Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon expo

Greetings from Orlando! I got into town early this afternoon and scampered around town for a bit, then headed off to the race expo in the evening.

I took a whole bunch of pictures from the night's activities!

Here is a compilation of my race shirt, bib, post-race party wristband, gear check sticker, and $10 Disney gift certificate (which all participants receive):

Here are some sights observed while approaching the race expo, which took place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex:

RunDisney signs along the walkways

The gateway to the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex

Giant cutouts of a champagne bottle and glass to help commemorate the "wine and dine" theme

Entering the expo premises

There was quite the buzz on the walkways with race participants and all their families. I heard many folks excitedly chatting about their plans, e.g. "This year I definitely want to get a picture with Darth Vadar!" and "I really wanted to wear mouse ears but they don't stay put on my head!" (Note to self.)

Once we got inside, I took this aerial-view picture of the expo:

I had fun checking out all the vendor offerings. I am very used to the typical vendors that come to race expos in Chicago, so it was nice to see some new and different vendors.

Here's the entrance to the official RunDisney merchandise area:

I stopped at the New Balance booth and saw glass-case displays of the limited-edition RunDisney running shoes:

Sweet shoes!!!

I saw countless folks wearing mouse ears, as well as many folks already wearing locally-themed outfits:

On that note, this should come as a surprise to no one that there were many, many, MANY vendors with assorted offerings of Minnie-themed apparel:

Not Disney-related, at one of the vendor booths Adam immediately noticed the shirt on the left while I noticed the shirt on the right:

Pittsburgh sportsteam colors on his brain, University of Illinois colors on my brain. Funny how individual perspectives work. =D

Normally I don't buy stuff at race expos. However, I couldn't resist picking up one of the newfangled FlipBelts that I've been eyeing for awhile.

It was nice to be able to try the FlipBelt on in person. I think it very comfortable and practical. I am even considering yet again breaking the rule that you shouldn't try anything new on race day by wearing the belt inaugurally tomorrow night!

Now, nothing Disney-related would be complete without some huge mouse ears, of course:

The RunDisney checkout registers/runner tracking signup area

Here's a picture of me with my bib in front of one of the runDisney collages.

You might notice that I look like I have an extra pair of arms coming out from behind my shoulders (don't laugh). That is because I am standing directly in front of a runner pictured on the artwork. Here is another version of the artwork for your comparison:

And finally, here is a view of the expo exit. I thought it was a nice touch!

T-minus approximately 24-hours before the race's start, and bon appetit to everyone, indeed!!!