An hour and a half was kind of long to stand in the corrals before running. It would have been nice to find some bagels anywhere and some water stations at the corrals. Other than that, organization, water stops, pit stops, et cetera were very good. A great experience.

I just ran the 2001 Disney Marathon. This was my second marathon and if this had been my first marathon I would have been really disappointed and probably would not have run another one. The organiziation at the start of the race was not what I would have expected from Disney. (The people who know how to move people along.) You have to walk about a half mile to the starting line from the gathering area, and you have to go in a group. We started walking to the start line about 30 minutes after they said we would and because of this the race started late. At least 20 of the 26 miles is run on highways and backroads. Also, there are very few spectators for most of the course, of course that is partly due to the inaccessiblity of the roads.

I think this was the first year they tried a split course. There was a red and a blue course and they started on opposite sides of the street and ran separate courses for the first three miles. Of course, they didn't mention this during registration and I didn't know if I would be able to run with a friend who had signed up. Luckily we were both red. They also put you in groups based on, I believe, your finishing time. This was reflected in your number and they put you in corrals and had people checking numbers to be sure you got in the right one. If you are running with someone, be sure to put the exact same finishing time down so you can start together, maybe. (My friend was suppose to be in a corral behind me but she just flashed her number and went into mine, otherwise we never would have joined up.) Something they should also tell you about during registration. I like the idea of staggered starts, but this was going a bit far.

On the plus side, I love Disney and it was wonderful to run through the parks. Disney did a great job of providing water and gels. After about mile 15 there were stops every mile and they didn't run out of gels, even for us slower runners. The music and characters at each mile were a welcome relief from the monotony of the desolate roads. The medal is wonderful and wearing it the rest of the day while walking through the parks was a great feeling. (When else do you get to wear your medal?)

I would also highly recommend staying at a Disney resort, it made getting to and from the race and the expo much easier and didn't seem to cost more than it would have cost to stay outside the park.

Will I do the Disney Marathon again? I don't know?

This wasn't my first marathon, but it was the most 'fun' marathon I have ever been in.... I can't wait until next year...

This year I had the chance to be a part of the 2001 Walt Disney World Marathon. Being that this was my first marathon and my first time in Florida, I didn't know what to expect. At first, the bitter cold of race morning began to put doubts in my mind, but that soon disappeard when I saw Mickey rise up to start the race. From that point on, it was nothing but excitment. When your used to training in Saskatchewan in 3 feet of snow or on a treadmill because it's -40 deg. celsius outside, this seemed like paradise.

The volunteers were unbelivable, always offering great support and encouragement and giving you that little boost you needed when you felt like flagging down a passing vehicle to take you to the finish line.

The food and water stations were much appreciated and seemed to be there just when you needed it. Walt Disney World did a fantastic job at providing us with food and drinks prior (carbo loading supper), during, and after the race.

And, of course what could be better than coming around the last corner and just when you think that you're about to keel over, you see the finish line with hundreds of people cheering and Minnie and Mickey standing underneath it. What a way to use up that last little bit of energy you have saved up!

I have nothing but compliments to share about this experience and would not hesitate in recommending this marathon to others, first timers or vetrans. I look forward to the next time I have the chance to be a part of something so great!

Thanks Disney!

DITTO to the person from Golden, CO! I had a great time doing this marathon & would highly recommend it. YES, it wasn't cheap. But I knew that going in. I have run many other marathons dealing with traffic, fumes, overhype, etc. Yes, there were highways...but it wasn't forever and I looked so forward to the next theme park. In fact, there were more people out watching than I thought there would be. Also, the piped in spectator noise I thought was hilarious. I have never seen/heard that before and just laughed... Better than nothing on that ramp! Of course the medal is the best part and my favorite of the 66 I have done. It was very organized and the volunteers were great. A very good time!

This was my 7th Disney World Marathon. I missed the first one, but have run everyone of them since. It is one of the best I've run, and I have run New York, Chicago, Marine Corps and a few around the world( Guam,New Zealand,etc. The sights are fantastic, the course friendly(no Hills), and the volunteers are great.
I plan to run it as long as I can. Where else can you run through a castle, jungle, and all the world's countries during the same marathon.

I ran the 2000 marathon and the 2001 half marathon. Most people don't really think about how much dull, desolate space surrounds the various theme parks, and this race shows almost every inch to you. While you do get to run through all four parks, and near the Wide World of Sports park, most of the race is on boring roads with zero specators. The weather is rarely a problem, although temps were near freezing in 2001. The end of the marathon will perk you up as it is run through the Boardwalk and Epcot. The organization is top notch. Don't wear purple unless you want to be misidentified as a T'n'T runner (this is one of their flagship races).

Disney 2001 was my second marathon after the Marine Corps 1998 in Washington, DC, and overall it was comparable in many ways. The weather this year was a totally unexpected temp in the mid-30's at the 6:00 am start, and stayed cool enough to see your breath throughout...wow! Other than that shock, the course was great, the crowd support good (other than a brief 4+ mile stretch at mile 17-21 between two of the parks), and the overall feel magical. The energy of 18,000 at the start, the burst of fireworks outweighing Mickey Mouse's cheesy introduction, and the weaving between parks was....plain and simple....just a lot of great fun. I hope to return to Disney to do this one again!!

I'm with ya Oldbird - this race was a bit of a disappointment. Fortunately, I'd spoken with several people who've run it and was warned that it was extremely boring in parts. Having said that, it's unfortunate that Disney skimps in the entertainment department. They need to put more characters or some kind of entertainment out on those highways.

I don't recall ever seeing Mickey (I guess Disney didn't want to pay him overtime?) and apparently Minnie split after a runner slammed into her at the finish (I'm serious). Disney was my 15th marathon and I wouldn't even place it in my top ten. I've learned that not every race can be NYC, Twin Cities, or Marine Corps, but Disney should be better than it is.

I will disagree with the mostly negative comments I have read here so far. This was my first marathon and I thought it was great. Yes, there were times when the fan support was lacking, but it was more than in my training runs! I have read the comments for the other marathons and they actually had legitimate complaints like running out of sport drinks and not enough stops to refuel. I would much rather have a well organized race with plenty of stops and enough supplies than more fan support with inferior organization or inadequate amounts of fluid replacements. Thumbs up to the sweet tarts and sprees at the final fuel stop. It was truly a fun race and I enjoyed my experience!!