This was my first marathon, and a wonderful one to start with! Florida is nice and flat in general, and this marathon lived up to that.

In addition, the organization of the marathon, from the expo, to the pre-race entertainment, bag check, parking and port-o-potties, were planned out wonderfully. I love how the Disney Marathon is run on a separate day from the half marathon, so you know everybody on the course is facing the same challenge as you.

Disney requires that you have proof of your time if you expect to finish in under 5 hours, and they actually check your corral when you start, which I considered a positive, since it can be difficult trying to get around people that put down a much faster pace than they could maintain (which I've dealt with in the Savannah Rock 'n' Roll half marathon). I ran this with another person who had to show proof of her time at the expo to get her corral changed, which was quick and painless. After getting to the expo, I discovered a smaller shirt would work better for me, and it was no problem changing that. The shirts look and feel great as well - they're blue technical long sleeved shirts.

The medal - big, bold and beautiful! It features Mickey Mouse, and was given out right after crossing the finish line as you'd expect.

There are characters all along the marathon that you can stop to get your picture taken with, which was really neat. There are also photographers all along the course, so you'll have plenty of pictures to commemorate the experience with (they took about 45 of me!).

Water stops and port-o-potties along the course are plentiful. I would have liked food closer - the first stop for Gu wasn't until mile 14.

The only other downside to this marathon is the long distances run on highways with very little change in scenery. I understand that's the nature of the beast to see all four Disney World parks, but it is worth keeping in mind - I wouldn't run this race for the scenery, but for the entertainment, characters and parks.

Lastly, I was really impressed with the spectators along the course. I had heard they could be far and few in between, so I was quite impressed with the numbers. Especially at the end, when there were so many spectators they were in bleachers cheering everyone on as they finished.

I loved it, and someday (after I try many others) I'll run it again!

Every marathon I've participated in except the first, I've done with the goal of a PR or a Boston qualifying time. I went to Disney with a completely different approach, which was to just have fun. If that is your goal at Disney, you will love it. If you want a PR, go somewhere else.

Disney places characters along the course, and you can stop, line up and have you picture taken with them. I ran with a friend, and we stopped at virtually every character. We also stopped for pictures at Epcot and Cinderella's castle in the Magic Kingdom. All told, we probably lost at least an hour for these photos, but so worth it! Running around the Magic Kingdom was probably the most purely joyful race experience I've ever had.

On-course organization was ideal. There was a water stop every mile. There were at least two gel stations, and two banana stations (yes, it occurred to me that slipping on a banana peel at the Disney marathon would be too ironic for words). Even better, there were medical aid stations almost at every mile, and they had lots of vaseline and giant jugs of Biofreeze. Biofreeze is my new favorite substance; I credit it solely for making the last 8 miles of this race the most pleasant I've ever had in a marathon.

Of course, it helped that the weather was so nice.

Some drawbacks, though minor. One, you have to walk a long way to get to the start. Between that and the slow course, you will be on your feet for a loooong time. Two, the course is extremely congested. Unless you are all the way at the front, you will have to do tons of passing, and much of the time there isn't the space to do so. Three, I'd like to see something with protein in it at the finish line food tent. Four, and this is a me problem and not a race problem, but when you park your car in a Disney lot at 4am for a marathon, try to remember to note where you put your car before scurrying off to run 26.2 miles with another 1.5 of walking.

Even with these 'drawbacks,' I plan on heading back next year, for Goofy this time!

This is my second time doing Disney Marathon. This time certainly enjoyed staying at off-site hotel. The Hilton had regular shuttle and allowed late checkout. Last time I stayed at Disney property and unbelievably they did not allow a late check out for runners. Simple advice-check with Disney hotels before you register because you will want to shower...

The course was flat, fast, a few too many turns for my liking and not that many spectators. Goofy challenge was fun. Unfortunately for those of us racing both races there aren't age group awards or ranked results-bummer. Terrific medals though and well organized events. But what is up with the 3 a.m. staging...Bottom-line 3 a.m. staging for Disney is just plain stupid. I have done 26 marathons and yes indeed New York is a 4 a.m. staging deal-but- and this is a huge- but-NYC marathon is one of the greatest work marathons it my humble opinion that Disney is not even close.

So, lets end this positively-later start, bring back Marathon Monday where athletes get in the park free on Monday after the race, rank the athletes that are racing in the Goofy challenge. Award the folks who race the challenge with age-graded results and awards.

Looking for world class Marathon try Chicago, New York, Boston, Barcelona, Amsterdam just to sample a few...keep on smiling and enjoy the run...

Disney knows how to do a marathon. They are masters at organizing large crowds. This was my second Disney marathon and 1st Goofy Challenge. I enjoyed the course and loved the spectators. After mile 22 they really made a big difference for me. Overall, I found the course so entertaining I didn't use my ipod. It was a great experience and one I am sure I will always remember.

This was my 3rd Disney. I was super slow as I took over 80 pictures! Every kid should experience Disney; therefore, every marathoner should do Disney. The medals this year were the best so far. LOVED the 1/2 medal. Mickey & Goofy were better than the 2009 ones. I can't speak highly enough about the organization, cleanliness, & the wonderful volunteers from the moment you walked on the property to pick up your packet. Many were senior citizen snowbirds who had to get up at 3 a.m.! So thankful for their support & encouragement. I LOVE THIS RACE. It truly is worth every penny & magical!

