Bib numbers
are up! runDisney has made the waiver
for the Disney Princess Half Marathon available online. Click here to get yours. I am Princess runner number 5591!
A lot has
been made on Facebook and various message boards in the past 30ish hours since
the bib numbers have been released. “Does
a number of 23XX mean I will be in Corral A?” or “Oh No! My bib number is 223XX. Does that mean I will be in the last corral?” While no one knows what system runDisney uses
to assign bib numbers or corrals, it seems like one may have nothing to do with
the other. I have read countless stories
of how someone in the Princess half last year had a really high bib number but
ended up in corral A or someone else that ran in the Walt Disney World Half
Marathon had a very low bib number but ended up in the last corral.
I am not
immune to any of this bib hysteria. I
will admit, when I opened up my waiver and saw number 5591, I was relieved. I saw some of my Facebook friends with bibs
in the high teens and even twenties. My
first thought was—Yes! A low bib number
equals a higher probability of an earlier corral! While I knew that a low bib number did not necessarily
equal an earlier corral, I still felt like a lower bib number gave me a better
chance at an earlier corral. Yes, it is irrational,
but I will say it does make me feel a bit better.
So for now
ladies, let’s all make a pact to stop obsessing about what corral we will start
in and let’s concentrate on the last three weeks of our training. After all, it is the only thing we have
control over. None of us will know until
the expo at packet pick up what corral we will be in.
A dream is a
wish…
--Amy
I felt the same way at the Tinkerbell half. I ended up in E because I was honest about my time. I passed up about 5000 people-so clearly not everyone was upfront about their finishing time. So in my opinion, it doesn't have anything to do with your true ability anyway...so no reason to worry!
ReplyDeleteI ran Tinker Bell and never entered a time, and ended up in Corral C.
DeleteThe reason they ask for an estimated finishing time is so that they can place people in the right corral based on time. I registered for Tink and Princess without knowing my time, so I put 3:00 as I knew I'd do it quicker than that. Turns out I did it in 2:22, but I probably could have shaved another 15 minutes or more off my time if I didn't have to weave in and out of everyone. I was literally the LAST person in the LAST corral (Jeff Galloway was with us back there.) Lesson learned on my part. I'm trying to change this for Princess right now...
DeletePersonally-I think the corral only matters if you really NEED to be closer and are worried about being faster than those in your corral. If you are going to be a little slower than everyone else, it really does not matter. At the end of the day-you'll have a BLAST and you WILL finish!!
From my experience at previous races, my bib number had more to do with my last name alphabetically than it had to do with my corral number. :-) Can't wait to check for my number now!!
ReplyDeleteLast year, I never gave any thought to bib number. I've always assumed it had to do when you registered in general. When we've registered early for a race, we get a lower bib number. When we've registered at the last minute, then it's higher.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the race. I was bib number 14267 and registered about November 2 (the day after rates went up). I didn't care what corral I was in. I didn't care who had a higher number. I was just excited/nervous about running my first half marathon. Go out and kick some butt! That's more important than how high or low your bib number/corral is.
Thanks for posting the link. I couldn't find it all day until you posted!
ReplyDeleteI'm bib # 9378 and registered the day it opened. I was afraid there wouldn't be room if I didn't register right away-that definitely shows this is my first half marathon! :)
ReplyDelete