running the 5k

[Guest]

whats peples thoughts on the 5k run i could walk it i guess as i am not a runner but my daughter would like to try and run it ,would i be a irresponsable parent letting her run it her self she will be 12 or should i make sure she is at my side all the time for her safety what do others think and also mums what woud you say if dad took the daughter away on holiday and allow her to do the run herself ,like i said she will be 12

[daffodil92]

Do you mean the Castaway Cay 5K?
I ran this with my eldest son last August. From a child welfare point of view I would not be concerned as it is a closed loop, with lots of families running. HOWEVER, it was HOT. Extremely hot. I personally would not want my child to run this unsupervised in case they became ill through the heat/dehydration. I got to the point where I was beginning to feel dizzy and realised that I had to walk until I got to the next water station to rehydrate. Running in those temperatures was so different to running at home. If you decide to walk around with your DD you wouldn't be out of place, lots of people were walking it. It really is a lovely thing to do together - my son and I are very proud of our medals, a real "bonding" thing to do together x

[gismo1554]

I walked the 5k two years ago now and I echo previous poster. It was so HOT I felt like I was going to collapse at the end. Sat on the sand for around an hour before I could even consider moving as everything kept spinning. I'm glad I did it but I don't think I would be recommending it for 12 year olds as the temperature was such a huge thing. It was nothing like heat I had felt before, having been to Florida in the summer heat many times as well as to other areas. There is little to no shade on quite a few sections and although there are water stations around I didn't actually make it to more than one or two as the others were crowded by people and I was determined to just carry on.

[Bats]

Mick and I just did this a few weeks ago, we walked half and ran half (as part of our Couch to 5K training). We did it in 46 minutes so not fast by any stretch of the imagination.

Take a couple of empty bottles (or proper drink containers) on to the cruise with you then fill them with ice and water - take them with you on the 5k.

Plenty of people walked the whole way on our cruise.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by gismo1554

I walked the 5k two years ago now and I echo previous poster. It was so HOT I felt like I was going to collapse at the end. Sat on the sand for around an hour before I could even consider moving as everything kept spinning. I'm glad I did it but I don't think I would be recommending it for 12 year olds as the temperature was such a huge thing. It was nothing like heat I had felt before, having been to Florida in the summer heat many times as well as to other areas. There is little to no shade on quite a few sections and although there are water stations around I didn't actually make it to more than one or two as the others were crowded by people and I was determined to just carry on.

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very interesting reading what you say and i think after thinking i should go round with her , what time do they start the run and if you go first thing in the morning would that help with the heat ,but walking it will be for me

[gismo1554]

Originally Posted by stevb63

very interesting reading what you say and i think after thinking i should go round with her , what time do they start the run and if you go first thing in the morning would that help with the heat ,but walking it will be for me

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It is first thing - I want to say you meet at 8 and then are off at 8:30. You also have a walk to the start line too so its actually a bit longer than 5k. I'm glad I did it to say "I've done it" but it wasn't as leisurely or enjoyable as I expected it was very tiring and I felt very ill afterwards. Stay hydrated no matter what!

[KarenG]

We've done it both times we cruised, and my overwhelming feeling is always that it's not as much fun as I expect it to be. And I absolutely love Run Disney "events" (I know the 5k is a very low key version of those!), so it pains me to say it.

The advice about staying hydrated is critical. Both times we ran (in Jan and Feb, so not high temps really!) it was very very hot, humid, and it felt like running through hot cling film

Because you loop around the water station 4 times you get lots of opportunity to drink.

The course is a bit uninspiring.

We quite liked getting off the ship early and going straight down to the beach for the day but oh my goodness we were so hungry by the time lunch rolled around, so we would take a snack with us next time.

The medal is nice though, and something free from Disney has to be good

[Guest]

I will have to think this one over a bit more before I go one way or another but thanks everyone for the input

[WillowFae]

We did it in August last year and again in Feb this year. The different time of the year makes a MASSIVE difference. I ran both but the August one was a lot hotter. Planning on doing it again in October this year and am hoping it will be more like Feb weather than August weather. Just watch for the LOOP OF DEATH!

You can absolutely walk it: many people do.

[jdybnsn]

I've done it and its difficult with the heat & humidity and as others have said its a boring run ! I ran between water stations - I had to stop at each one before I could continue...

What you will find is that when Americans say they are 'doing' a marathon ... it does not imply, as it does in this country, that they are necessarily going to run it !