaking ourselves dry, we chatted with the greeters. They informed us that all their tables were booked for the evening, but that they could sit us at the counter next to the kitchen if we didn’t mind. We were hungry, wanted to be dry, and felt the warmth of the kitchen would be comforting. Back then there was no Chef’s Tasting Dinner; it was just the two of us sitting at the counter feeling a bit in the way. While we were looking over the menu, we started talking with the Chef while he was cooking and magic happened.

If I asked what something was, he made me a small portion to try, and one by one I worked through the appetizers. It was a lot of fun, and I could tell he was enjoying it as much as I was. He played with fire and did some cooking tricks (you don’t only get these in Teppan Edo). And it stopped mattering that we were in the way. He asked me if I trusted him and I said, “Sure, you’re cooking food that I’m eating.” He told me he’d make us something “off menu” and I couldn’t help but sit back and enjoy it.

This memory has always stood out for me, and every time I pass by the Flying Fish Cafe I’m reminded of it. That’s why I get excited when I have an opportunity to return to the Flying Fish as I did during the Reunion 2011 event put on by the WDW Today podcast and MEI-Mouse Fan Travel. Similar to the story above, it was raining, and Cheryl and I were looking for a place to eat while our friends went to the Candlelight Processional. From inside Epcot, we used the WDW Mobile Dining Reservations site to make an ADR.

We hadn’t been inside to the restaurant since the new Chef’s Counter opened. From the looks of it, it is basically a much more stylized version of where we had sat before – except now these seats come with a special price tag of $149 per person with a wine pairing or $99 without. That night however, we were there for a regular sit down dining experience so we passed by this area as well as the bar on the way to our table.

Walking through the restaurant, the old-style boardwalk feel is evident in the stylized look of the oceans on the floor and shells evident all over. There is also the hint of Coney Island with the roller coaster murals on the wall and the ferris wheel centered on the back wall of the restaurant. As the name of the restaurant implies there are flying fish in the air as you look up toward the restaurant’s ceiling – they are para-sailing on the lighting fixtures.

As is typical for our dining experience, Cheryl asked for the chef while I looked over the menu. Meanwhile, the waiter brought over some bread, which looked similar to my favorite bread from The Wave, but didn’t taste nearly as good. Cheryl ordred herself a special salad as an appetizer which looked to be quite good. She also ordered a special pasta dish as her main course. However, as sometimes happens the chef did not prepare her gluten free pasta correctly, and it was a sticky mess. Her meal, while looking presentable, was a bit unappetizing, and she had to send it back.

I have a rule I’m fairly strict about when dining out, especially at Walt Disney World where you can often end up paying good money for okay food. Simply put, if you don’t like it, don’t eat it, and request something else. I’ve never eaten at a restaurant anywhere that won’t do this for you, and this time was no different. The waitress took it back, and the chef asked if there was anything else he could make. Cheryl asked for some roasted fingerling potatoes instead.

My meal went much better. I started off with the “Degustation of Flying Fish Artisanal Cheeses.” This is the signature appetizer in the restaurant; it can also be ordered as a dessert. It has its own separate menu, and has the option to be paired with a wine flight. The cheeses are $16 for a tasting presentation of 5 cheeses and an assortment of accompaniments and toast points, with the wine flight costing an additional $16. If you’ve not tried a lot of different cheeses this could be considered an adventurous course. I will tell you that a soft cheese with honeycomb is a divine thing if you’ve never had it.

For my main course, I went with the Chef’s special, a Brioche and Herb Crusted North Carolina Day-Boat Flounder. It was served on top of a serving of heirloom root vegetables and topped with a citrus, truffle and Vermont butter sauce all for $36. I’m a huge flounder fan, and the crust on this fish was fantastic. It was moist, soft, crunchy, and delicious – the sauce was an excellent pairing. The vegetables have this sweetness to them that is an excellent reflection of their freshness, even when cooked. It is a fantastic dish.

As we were pretty full, we opted out of dessert. The waitress explained that she was comping us for Cheryl’s main course as it was not to her liking. Usually a restaurant when charging for an alternate dish will charge you for a menu item that approximates your order. As there is no comparable pasta dish on the menu I’m not sure how much they would have charged for it.

Overall this visit was split down the middle. My meal was fantastic and Cheryl’s was not. It doesn’t mean we wouldn’t try it again in the future, it just means that we’re going to be much more careful about what Cheryl orders. Next time I’m hoping that she can have a better experience.

What about you? Have you ever been to the Flying Fish? What did you think? If not, do you want to go? What about this restaurant are you looking forward to the most? Are you considering the Chef’s Table? Okay, I’m-sorry-I-ate-your-fish, okay? I’m-sorry!

Flying Fish Cafe is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook