I am a member of Team in Training and this was my first marathon. The crowd support is outstanding. The volunteers do a tremendous job. Arriving at the starting line 2 hours before the race is a little crazy but this race did have 20,000 participants. It is a very flat course and great for first timers. The medal itself is worth the trip. I've read the negative comments from others and I just don't see it. Perhaps if you are a very competitive runner this isn't for you. But I can tell you this, as a race walker I had an awesome experience and will return (with my wife) in 2003.

The only thing I thought was top notch about the race was the finishers medal. It was by far the best I have received yet.

But,....
1) The race is expensive
2) Sitting shivering on the cold pavement for the 1-1/2 hours before the 6am start time really sucks (you have to be at the starting line at 4:30am)
3) Unless I just missed out, Disney did not do ANYTHING special for me even though I was staying on property and informed them that I was coming down to run in their marathon
4) The majority of the race is ran through ugly areas outside the parks such as past a gas station
5) ***My wife and daughter walked from our hotel to watch us run by. She had to stay back at least 50 feet from the road. Also, while she was there another woman with her child tried to get a little closer for a photo and a police officer got right in her face and threatened to take her to jail. I thought this was Disneyland and not LA.
6) Chicago had free Sam Adams beer at the finish line, fireworks as we passed the baseball stadium and fans jam packed the ENTIRE way. Top that!
7) The 'special' marathon price for one plate of pasta at the Disney Sports complex was $11 and did not include a drink.

The Disney Marathon in no way compares to the Chicago Marathon!!!!!

Having run multiple marathons, this is not one I would recommend. Many of the previous comments are right on point. Things that disappoint me about the Disney marathon include: having to get to the start two hours or more before the start time; having to walk all that distance from the pre race corrals to the start (it had to be a mile or more); a very, very spectator unfriendly race. My wife has followed me to most of my 15 marathons (she is a saint) and she said this one was almost impossible to see; the race course was great for seeing the back lots of Disney and the service roads, but I barely remember running thru the parks; in a lot of marathons, you hit the big crowds at a lot of places and have a lot of lonely places, in this race I remember the big crowds only very sporadically. Positives-It is the best medal, the course is fairly flat and logistically it was well run. I've done it once, would not do it again.

I agree with many of the other comments listed. Disney is notorious for overdoing everything but for the marathon they clearly missed a great opportunity. Disney has the facilities and know how to create a spectacular race but instead chose to create an average marathon. The organization and finishers medal were great but everything else was average. The expo was average, the pasta dinner was average, the shirt was average, the course stunk except for running through the parks. Getting up at 3:00 a.m. for a 6:00 a.m. start is ludicrous, but you have no other choice. I am glad I can cross this one off my list. Overall a good run but not up to Disney standards, and for sure not worth the cost.

Obviously whoever put these signs up is not a runner. You may think it's funny and cute but after running for hours it's not!!! Just when you are starting
to drift off and need a little encouragement you read comments like:
I bet you wish you were in bed!
Go ahead, quit now!
Not to mention many others. It's not funny!!!!!!

Disney should be better than this. Running through the theme parks and seeing a bunch of the characters were great. The VOLUNTEERS were awesome. BUT, a lot of the course was along the sewage treatment canals, there was little entertainment, there was an interminable wait (04:30 to 06:00) for the start, some of the bib numbers had an hour wait to check baggage (8001 - 18,500 were in one tent) and no spectators at the start were a little much to bear. Had this not been a trip for my entire family I wouldn't ever consider doing it again.

This was my first marathon, and my entire family flew in from out of state to watch. Unfortunately, this is a spectator unfriendly race with very few spots a non-disney employee can watch. The organizers could learn a lot from the New Orleans Track Club who provide FREE red beans and rice, bananas, beer, and water to runners and spectators at all races. My family would have been happy with just a discounted rate for beverages. All in all, the race starts too early and will drain the wallet.

This was my first Disney marathon. I ran the Dublin Marathon in Oct. and obviously was spoiled with my accomidations and the concern for the runners comfort. I ran this race with Team In Training, raising money for research for Leukemia...that alone was worth the run. I was terribly disappointed in race as a whole. We were up at 2am...bus at 3:15am and dropped off in a parking lot at 3:30am...not to mention being about 35 degrees, there was very little in the way of hospitality. You could get a small cup of coffee or a bagel if you had the money on you.....in keeping with the Disney motto..charge triple for everything! The course was not well lit in some areas making it dangerous...tripping on the discarded clothes along the way. There was little to no entertainment..unless you consider a speaker playing disney toons every few miles entertainment! The mile or so in the magic kingdom was great...but couldn't they have allowed the race to be longer in the parks? The course along the highways was very lonely and boring, with very few spectators. I would not recommend this race to others.

This race is well organized--but for the price I paid I EXPECT that much. I have to agree with the comments about the big money machine...running us through the stinky parts of Animal Kingdom...thanks so much!!! SeaWorld of TX used to have a 5k that let runners stay in the park afterwards and the entry fee is a lot less....Disney doesn't even let us really run through it. Also, the awards ceremony on Monday---sure stay another day and spend some more money at our resort. I highly doubt if mine will get mailed...fees out of their pockets???? The sound system was annoying blaring right into the elite corral--thanks for the headache. And like previously mentioned the negative signs along the highway were NOT funny. Certainly anyone that has actually run a marathon didn't come up with that idea.

The positives: the volunteers were the best that I've come across yet in a marathon---everything ran quite smooth. The course wasn't too bad (I would have give 4 stars, but the sign thing cost them 1).

I had fun, but it wasn't worth the price.

I found that once again Disney proved up to the challenge of running a large race. This year I stayed at a Disney resort which made the experience that much more fun. From Expo to finish line all went smoothly and the enthusiasm of the volunteers even during the rain was very welcome. This was my fourth Disney and I plan to return next year. Each race has had a unique flavor all its own.