Dumbo Double Dare Race Recap Part 2- Disneyland Kids Races

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After the 10K the whole family regrouped.  Did I mention how hot it was out there?  Yeah, well, it was miserable. Trying to get everyone through the crowds back to our hotel didn’t sound appealing.  So we waited it out.

In the parking lot.  On the asphalt.  Man, it was hot.

This is where I got REALLY worried.  I almost passed out.  I did not feel well at all, and was slugging down water and Powerade and bananas like this was my last meal.  Lesson to take away here:  even if it’s “only” a 10K, please hydrate and fuel properly.  I am convinced my struggles in this race were part heat but also part my own fault for not properly being prepared. Laying in a nasty parking lot and not giving a darn about it will make matters pretty clear in no time.

But it was time for the littles to get their races in.  This was a new experience for me.  I have never even gotten close to the kids races since I never travel with my family for the halves. When we picked up their bibs at the expo I might have squealed a bit.  The bibs were darling. Seth was going to hate it though.  Pink? Really Mom?  Yes, little dude, really.

Speaking of bibs, apparently I forgot to lay the kids bibs out for them.  While we were running the 10K, Super Grandma was tasked with getting the other children ready for their own races.  She had no idea they even had bibs, much less that they needed to wear them.  Doh!

Mr. Shenanigans to the rescue.  This is another case of #TotallyWorthTheMoney.  We were staying at the Grand Californian Hotel, and it was a quick jog for Mr. S to get back to our room.  He found the bibs and made it to the parking lot at the Disneyland Hotel with plenty of time to spare.  I was so glad he offered to do it- cause I wasn’t moving.

After what felt like forever in the parking lot, we moved to – wait for it- the other side of the parking lot.  This is my only major complaint about the kids races.  It seemed disorganized.  While we were sitting in the main parking lot, there was a DJ and music to keep the kids occupied.  A lot of little ones were up dancing close to the stage and seemed to enjoy the wait.  Once they herded us into a “corral” of sorts, the entertainment was gone.

We were ushered through the bag check lines to the other side of the parking lot, only to travel back to the original parking lot when it was time to go.  There was a lot less room on the side of bag check that they had us wait in, and this made for some cranky kids and parents since we were packed in pretty tightly.

Only to move right back to where we started from.  Oy.

#OhLucy was ok, as long as she had her “sucka” (pacifier) and some Skittles.  Thank you sweet baby Jesus for having those Skittles in the runners box.  They probably saved us all from a very big melt down- #OhLucy is pretty epic when she wants to be.

Oh… you saw us walking back after the race?  Then yes, you know. 

I made my way to the finish area to watch the kids come in.  Mr. Shenanigans corralled all the others and made sure they were lined up for their race.  I was on chEAR duty.  I liked this role a lot!

This was 100 meters of adorable.  I mean, really.  There were so many kids blazing down the road with parents following close behind.  I about died of cuteness.  Of course, there were also those that were collapsing in heaps of tears as well, who didn’t like any of the characters, and who probably prefer spending the $15 on popcorn in the parks rather than “running” this race.  #OhLucy agrees with them on that point.

As you can see, she wasn’t thrilled.  She walked a little bit, couldn’t be convinced to leave the sucka out, and Grandma carried her most of the way. Post race report: lots of room for improvement in her performance.  But, oh, so cute!

The older kids were next.  They were all slated to run the 400 meter dash.  I wasn’t sure what to expect here.  Seth is a pretty good runner but he’s not a fan of crowds and attention.  Claire loves Disney and the crowds, but isn’t much a fan of running.

Both surprised me.  Seth apparently surprised everyone since he ran so fast I didn’t even see him finish.  Ahem.  Sorry, Sethy!  Claire ran the whole way and was so proud of her accomplishment.  This is a huge boost for her self esteem to complete something like this. She loved her medal and she says she can’t wait to run a longer race with me.  Sounds like we will be looking at a 5K next!

My review of the Kids Races:  Do them!  With a caveat.

I’d prefer if the Kids Races were held on a non-running day for the parents.  It was a little hectic trying to coordinate things, and after my race, I just wanted to die go back to the hotel. Normally the Kids Races are held after the 5K, and I think that would be ok for our family in the future.  We’d either run the 5K or do the Kids Races, but not both.  Throwing the 10K in the same day as the 5K and the Kids Races was just a little too much for us.

But I think the 10K on top of the 5K and Kids Races was a little too much for runDisney as well.  I’m hearing a lot of complaints about a race weekend that is typically ranked very high on runDisney enthusiasts lists. Hopefully this gets worked out before they open registration for next years races.

Have your children participated in the Kids Races at runDisney events?  How did they go for you?

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