Disclaimer: I received an entry to the Mount Dora Half Marathon Dora Double Challenge to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
This weekend I had the opportunity to run the Dora Double Challenge at the Mount Dora Half Marathon Weekend in Mount Dora, Florida! Mount Dora is a cute little historical city in Central Florida, just north west of Orlando. ince I'm in the area for the Christmas holiday anyway, I thought it would be fun to check out this race as part of the BibRave Pro Ambassador Team. This was a fun, festive race that made me feel safe and so comfortable to make a return to in-person racing. I'm excited to tell y'all about my experience!
The Dora Double Challenge consists of two races -- the Mount Dora 5K on Saturday, and the Mount Dora Half Marathon on Sunday. I'm a big fan of race challenges, so I knew I had to sign up for both races. Because we drove down from New England and didn't arrive into the area until late Friday afternoon, I opted to wait until the morning of the 5K to pick up my race weekend packet. I still wanted to lay out my race morning outfit before bed, though. Flat runners are a pre-race must!
Luckily, it was super easy to navigate everything on race morning, and was able to pick up my packet with no issue. The packet pick up was located in the pavillion near the 5k start line, and everything went very smoothly. I first picked up my bib, which came with a tote bag and two really awesome magnets - one for each race. I thought these were such cool swag items, and I definitely hadn't gotten anything like these items at other races I've done! I then picked up my race shirts and was given a red shirt for the 5K and a black shirt for the half. They also had green shirts for the half marathon, which I believe were in men's sizes. It was so exciting to get a piece of swag for each one of the races I was completing.
#DoraDouble swag!
Preview of the half at packet pick up.
After a quick stop at the car to drop my newly acquired packet and slap my race bib on my leg, I headed up to the start line which was SUPER festive! There was soap snow, stilt walkers dressed as elves and toy soldiers, and (of course) a GIANT inflatable Santa.
I was able to meet up with my fellow BibRave Pro Samantha, who was also doing the Double, and chat with her before we took off for the 5K! Due to COVID, I haven't had the chance to meet any BRPs in person during my first year as a Pro. It was so great to change that on Sunday and actually meet someone that I've been talking to for over a year! I hope 2021 brings more opportunities to meet my fellow Pros. Fingers crossed for more in-person races!
Socially distanced pre-race photo with Samantha!
The race kicked off at 7:45am and the race organizers made it clear for runners to arrange themselves by pace, and only enter the corral once their pace group was called, to promote social distancing. Whether or not runners actually followed this directive is... questionable... BUT I will say that participants were really great about wearing masks in the corral, which was a relief. The race organizers were also great about reminding folks to continue to wear their masks in the start and finish areas of the race. I was off and running around 7:50am!
I didn't take any photos during the race because I was actually feeling really good and wanted to see how hard I could push myself. I was CRUISING for this entire race and ended up going sub-27! It was great to really push myself hard through this race just to see what my body could do. (I also think I was just really excited to be running a race, so that could have added to the pep in my step 😂) According to chip timing, I ran 3.1 in 26:53.54, an 8:40 pace!
Garmin is a little off because I forgot to pause it for a few moments after I finished running 😂
The finish area still had a VERY festive vibe, and there was plenty of space to social distance, which folks were pretty good about. I'd say participants weren't as great at wearing their masks at the finish as they were at the start, but at the very least everyone was spread out well. One thing I liked about the post-race experience is that instead of having tables of bananas, waters, etc. that runners could grab, they put everything in one large gallon baggie and let runners take a bag as they were exiting the finishing chute. They also included your medal in this bag, so as to reduce contact of passing the medal from volunteer to runner. I thought that was a great idea to promote safety!
Before heading out I had to do a lil selfie photo shoot with my medal. Of course I needed to take a selfie with the giant Santa, and once I had walked away from the finish area and made sure no one was around me, I took another photo with my ~smiling face~ 😂 (That's the Mount Dora City Hall in the background of my second photo!) I headed home after getting my snaps in, and got prepared for Day 2 - the half marathon!
Flat runner for the half marathon!
Brett was kind enough to join me for half marathon day and dropped me off at the starting line. The start was a couple blocks away from the 5k start, but it was really easy to navigate down to where we were supposed to be. There was plenty of pre-race entertainment and excitement! I was hoping to meet up with the larger group of BRPs that were running the half marathon, but I couldn't figure out where they were so unfortunately I missed the group photo 😭 but I saw most of them out on the course, so that was nice!
My own lil cheer squad!
The corral for the half was HUGE which I really appreciated. It made distancing from other runners at the start really easy, and again, folks were really great about wearing their masks before taking off. There were sections of the corral you were supposed to line up by according to pace, but it wasn't really enforced so folks kind of hopped in wherever. The organizers tried to release folks by pace as well, but it seemed like most people just went with the flow of the crowd. Before I knew it I was off and running for the Mount Dora Half Marathon!
This photo doesn't really do it justice, but there was plenty of space for us to distance, and everyone was great about wearing masks!
Off we go!
There was a good amount of on-course support throughout the race, including water stops (they handed out sealed bottled water) and bathroom stops about every other mile. There was also gel distribution at mile 7. I know a lot of races are encouraging folks to bring their own water and nutrition (which is also a great option for safety!), but it's also nice to see that there are still volunteers that are coming out to support runners and give aid to the folks crazy enough to run 13.1 miles on a perfectly good Sunday morning. 😊
Dem HILLS
The course was HILLY, which is always strange for Florida. I was a little concerned that my legs would gas out after the first few miles because there was a LOT of really steep, rolling hills. I continued to take on every hill, though, and even though it was a challenge I actually felt really good through the entire course! It was also an extremely scenic course that took you past many lakes and through such gorgeous neighborhoods. I swear, the houses we ran by had my eyes popping out of my head at how nice they were! It was so nice to take in such beautiful scenery while putting in the miles.
One of my favorite parts of the half marathon course was the downhill finish. You take a right onto the last stretch of the course and it's completely down hill, giving you a super fast finish. You can also see the giant inflatable Santa, beckoning you toward the finish line! 🎅 Such a welcome sight 😊
Here I come, Santa!
A fast, downhill finish!
I had a fantastic race during the half as well. I was feeling really great so I decided to push, and I wound up running my best half marathon in YEARS! I finished in 2:08:19, which puts me under a 10 minute/mile pace. I don't think I've done that since I first started running long distances. I am so proud of myself and feel so encouraged heading into my next marathon training cycle by the way I performed this weekend.
Gotta love that finish line feeling!
Look at that elevation data 💀
The finish line was similar to the 5K finish in that you were given your post-race fuel and your medal all in one gallon baggie. You were also handed a Mount Dora Half Marathon hand towel to wipe your face with at the end of the race, which I thought was a nice touch for a Florida race! I didn't hang around long at the finish as I was looking to meet up with Brett, but the energy at the finish was just as festive and fun as the finish line of the 5K. Everyone was in great spirits, there were many photo opportunities, and plenty of space to unwind post-race while socially distancing.
I really enjoyed myself at the Mount Dora Half Marathon weekend. I thought that the race organizers did a fantastic job of creating a fun, festive, and above all, SAFE environment during this unprecedented year in the running world. I would definitely recommend both of these races if you're looking for something festive to do in Florida around the holidays. The hills are a challenge, but the positives of these race weekend experience make them worth it!
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