My 3rd Disney Marathon and 10th overall. The first was in Disney in 2003 and that was the best; 2008 was a letdown organizationally, in general; and this year was better than 2008, and probably nearly as good as 2003.

The wave starts were handled extremely well, and this is one thing that is much much better than in the past. However, what was not handled well was the loading into the corrals. The path set up was narrow and created enormous traffic jams. Also, because of the amount of time standing in the corrals (if you followed their timeline and were in by 5 a.m.) there should be porto-lets on the far side of the first corrals and then so many people wouldn't be darting out to relieve themselves... and then trying to figure out which corral they came from. Even so, I had to sacrifice a minute immediately after crossing the starting line to relieve myself.

All other aspects of organization were flawless, from packet pickup to the early morning buses to the start. Water tables were well staffed and very well organized - it was fabulous having so many along the course. You never had the feeling that you had to take water because of not knowing if you could make it to the next area.

I was happy to see more activities happening on the course throughout - especially in some of the historically boring locations. I did notice some slight course changes since the prior times I ran, and in general I wasn't happy with them as they go through parking areas before entering MK instead of the road in front of the Contemporary.

I think that the medal is getting a little out of hand as it is now way too big and gaudy. I was too embarrassed to be wearing it during the day on Marathon Monday; I just had it around my neck to get the park pass, and took it off immediately after.

With six half marathons in the bag, this was my first full attempt. It was a long walk to the start but there were a lot of porta-potties at the entrance and start line. The course is boring at times but you know theme parks are coming and they are great. The weather was perfect and water and fuel stops were better than I have ever seen. Thanks to the high school bands for coming out when we needed them most. My next race will be a big-city race with better crowd support, but I will always consider Disney in the future.

Yes, it's expensive, but you get what you pay for. Great, well organized expo, free transportation to and from the race (I had NO problems or delays getting to/from the race via Disney transportation), beautiful fireworks before the race start, unbelievably supportive crowd (including Disney employees who cheered from their posts throughout the parks), encouraging volunteers staffing water and first aid stations, bands, cheerleading squads, pep bands and entertaining signs along the course when you weren't inside of a park to keep you pumped up. And when you're inside the parks.... how cool? Just awesome. Running down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom and high-fiving the crowd that braved the cold to cheer us on like we were rock stars was more fun than I can say. Running through Epcot before the sun rises and seeing the park lights before sunrise was beautiful. And finishing there was even better.

The crowd would not let you cave or quit pushing all the way to the finish line. The finish line volunteers who give you a big smile and a hug as they place the medal around your neck could not be nicer or more welcoming. Yes, you have to get up early... really early. I've done the marathon one year, the Goofy one year, and the half only for a couple of years. Each year when the alarm goes off at 3:00 a.m., I ask myself, "Now why are you doing this again?? This is really early!" I get to the start and say, "Oh yea; because it's entirely worth it!" It's early, but the good news is that you can spend the rest of the day in a park with your family. And did I mention what a great event this is for families?? I meet family and friends here each year - some run the and some just cheer, but it's a perfect venue to gather where there's something for everyone. The kids can do the kiddie races on Friday, the adults can choose between 5K, half or full marathon OR BOTH, and just about everyone ends up with a medal to wear proudly by the end of the weekend.

Previous comments are probably correct that this is not the place for a PR. Go to NY, Chicago or Houston for that (I got my best times at those races, but I should note that Disney races were certainly not my worst times!); come to Disney for a great series of well-organized, inspiring events where the whole family has fun together. See you in 2012, Disney!

I love the Disney Marathon. I did the Goofy this year. I will definitely keep coming back. Everything is organized like clockwork; the crowd/volunteers were great and encouraging; and there was lots to see and do on the course. I definitely didn't need my iPod... I didn't put it on once. Love this race!

This was my 17th Disney World Marathon and 6th Goofy. This is a marathon you run for fun. For those who want to set a PR, and are not fast enough to be seeded at the front of the pack, this is not a marathon for you. If you are a first-timer, or just want to enjoy running through your childhood and get to act like a kid, this is the run for you to do.

There's Disney magic every were along the courses for both the half and full marathons. Lots of photo ops (long lines of runners wanting pics taken with Disney characters).

Some of the best medals available are given out for you to show off, and new this year was MARATHON MONDAY, which was great. If you ran the full, you got free entry into one of the theme parks, and from all of the medals I saw at the Magic Kingdom, a lot of runners stayed an extra day to enjoy this.

This was my 4th Disney Marathon (3rd Goofy). The event has gotten better over the past few years: More spectators, more entertainment, more drink stops - generally everything from the expo to the finish line is better organized.

YES! You have to be up at 3 a.m. and, YES, you have to walk a ways to the start. YES! There are a ton of people and the course gets crowded in some areas. YES! The food at the finish leaves a lot to be desired.

These are small inconveniences considering that you get to run through the happiest place on earth! If you love Disney, you will most likely LOVE the Disney Marathon.

Enjoyed the marathon this past weekend. I'm really frustrated/concerned, though, because when I went to see where I placed in the field, neither my name nor bib number showed up. According to my Garmin 305, I ran the course in 3:59 (which is a personal best) so I want the official credit for it.

What a fun race! Yes, you should love Disney. Despite the early start, it is worth it! The most organized race I have run - Disney knows how to move folks. They have great music, entertainment, and loads of characters on the course (bring a camera!). You do run through the parks - which is fabulous, especially seeing Epcot all lit up - but you do a fair amount of running outside of the parks. Even there they had music, high school bands and entertainment galore. Plenty of water stations, medical tents and volunteers. All of the volunteers I came across had smiles on their faces! The other runners were all friendly and laid back. Alot of folks do the Goofy Challenge (half marathon on Saturday, and marathon on Sunday) so the race has a much more laid back, fun vibe. Great camaraderie among the runners! This is not a race for type A personalities looking to set a personal record. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the and you'll be fine! We drove in from off-property and arrived in plenty of time, with no problems. I was concerned about the price going in, but it was worth every penny. We have done several large marathons and this was my favorite by far!! Very fun!

These comments are for the half-marathon!

The course was on boring highways, backlots, and narrow pathways. The brief run through the Magic Kingdom was the only interesting part of the course and several parts were too narrow to allow competitive running.

There was NO traffic control getting to the parking area. It took me 2 hours to drive the last 1.5 miles into the park, and then I had to sprint the 1-plus mile from the farthest parking lot to the get to the A corral in time for the start.

The expo was pretty typical. The goodies in the goody bag weren't very good. The tech shirt was poorly made and way too large, even though I got an XS.

The high points: the staff were "Disney" friendly, the green army man with the microphone was very entertaining, the photo ops with characters offered something special, and the results were posted very promptly.

Don't bother with the chaos of Disney trying to hold a marathon. Course is a joke, as there are some spots with eight feet of width, running through service areas, back roads, etc. Very few spectator viewing areas.
Jon Hughes should be ashamed at how many people didn't have official times.