Marci Darling

I’m back home after a crazy busy trip to WDW!  We did so much, I think the only time I got to sit or relax in any way was when I was sleeping, but it was so worth it!  My sister-in-law who came with me was great company and kept up with the pace (maybe more than I did) and I felt like we squeezed a week-long trip into 3-1/2 days.  I will definitely be talking about the rest of the trip later but today I want to focus on the main reason for going to Florida, running the 5k!

Let me start by saying I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT and will definitely be running another Disney race at some point!  I think I’ll break up this review into two smaller sections actually so let’s talk about the Expo and picking up your race packet.

We landed in Orlando on Friday morning around 9:30 and headed straight to Wide World of Sports to pick up our race packets.

front entrance to Wide World of Sports

WWoS is such an awesome place!  I’m not a huge sports fan but the complex is gigantic with pristine baseball fields and it just has that Disney feel.  I want to bring my husband there now to watch a game.

baseball!

Silly me didn’t even stop to remember what time the expo would open so we ended up getting there too early.  We decided to pass the time waiting for the expo to open by getting a bite to eat.  I had a roast beef and blue cheese sandwich and my sister-in-law had a BLT, both sandwiches were huge and really good.  They came with fries but you probably could have substituted apple slices instead if you wanted.  Here’s a shot of the cafe where we ate.  While we were eating, two men were getting ready to film a sports commentary show.

tables in the wide world of sports cafe

getting ready to film a show – fun to watch!

after eating and chatting for a while we headed into the expo to pick up our running packets and check out all the vendors.  This place was HUGE and it was so exciting just being there and knowing that we were going to be running soon!  Picking up our race packets was easy and fast.  All you had to do was get in the appropriate line (according to your race bib number – mine was 1717) and then sign something showing you picked up your packet.  Inside was your bib and some info then you walked to another area to get your free tee shirt.  Here’s me with my shirt!  (I took this photo back at the hotel)

perfect for halloween!

after getting the stuff we came for we decided to try to look around the expo a bit.  I wanted to buy some shorts and maybe a bumper sticker or something.  Let me tell you though, the expo was VERY crowded and I often felt like I was in the way when I was just browsing.  I ended up buying some running shorts and getting out quicker than I would have liked.  Here’s a photo of the expo from above as we were walking inside.  Hopefully it gives you a feel for just how big it was:

me standing above the expo. I was so excited just to be there and I felt like I was “a real runner”!

After this we left and went to check into our resort, Disney’s All Star Sports.  I’ll be reviewing this resort later on as well, but my next installment will be about the actual 5k run itself.  Thanks again for reading and leave me any questions or comments you might have below!