Tower of Terror 10-Miler

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you probably saw some of my posts from the Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend.  I have done runDisney events before, but they typically center around the WDW Marathon Weekend in January.  This year, we decided to branch out and participate in the 10-Miler; since it is themed after one of our favorite rides, it only made sense, after all!

As an added bonus, we got to attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and check out Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival.  More on those in another blog, though...

I am SO glad we decided to try this race.  It was my first nighttime race, and so required a totally different type of prepping.  If you are a runner and want to know more about that process, check out my post on the Running at Disney (RAD) website!

So let's start at the beginning.  On Friday morning, we headed to the ESPN Sports Complex for the Race Expo; here, we picked up our race gear and of course, did some shopping. :)

There were also some great photo ops!  After posing with our race number (hubby forgot to grab his for the pic), we headed to the Josten's Booth for a special photo, which was a free download for following runDisney on Instagram.

What a fun start to the weekend!  Of course, the race wasn't until Saturday evening, so we spent time touring the Magic Kingdom on Friday, then spent the early part of Saturday at Epcot.

Since there was a race in our very near future, we had to be careful not to overdo it in the parks (quite a tall order!).  We made a good move and stayed at the Boardwalk, so we only had a short walk to head back to our room for a nap.  We prepped our gear, rested for a couple of hours, and then it was time to get ready!

A running tutu is a must for me.  After all, where else can you wear such a thing without getting strange looks??

Time to walk over to Hollywood Studios!  It was a beautiful evening, and the walk helped to warm our muscles.  Plus, it was nice not to have to wait for a bus; we were able to arrive with plenty of time to enjoy the pre-race festivities.

Signing the "Guest Book" for the Hollywood Tower Hotel

There was also a DJ, and I will unabashedly admit to dancing to "What Does the Fox Say?" in addition to doing the Cha-Cha Slide -- all in my tutu.  

There were lots of fun photo-ops, which we took advantage of before heading to our corral to wait for the start of the race.

The race began right on time, and I was pleasantly surprised that the corrals were released only 2 minutes or so apart; I had expected a 5 minute lull between.

Fireworks for every corral!

And off we went!  Much of the beginning of the race was on the highway; we left the studios and headed toward Animal Kingdom.  In true Disney style, there was constant entertainment throughout the otherwise empty stretch of road. There were also lots of fun decorations.

Ordinarily I hate spiders, but... well, it's a Disney spider!

 Each mile boasted a different Disney Villain.  Of course, runners were welcome to stop for photos.  My husband and I prioritized who we would stop for, since we wanted to finish with a somewhat decent time! :) On the first stretch, we saw the Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook, and Dr. Facilier (from the Princess and the Frog).  At that point, we had made it to Animal Kingdom!

Time to loop back... we had to head toward the ESPN Sports Complex for the next leg of our run.  We passed some more Villains, notably the Hyenas and Jafar, and then it was time to take a shortcut via the Haunted Trail!

Yup.  Rib bones... yikes!

It was on this trail where I found my first photo op: the Old Hag (Evil Queen) from "Snow White"!  I have never seen her anywhere except Fantasmic, so there was no way I was going to miss this photo op, even if it meant a 5-minute line!

Why yes, she IS holding an apple...

The trail broke things up, it was a totally different change of scenery, and we were running on packed dirt rather than pavement, so it was a little softer on the joints.  At the other end of the trail, we emerged into the ESPN Sports Complex.  And it was here that we stopped for our second photo-- with the Haunted Mansion Grave Diggers!  Many of my followers know that my hubby and I are in LOVE with the Haunted Mansion.  So we definitely had to stop...

You can't see the shovel... but he's dragging it and creating sparks.  CREEPY!  And amazing...

We wove throughout the complex, around the track, past the creepy Zombie football players (no pics here!), and on to the last leg -- and back to the pavement. 

Next up?  We saw the Big Bad Wolf.  There was absolutely no line, so hey, why not?

Ever since I saw him dance to "What Does the Fox Say?", I've had a soft spot for this villain.

We thought we were done with photos, but then we came across the ballroom dancing ghosts from the Haunted Mansion!  I was SO torn.  There was quite a line for the ballroom "couples", but I found a ghost with no line... so how could I resist?

Back to the race!  We were headed back toward the Studios, having just reached an overpass, and we looked up and saw Hades, who was heckling the runners (all in good fun, of course).

We next got to run through the set of "Lights, Motor, Action" and then the now defunct Backlot Tour space.

Lights, Motor, Action!

Flight of the Navigator, anyone?

Hats! Or more technically, a millinery.

Around the bend, through the Studios, past the Tower, and then... SUCCESS!!  The icing on the cake was getting a shout out from famed runDisney announcer Rudy Novotny, who as you will notice, shares our last name.  

Ah, the sweet feel of a medal.  But the fun was just starting...

A big part of the 10-Miler is the Villain's Bash.  If you love the Disney Villains, this is the place for you!  The shops were open, replete with fun merch and sweet treats:

Of course, the rides were open, so we paid a call to the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

The are near the Sorcerer's Hat boasted a DJ, and also meet and greets with Cruella De Vil and The Queen.

I found out that there were many other Villain greets throughout the park, so I went searching and found:

Shan Yu (from "Mulan") tried to intimidate me; but I wasn't having any of it. :)

Pain & Panic from "Hercules"

Darth Vader & the Storm Troopers

I missed Gaston, Boba Fett, and Cruella, sadly, but by this point, the party was starting to wind down.  Time for a walk back to the Boardwalk. 

I would absolutely run this race again.  Although it is not scheduled for 2015, I'm hopeful that they will bring the race back after the renovations are finished at Hollywood Studios.  I'm guest blogging on the RAD website again on Monday, so if you want to know more about the Villain's Bash, stay tuned via Facebook or Twitter for the link!