This was my sixth marathon. I can take or leave Disney, so I approached this race with some trepidation, but I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. The race is extremely well organized. You know how frustrating it is at mile 20 when you stumble on an abrupt change in the gradient of the pavement? Well, Disney puts a 'cast member' there to point out the gradient change. Bring a camera, because there are great photo opportunities throughout the course.For example, they had a Haunted Mansion themed graveyard, and runners were lying next to headstones for a picture. In Animal Kingdom they brought out some of the animals so that runners could pet them and take photos. Oh, and Disney has a cast member at each of these little attractions who will take the picture for you.

This is an AWESOME marathon!

Pre-race is crowded, and the walk to the starting corrals is a hike. The early start doesn't help. But after that, it's awesome!

The start is superb as Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy wave you off to fireworks. Yes, you have to run on the roads between parks, but the race support is the best I have seen ANYWHERE! And as for having to run on roads, Disney owns them, they are immaculate. There is NO traffic, the volunteers, water stops, food stops, 'surprises' (high school bands, full-size hot-air balloons with gondolas, Disney characters, and other COOL stuff!).

The course has some hills, but they aren't too bad, and the roads are wide enough that you can always grab the crown.

I know of NO better marathon anywhere, I love this race and will keep coming back!

I really enjoyed myself. Getting to start in corral B was a big plus to my enjoyment which I was allowed since I had previously run a marathon under 4 hours. This allowed me to go for a PR which I missed by 1 minute. I had read before going to the race that only about 25% - 30% of the course are the Disney parks otherwise you wouldn't know if you were in Nebraska, Indiana or Florida on the back roads so I wasn't disappointed since I expected it. The marketing that every mile is 'magical' may only be true if you get an extra boost out of knowing your running on land Disney owns and not because you're looking at familiar Disney landmarks along the entire route.

I stayed off about 10 minutes from Epcot. Woke up at 2:00 and arrived at Epcot by 2:30 am to beat the traffic jam that was coming (I was by myself on the Disney road coming in). I kicked back in my car like many others I saw and set my phone alarm in case I fell asleep. At 4:10 I walked (I counted 200 steps so I could easily find my way back to the car afterward) to the tents and waiting area to get ready to go to the start line. At 4:30 they opened the gate and it took another 20 minutes to walk to corral B. I waited from about 5:00 to 5:30 for the elites and corral A to start and 5:35 or so for Corral B to start.

I may only do this once but it was worth doing the Goofy Challenge at least once in my life. I was satisfied along the route enjoying what I called the Disney signature moments that no other marathon can offer.

I can't speak to the experience if one was in corrals C - H but my guess is that you want to be in Corrals A - C. You can't avoid the crowded running in any of the corrals but my guess is the farther back the corral the more crowded and frustrating it becomes.

I do remember a smell on the outskirts entering Animal Kingdom. Maybe that was the sewage plant mentioned in one comment? I thought it had to do with the animals but I don't know. It seemed to be only a 5 minute issue when I was in that area.

Good quality medals. I love the Mickey and Goofy medals. The 15th Anniversary Donald medal was alright but a bit 'busy' looking. Next year is the 20th anniversary of the marathon so they may do something different with Mickey as well.

Go enjoy the race with the correct expectations if you're thinking about it. I personally thought of the 39.3 miles over 2 days as 'running boot camp' to get me kick started for 2012 after all the holiday laziness. Getting in corral B and less crowds was a surprise so I ran it harder than I planned and almost had a PR.

This was my third Disney Marathon and I enjoy it more each time. In reference to other reviews that were disappointed in the 'Sewage portion' and the stretches on highway, I suggest running some more marathons around the country and you will see that they all have high and low points. It is correct that the 'eau de toilet' was a little stronger this year than in years past, but I guess the wind was just blowing in the wrong direction (Or maybe the animals ate Mexican the night before :)) but, really, it's only about 100 yards-not a deal breaker. Miles 18-22 are a little lonely and arguably the 'gut check' portion of the race, but I knew that going in even the first time (thanks to the great reviews on MG.com) so I treated that portion as just a 4 mile race-within-a-race and ticked them off one at a time. I was then rewarded with a run through Hollywood Studios (Looked just like I was in NYC), a beautiful run along a shaded path next to a river, a thrilling run through EPCOT where the fan support is unbelievable, rounding the corner to see the gospel choir singing their hearts out and a finish line worthy of a rock star. And that's just the portion AFTER mile 22...The early morning start with fireworks and music, running through EPCOT with the park lights sparkling, running through the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are so fun. Yes, there are highways in between, but HOW ELSE COULD WE GET TO GO THROUGH ALL FOUR PARKS WITHOUT TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY??? They aren't side-by-side. Again, I suggest researching any race you want to do by reading the great reviews on this site. If you do, you will not go to Disney expecting 26.2 miles of non-stop entertainment. You will know that you get about as close as any race can come to providing that. 26.2 miles is a looong way. There are always going to be some dead zones. Disney is my favorite for sure.

This is definitely one of the best marathons the US has to offer!
I dont see how any one who loves marathons can say otherwise!
(ok fine one negative....waking up at 3AM for a 5:30 race start....but thats about it).
the start is awesome - with fireworks...running thru the parks is amazing....even running on the streets in between was great.
there was tons of post race food.
getting to and from my hotel was so easy (if you stay at a disney hotel and u get shuttle busses to and from the race....very easy to get to....right by the finish area).
very well organized, great expo....
ill be back!!!