Yeah, thats pretty accurate. I enjoyed it and will be doing it again. Its a nice vacation for the weekend and a relatively short drive for myself. I wouldnt fly cross country to do it though unless I planned on doing the race as part of a family vacation where the rest of the time was spent at places like Disney.
Your review is hilarious…How about doing one for Ralph’s Half?
Spindogg
Loved that review but it seems unfair to stress the heat and humidity as negatives. They are what they are. Obviously race organizers have no control over the weather. Hopefully no one thinks of Central Florida as being cool and comfy in May. It’s not. I’m more concerned with logistics and the course.
I too am taking my family and plan on staying at the campground in our pop-up. Hopefully it’s not full yet. Having done gulf Coast about 5 times I look forward to a change as does my family.
Trifan you are of course correct that the heat and humidity are part of Florida. But when you can choose a race, you can choose one that does not include these elements…or it could be that coming from Colorado, I’m just a big wimp when it comes to humidity.
ID
Humidity is not all bad. It allows you to hydrate just by breathing 
Great review! You forgot to mention the packs of drafters riding with impunity because there wasn’t a single race marshall out on the entire bike course. At least I didn’t see one for my 56 miles. There’s racing, there’s drafting…and then there’s the Disney 1/2.
You know I heard that the bike officials overslept and couldn’t find the race. How do you miss Disney? But you are correct, it was one huge draft-a-thon.
Thanks for the reminder.
ID
Pulled the plug and signed up. Now I have to find accomodation and a way to get the bike over there.
Looks like I’m going to have to bail on IM Australia in April due to issues at work. I was just getting into the longer miles of training too!
I like warm water, I like generally flat bike courses with rolling hills, and I don’t really mind the heat. So, Disney for me was really fun and I am doing it again this year. Plus, I am working towards one of the qualifying spots for an IMNA race. I did see a bunch of drafting…
If it helps, I stayed at the Port Orleans hotel on the Disney grounds. It is only about a mile from the start so I was able to ride over in the morning with no problems. There is a dining hall right there which has a decent pasta bar, so I was happy to be able to stay at “home” to eat and rest.
We went to Islands of Adventure and MGM the day after and had alot of fun. Very few lines. I would guess that kids would love it. The soreness didn’t help, but so be it.
Tom Ziebart is the RD this year, and I am sure he will address some of the concerns raised regarding prior races. And I understand that he will license his name for use in tattoos.
Monk - Tim Johnson (Bike Coordinator) and I have been out looking at the bike course and we have some great new options! I have to get them approved by everyone (Orange County, Lake County, Disney and IMNA) but if it all falls into place, we will have a great new course. We will also have GTG officials on the bike course this year.
Hope to see you at Florida’s Great Escape this year - I promise no rain this year. Z
Any chance of some hills? I’m using this as a tuneup for IMLP, and it would really help me personally
Don’t be fooled, although it is nothing like IMLP, there are some decent rollers/hills through the middle 1/3 of the course. It is a fast bike course but there were more hills than I expected. The run course, on the other hand, can’t be any flatter. We had a great time there last year and I know Tom will put on a great race.
I am so there…
I’ve done LP four times and believe me, you will not find hills like that in Orange County or south Lake County. Now if we could get north a Hwy. 50 in Lake County with the bike course, we could put some nice hills in - Sugarloaf and Buckhill. But that will NOT happen for this race. The bike course will have some rollers but nothing like LP. Z
Awesome. Thanks for the tips. I was going to check the Fort Wilderness Cabins, but have read about issues with getting around that part of the resort. We’ll see.
Just curious, if you read this Tom, will you be at the finish going, “Jay Reale, you are a 1/2 ironman!!!”?
I stayed there last year and it was great. Race day, it is super convenient. They are clean and quiet and spacious. The Disney bus/water taxi system can get you anywhere in the park that you need to go. We rented a car, which was nice because we made a couple of runs to the grocery store race week, it was a ten minute drive, but it sat in the parking space 90% of the time. Feel free to PM me with specific questions.
I am so there too. Have my reservations at the campground and am really looking forward to this race. If I’m not mistaken, all of the weekends in May are also Star Wars weekends at Disney MGM. I’ve been to one with the kids and it was a lot of fun.
Sorry - I will be at the finish line or on the course somewhere, but I will not be announcing - I’m the RD, so I’ll probably be picking up trash out on the bike course! I will make sure the the announcers know that you will be coming through the finish line and to announce your name! Z
Thanks Tom! I’ll be sure to put my gel packets back in my shirt pocket to reduce your workload! Ha, ha. This will be my second MDOT race (doing Ralph’s in March), so I’m really looking forward to it, and hopefully I’ll get the chance to meet the infamous Tom Ziebart.
Thanks again!