On Thursday, March 31, RunDisney hosted the 2022 Expedition Everest 5k at Animal Kingdom! This was a nighttime race, the first nighttime race RunDisney has hosted in a long time, and it was combined with a scavenger hunt through the park. My parents and sister signed up with me, and despite doing several half marathons and a couple of 10ks with RunDisney, this was my first 5k event with RunDisney! Let’s get into the 2022 Expedition Everest 5k Race Report!
Registration & Training
Registration was a headache. This was a really popular event from RunDisney’s Springtime Surprise series, as it was an event that made a comeback from several years ago, and it is also a popular distance! All four of us (myself, my parents, and my sister) planned to do this event together, but initially only my parents and I were able to register, and registration sold out very quickly. My sister wasn’t able to get in until several weeks later when registration reopened!
Pro tip for RunDisney events: registration randomly reopens on occasion for all events – so if you don’t get in and it appears to have sold out, keep checking back! Also, join RunDisney Facebook groups, as members will post when event registration reopens!
As for training, we all planned to walk it together and work on the scavenger hunt portion together. Frankly, 3.1 miles as a walking event isn’t too difficult on any of us, although my sister did increase the amount of walking she was doing to prepare for her weeklong visit to Orlando’s theme parks!
RunDisney Expo & Bib Pick-Up
The RunDisney Expo was open from 10am-6pm on Thursday, with the race starting at 10pm that same day. We were in a bit of a time crunch due to other commitments that day, but we managed to make it to the expo to pick up our shirts and bibs, and we rushed through the expo but didn’t really stop to look at anything. We went home and ate good meals, and tried to get some naps in for the late night we’d be having at Animal Kingdom!
Weather & Race Gear
The weather was a definite factor in our race experience! A storm front was moving in, with expected thunderstorms and lightning threatening to cancel or shorten the race course. We packed and dressed appropriately for the weather. I wore my Teva sandals which dry quickly, we packed ponchos and I wore a raincoat, and we had beach towels in the car to dry off with in case we ended up soaked. I also wore my running belt and packed a Ziploc bag for my phone since it isn’t waterproof!
When we arrived at the corrals, the announcers declared that the race course would be shortened due to possible lightning, and the scavenger hunt portion would be postponed as a result! We were disappointed but understood, as everyone’s safety is of the utmost importance – not just the runners but all the volunteers and event staff, too! They said that the scavenger hunt portion would be available throughout the weekend, so we knew we could complete it later on our own time! At that point we decided we would enjoy our walk through the park together, and take it easy.
Race Experience
We drove ourselves to Animal Kingdom since we live close by, and we left the house at 8pm for a 10pm start time. We were parked around 8:55pm. It was pretty backed up! The amount of runners seemed smaller compared to the longer distances, and there were four starting groups, which were divided into smaller waves of runners once the race began. We parked in the regular parking area, and walked towards Animal Kingdom security for a brief security screening, then back towards another part of the parking lot for the corral entry!
We took a few pictures prior to the race start and then stood around for about 30 minutes, waiting for the race to began. First up, the RollDisney group was off (wheelchair participants). Then S1, S2, and finally it was our turn in S3! Our corral was ushered to the starting line and then we were off!
We decided to walk the whole thing since we wanted to enjoy our time together. The first few minutes was really busy as the pack of runners was rushing off to get underway, so we stayed to the extreme side of the race course. Unfortunately, race etiquette wasn’t really followed by a lot of the runners and we were passed on all sides. Eventually it thinned out and we were able to walk comfortably without being bumped into or passed in the grass on the right.
The first part of the course traveled along the outskirts of the parking lot, where we drove in when we first arrived, and back through security where we walked through initially! Then we entered Animal Kingdom and were greeted by one of the bands that plays at Animal Kingdom, and DiVine! I snapped a quick picture as we rushed by. We headed uphill towards the Tree of Life, and we stood in the PhotoPass line for a picture of the whole family with the park icon.
Next it was on to Pandora at night, which is always a treat to see! We didn’t stop for any photos here except we did see some photographers taking our pictures as we walked by! We headed out the back entrance of Pandora along the boardwalk, and over towards Festival of the Lion King. Then we made a left turn towards the Wildlife Express Train, but before we could get there we made a quick right backstage, behind the theater where the bird show plays. We popped back onstage near Expedition Everest. Around this area we saw Mickey Mouse!
We walked towards Everest, and towards the Finding Nemo theater, where we saw some puppeteers with Nemo puppets. We also saw a really energetic band keeping everyone’s energy levels up late into the evening. We turned the corner into Dinoland USA and saw Daisy Duck!
We headed backstage near the Dinosaur attraction, and this was the portion of the course that was cut short. There was an out-and-back portion back here, about half a mile or so, that was cut out of the course. At this point it had started lightly raining, and I noticed that mile marker 3 was out, but the distance between mile markers 2 and 3 definitely felt shorter than a full mile! There wasn’t much to look at backstage here – I suspect they pulled some on-course entertainment due to the weather.
Pretty soon we could hear music getting louder and we knew the finish line was near. Even though we walked the full course, my sister and I agreed that we would run across the finish line. We ran the last 20 seconds or so, across the finish line! We received our medals and snack boxes, waited for our parents, and headed home.
Overall Thoughts
This was a fun course, and I loved that the shorter distance allows the majority of the race to be within a theme park/backstage instead of on lonely roads between theme parks. I am disappointed that the course was cut short, but I totally understand the need to take the threat of lightning seriously as we don’t want anyone getting caught in serious weather conditions. My favorite distance is tied between a 10k and a half marathon, but I’d do a RunDisney 5k again if the theme was something I was really into (Epcot, Snow White, or a specific attraction I really like!). I also liked the 10pm start time so we didn’t have to get up so early! I really want to commend PhotoPass for the plethora of awesome pictures we got from this event!
Have you done a 5k? 5ks are really accessible to runners of all abilities, from the novice to the experienced runner! They are a blast and RunDisney makes the experience worthwhile. I highly encourage a RunDisney event for your first 5k if you’re feeling like you want to try one out! You won’t be disappointed!
