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Disney World Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Disney World Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 4.0
Number of comments: 818 [displaying comments 771 to 781]
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A Runner from Raleigh, NC
(1/8/2002)
 "Not enough Entertainment throughout the course." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 I have come to all 9 marathons and have done 6 of them and each year the merchandise gets less and the entertainment along the way has lessened. I love doing this marathon but would like to see more of an effort in the marketing/entertainment area. The volunteers are tremendous! | |
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A Runner from Florida
(1/8/2002)
 "A wonderful marathon experience." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Disney is not for everyone, but it sure is for a lot of people considering how early every year it fills up. No amount of complaining in previous comments about how it is not a great race is going to diminish the excitement and joy that so many people get out of the race. Run it once and enjoy it, and maybe even join the hundreds who return year after year for the sake of running in a race that seeks nothing more than to allow people to enjoy racing through Cinderella's Castle like they've always wanted to since they were kids. Running is meant to be enjoyable; if you don't think you'll enjoy it or are cynical about the 'Disney influence' then simply don't sign up and leave the entries available for those of us who want to run it. That's fair warning, right? More specific comments: --- Course: How can anyone complain about the course when the course map is available online for pre-race perusal?! It's not a 'secret' that much of the race is on 6-lane highways and backroads on the Disney property! Anyone who's been to Disney or checked the course map can see that the parks are spread out, so without Aladdin's magic carpet obviously you're going to need to run long distances between the parks. The scenery on the highways is trees and beautiful Disney landscaping in the early morning sunrise over central Florida; that beats any urban-based industrial race scenery any day. Granted it's no Big Sur or Central Park, but it's peaceful and a respite from the overload of excitement in the parks. --- Specatators: If you are only capable of running with spectators 5-deep along the entire course, run Chicago or New York, but if you would like to enjoy the camaraderie of thousands (in 2001 and 2002, about 18,000 registered for marathon and half, and about 13,000 showed up) along with thousands of families, Disney cast members, dozens of Disney characters, and enthusiastic water stop supportors, this race is fine for you. --- Organization: The event is staged well by the Event Marketing and Management (EMMI) team based in Orlando in conjunction with Disney. The expo is limited as a result of EMMI (which is a related entity to the Track Shack running store) and vendor tie-ins with Disney, but the EMMI team does a great job with the race itself. This is not just Disney trying to 'put on a race.' --- Cost: Disney is a company that has a bottom line. Travelling to the race and staying on site can be expensive and not much at the resort is cheap. Just understand that going in or plan to attend another race where costs can be controlled better so you won't be disappointed. The Disney Marathon may not be for everyone, but it's a great race for a lot of people! Enjoy! | |
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/Janice from New York
(1/8/2002)
 "I'd Do It Again!!! Loved it!!!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was definitely a dream come true experience for me as a first-time Marathoner. I'd do it again even though I ended up in the medical tent after hitting the wall at 22 miles. By the way, the care I got in the medical tent was excellent. I needed IV fluids and they got them going right away. The entertainment, the crowds, the characters - everything was great. I can't believe so many people complain about this race. Twenty miles went by so fast, with all the great distractions going on. The Disney Staff stood outside in the rain and cheered us on.They were also wonderful. My only complaint was no medical personnel at the finish line. It was tough for my friends to get me to the medical tent, which seemed to me to be miles away at the time. Other than that, I thought it was great. The Team in Training support was unbelievable. I was a Team in Training member. I'd run this race again, even though I hit the wall really hard. Everyone wants to run New York, but I'm a New Yorker and I'm glad I ran Disney first. I really don't see how anything can measure up to this. | |
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A first time marathoner from the south
(1/8/2002)
"Disappointing for first marathon" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 The very short amount of time you spend actually running through the parks was exciting for my first marathon, but too much of the race is run on back roads and four lane highways without spectators. Not enough time is spent running through the parks. Running Main Street with the line of fans was great! The spectators were controlled and restricted to certain areas by Disney. Water stops and medical personnel were plentiful and the volunteers manning these stations did a wonderful job. The finish line in the Epcot parking lot was anti-climactic. I would like to have spent more time running and finishing inside of the actual parks. | |
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A Runner from California
(1/8/2002)
 "Flat...and in more than one way" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Very flat course but 85+% on emptied highways with little to see except other runners. More strikingly, the whole event left me somewhat emotionally flat. This was my 24th marathon but 1st at Disney. Call me old-fashioned...but I think there's something to be said for not being overly structured. Sure, the marketing & planning gangs are top notch but the weekend had such a heavy Disney hand that it all felt too forced and artificial...lacking any real emotion, heart or spontaneity. I'm going back to races where things like the start countdown is given by a live announcer, not a pre-recorded voice. Maybe trying to be so perfect isn't such a great thing after all. | |
