As a former employee of Walt Disney World I am very disappointed in how the marathon was set up and run. The pre-race expo was pathetic, the 'goody bag' was by no means a goody bag, and the organization was unacceptable. This is my 4th marathon and by far the worst, even though I had my best time. It is nice and flat, that's the only good thing.

It was my first marathon and I left my house north of Orlando at 2:30 am to get there by 4:00 (I was misdirected and got there after that). Parked the car and decided not to check my bag (left it in my car). I was glad I didn't as it would have meant an extra half hour wait at the finish. Waited in the starting chute for about an hour--- way too long. I was psyched up and ready to go and all I could do was stand there. The finish area was okay but traffic getting out was poor and not aided by volunteers. Great medal/poor t-shirt-- you have to buy a cooler one. The course was all but forgettable and had signs meant to be discouraging like 'give up now' and many of the disney villans were after the signs.

It ws good to have my first marathon done but I won't be doing Disney again even though I'm local.

Would be nice if posters given away and sold at all marathon expos were standard poster frame size. Otherwise, we end up with rolled up posters and nothing to do with them. They are a great memento and yet not something someone wants to spend a lot on for custom framing.

In general, a good experience. Just having run the Chicago Marathon three months earlier, and the fantastic spectator support there, Disney was a bit of a disappointment. The fans had a look that said 'why in the world would anyone be doing this?!? And, there were such limited areas where they could actually view the race. The course was somewhat boring, the great distances on the road between theme parks. I agree with the comments on early bus times; seems a lot of time was wasted, standing around for start time. There could have been much better organization for picking up drop bags post-race. One group, in particular, had to wait at least 45 minutes in line and in the cool, drizzly conditions.

None of the above will keep me from coming back ... 10th anniversary WDW Marathon, here we come!!

First, the course is awful. Instead of running through the parks where things are interesting, you spend 80% of your time negotiating dull Florida terrain. Yeah, it's flat, but it's BORING. There is a stretch that goes on FOREVER while you are headed down to Wide World Of Sports... and you don't even get to wws! No spectators. Nothing to look at. Second, the expo is sub-standard. Third, you have to get to the starting line at 4am and stand in the cold for nearly 2 hours before you are fed up to the start. The water stops are sub-standard also.

Finally, the COST is outrageous. Disney has now hiked the cost of the marathon to $90 (plus a processing fee) making it one of the most expensive marathons to enter. For this you get the horrible course AND a cheesy shirt! And, for that kind of bread, do you get any other breaks? NO! Disney CHARGES for bagels and coffee at the start. I'm surprised they don't charge you for the medals and the blankets at the end!

If you need a Florida marathon, I guess this one is worth it because at least you can go to Disney. But, otherwise, save your money and go to New Orleans in February where they know how to put on a race.

The race was a lot of fun. I did this race as my first marathon and even though there were not a lot of people through out the race to cheer you on, you had all of the Disney Characters! Mickey, Donald Duck, etc...
That was really cool, to have a bunch of characters spread out over the race to give you a high five.
There was a few mile stretch of parking lots...but there was a lot of music the whole way through.
This is definitely a good race to do as a first race, with all of the characters around you and being inside Disney World, is really exciting! The event is huge, like 13000 participants, the pre-expo is fantastic as well. They had a lot of pre-talks by marathon gurus available.
Great event!

I have read many of the gripes which I whole heartedly agree with, especially the negative 'pain ahead', and other quotes along the route. My biggest gripe though, is Disney allowed the official 'picture' clock to short out in the rain and my very first marathon has ZEROS for my finish time. That is so disappointing! Disney just does not cater to the runners - accept that and move on. If you like a flat course that takes you to remote areas this is really for you. I enjoyed myself and am really glad I finished. I am also disappointed that my family and friends were not able to get to the finish line, the parking staff said the lot was full and in fact it was not even close to being full - once they got in. So, I am glad to have finished my first marathon but very disappointed in the finish and the refreshments. Disney needs to cater to the runners more, look at the $$$$ we bring that week!

I can't believe all of the negative comments about this race! I ran the New York Marathon this year and it was a great experience. However, I was bused to the starting area 5 hours before the start of the race! This marathon is the best organized by far! Yes, I will agree that there could be more entertainment, but after 15 miles, aren't you just trying to finish? As far as the cost of the race, obviously, a lot of the negative people haven't run in New York or Washington, DC. I recommend this race to everyone and will definitely be back next year!

The course is flat, except the 30% grade on the off-ramp curves. And lots of fun. But did they think the dis-encouragement signs were cute? They were inappropriate for a marathon.

The expo was poor, no signs on how to get to anything. No runner communication, had no idea I could pick up my splits after the race, it was in one booklet in small type. The managment company does not seem to care about the runners.

Spectators were park employees and hired volunteers. Runner friends and families found it impossible to see all but 2 miles of the course.

High points: T-shirt and medal are some of the best in marathons.

Low point: less than 65% of the runners finish the race - big clue. Having to be ON a bus by 4:00 AM to get in line for 30 minutes and walking .8 miles to the start from the pre-start and then waiting another hour before the start.

I am an experienced marathoner and recommend this race purely for the medal, or if you are a first timer because you don't know any better.

This was my first marathon and I don't think you could choose a better one for your first. Naturally it is awesome - it's disney!! Problems - very crowded start line - takes quite awhile to get a good pace going - around 4 miles before the crowd thins out abit. Long wait at the start - like 3 hours. Very cold at 4am. Awesome expo and family fun day for kids. Awesome crowd support in the parks but quite lonely in betweeen. Awesome medal. Overall, I would do this marathon again in a heartbeat. You won't be disappointed.

We stood on our feet for almost 2 hours before running because of the long line to check my bag. We walked from our vehicle to the tents to the start line which was probably 1/2 mile or so. The course was tight in spots which made it hard to pass. I didn't enjoy seeing Disney 'behind' the scenes. The interstates were the pits...very little crowd support. The water stations had WONDERFUL people...thanks! After I finished, I waited in line 45 minutes to get my bag of 'dry' clothes that got wet in the tents. This event needs major improvements. I hope they listen to the feedback.