Oh, shoot, guys, I just remembered something important for runDisney enthusiasts that I can’t believe I forgot to notate it in my WDW Half recap!
So as I mentioned there, I dropped back to corral F to run the half with Erika. I’ve observed that the farther back your corral, the more waves there are, and in this particular case we were just cut out of F’s first wave. Two volunteers came across with the tape directly in front of us.
A minor bummer, to be sure, but not the end of the world. And it did mean we’d be at the very very front of our wave, which would be advantageous for avoiding the early course crush of humanity.
Unfortunately, this came with a side effect: when the volunteers walked us forward to the start line, I received a text message that my bib chip had registered as started.. while I was standing there, waiting. At no point did I touch the chip mat in any way. I was still a good foot or so away from it, I’d say. But it must’ve been sensitive enough to grab my reading and start my time… a minute or so early.
I don’t know if anyone else experienced this issue, and if I hadn’t signed up for my own text alerts I probably would never have realized it happened. In this particular case, it didn’t bother me overmuch, as I was fully expecting to be slow as hell and didn’t plan to run for time at all.
However, this won’t always be the case for everyone. So I deliver unto you this warning: if you care about your chip time, stand back from the starting mat. Let a line or two of people get ahead of you. Sure, you won’t get to start first, but you’ll maintain the integrity of your chip time. Good luck out there, runners!
Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!