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A Runner from Ohio
(1/8/2002)
"Observations and Comments after my first Disney" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 - The course is NOT flat. It seemed as if we were frequently going over various overpasses and ramps. Nothing major, but enough to keep you from a PR. - Plenty of water/sport drink stops with gel and fruit stops later in the race. - The Disney people in the parks did a nice job of trying to encourage the runners. There were not many other spectators, since the parks were closed (those that were there- Thanks for your encouragement!). - It WAS neat running through Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. - Expect to get up unbelievably early the day of the race. The buses from the Disney resorts to the Epcot parking lot run from 3:00 am - 4:00 am. From the parking lot you have to walk quite a distance to the start (it seemed like at least a mile) to make the 6:00 am start. Now that I have went through this 'process', I see that the only reason you need to go to the parking lot is to leave your clothing bag for after the race. If you are staying at one of the Disney resorts on the East side of Epcot, I wonder if you could just skip the clothing bag, sleep in a little, and walk over to the start line at about 5:30 am? Disney may have security people at the intersections to prevent this, however. Just a thought. - Disney had plenty of port-a-johns at the parking lot and near the starting line. If you didn't want to wait at all, the walk to the start area provided ample woods on either side of the road. - I expected to finish under the Epcot globe. Instead they run you through some alleyway to finish in the parking lot. Very disappointing. - The weather is very unpredictable. You have to be ready to run in anything from the 20s to the 60s. Waiting 2 hours for the start can make even 50 degrees feel like winter if you aren't dressed warmly - wear more throw-away clothes than you think you will need. - Most of the race is obviously on the connecting roadways and not in the parks, so it is not extremely scenic. For those of us from the north, however, it was nice to not see snow and to run in shorts and a singlet. - I did not like being sucked into the Disney 'money machine' where everything costs and costs a lot. Lodging and food were very expensive. The race T-shirts are OK, but at the expo Disney was happy to sell you the types of shirts that should have been given to the runners in the first place. They even had the nerve to charge $1 a minute (I think) for massages after the marathon. - In some ways the marathon had the feel of being on one of Disney's park attractions. As if this were a ride that we would get off of after 26.2 miles. I know many people worked very hard to put on the race and I appreciate their efforts, but the Disney stamp was apparent. It was a little like Disney doesn't understand all the needs of marathoners. - This race is a novelty that many if not most marathoners probably will want to run once. More than once? I don't know. | |
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A Runner from Largo, Florida
(1/8/2002)
"Of 4 marathons I have run, this ranks number 4." (about: 2002)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Course is relatively flat. Much of the course is on open roadway and very boring. Of the 26.2 miles, only 7 to 8 miles are through 'entertaining' areas. It is neat to run through the four theme parks, but fan support outside of those areas is sparse. Disney controls the location of spectators and are herded like cattle. Therefore, your own fans were limited as to available viewing areas. Disney employees knew very little information concerning the race and were not helpful when asked. Plenty of water stops and medical facilities along the way. Volunteers were cheerful and helpful especially considering the inclement weather. Expo before the race was lacking from 'outside' suppliers and vendors. The best part of the race? - The medallion is super. If you live in Florida or need a family vacation in Florida, you need to run Disney Marathon. However, don't expect to see or receive everything you read in the brochures. | |
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A Runner from Virginia Beach, Virginia
(1/7/2002)
"Boring Course, Poor expo for large race, Disappoin" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This race is not what it is advertised to be. Like all Disney events the organization was very good, water stops etc. However the course is very boring with many miles of roads with nothing but trees, overpasses, and Disney back lot maintenance facilities. The time spent running in the theme parks is a very small part of this course. For a large race that cost more than others, the expo, goodie bags, and T-shirt design were poor. Finishers medal was nice. The only spectators are the volunteers and those in the theme parks. Compared to Marine Corps, Myrtle Beach and Rock and Roll this is not a good marathon. I would not do it again. | |
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A Runner from New Hartford Iowa
(1/7/2002)
"Magic was missing" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Start with a 3:30 AM bus ride to be at a parking lot by the required 4 AM, stand around for 90 minutes in that parking lot, then add a 1 mile walk to the start area. Running in the Wonderful World of Disney theme parks? Sure, if you think employee entrances, storage areas, backroads and the waste water treatment facility make up the park. Less than 2% in a decent part of the parks. 98% on spectator-less highway. Boring course and extremely expensive trip (expected). Not worth the money for 'major marathon' number 7. | |
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A Runner from North Palm Beach, Florida
(1/6/2002)
"I have been 14 for 6 days and I ran the half" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The half marathon was great. There were times when the course had a bad view, but running through the parks was worth it. I loved it. |
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