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Apr 29, 2024

Disney World Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.1

Organization 4.3

Spectators 4.0

Number of comments: 818 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

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R. S. from SF, CA (1/21/2018) "Some Recommendations" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Disney World Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 If you like to run this marathon like a proper race, and your marathon time is below 4 hours, submit your proof of time, and you will be placed into corrals A or B. You will enjoy it much more then. For all others, some personal recommendations: 1. Staying off-site is fine! I arrived at the Epcot parking lot at 3:30am, left my car at 4:30am, waited approx. 15 minutes for a porta potty, and was in my corral at 5:20am. 2. For great photos, time yourself, so you arrive at Magic Kingdom around sunrise. That's shortly before 7:30am, at mile 6. 3. Expedition Everest does not open before 9am, that's at mile 13. 4. Most Disney characters are inside or nearby the parks, so you could 'catch up' during the more boring stretches (which I actually enjoyed!). Feel free to bring your own camera, as cast members will take photos of you. 5. The food at the finish is sub par. Leave some food in your car or gear bag. 6. I did get lost at the expo, so please do read any signs carefully. For a race of that size it is really well organized.
G. I. from ARIZONA (1/20/2018) "Disney delivers" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Disney World Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Fun race, excellent organization, unparalleled entertainment on course, cool merch. Flat course. CONS-Corral system crowds everyone with a half marathon/marathon/10 mile times. Weather in Central Florida is a wild card-could be freezing or could be really hot. Great experience for those who want to go on a run-vacation with family, will definitely run again
K. K. from New York, NY (1/8/2018) "Better than expected" (about: 2018) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Disney World Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Fourth overall marathon and first Disney. Pros: 1. Tons of water/aid stations - every mile and a half on front half of course and every mile on back half. Two different banana hand-outs and I saw 3-4 different medical tents stocked with Vaseline and topical anti-inflammatories, bandages, etc. 2. Great tech shirt and finisher medal 3. Plenty of entertainment spread throughout the course to keep you distracted, even on all the boring access roads/highways that you spend the majority of your time on. Shout out to the green soldier at the hill at mile 21/22 offering words of encouragement! 4. Flat and fast - few minor hills on overpasses and up exit ramps but if you trained on rollers, this course is cake 5. Despite everyone saying this isn't a PR course due to crowds, I managed to come in 4 minutes under goal pace 6. Early start time is a plus in my opinion. We rented a house at Formosa Gardens - left house at 4:15am and were in corrals by 5:10am. Not bad for a large marathon Cons: 1. Expo was disorganized and lacked serious signage (hard time finding the transportation booth, park ticket booth, etc.) - most volunteers there didn't seem super aware of expo set-up either 2. Crowds! Course narrows majorly in certain parts and you'll do a lot of weaving. If you want to 'race' Disney, for the love of God provide a proof of time to get you into A or B corrall 3. Course measured long - my Garmin read 26.6 as I crossed the finish 4. You only spend 6-7 miles in parks, the rest is on super boring access roads and highways devoid of many spectators 5. The out and backs at miles 11/12 and 17-21 are a bit monotonous
C. K. from Kalamazoo, MI (1/21/2017) "Loved this marathon!" (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Disney World Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 8th marathon, and first time doing a runDisney event. I was signed up for the Dopey Challenge (5K-10K-Half-Full), but the half was cancelled due to possible lightning on course. Like lots of other runners, I did go ahead and run 13.1 miles at my hotel and it was great fun to see spontaneous spectators, water stops and runners out with their bibs on. Now for the marathon: Positive: You will never run a course with so much entertainment anywhere else. In addition to four theme parks, there are probably a dozen character stops, bands, some areas with good spectators and all sorts of other entertainment on course. Not to mention the many, many people in very fun costumes. The bling - I went home with 6 of the nicest medals (for Dopey) and 5 awesome long sleeve tech shirts. I thought the organization was good for so many runners going through all those theme parks. Tons of porta potties, tons of water/gatorade stops, 2 banana stops, 2 gu stops and a chocolate stop (although weird to get the chocolate with no water for quite a while after). Lots of medical support out on course. Busing to/from resorts was easy albeit early. Corrals reduced crowding and were efficiently released. Definitely submit a proof of time so that you end up in the right one. Also, while we were disappointed that the half was cancelled, I think runDisney was incredibly generous with refunds and trying to get people into the full if they wanted to do that. I can only imagine how difficult the decision to cancel must have been for the organizers. Negative: It's expensive. But honestly, totally worth it. The other runners were great, almost without exception. Yes, there are a ton of walk/run folks on course, but the only time this was really a problem for us was when my partner and I got caught in the pace group right near the castle bottleneck in the Magic Kingdom. There were just SO many walk/runners that we couldn't help but get stuck behind them for awhile. But really, the vast majority were polite and we didn't run into problems with 5-6 abreast as others have mentioned. We left in Corral F, so maybe that helped. Early starts. We actually did fine with this, but we had to be on the buses by 3:30 (and it was the fourth day of early for us) and yes, there is an incredibly long walk from where the buses drop you to the corrals. Over a mile walk, but we just looked at this as a nice warm up. And a welcome one, because it was COLD in 2017 - 30s at the start. We wore throwaway sweats over cold weather running gear and we were fine, but kind of astonished to see people at the start waiting for over an hour in short sleeves or shorts. BRR. The communication is often complained about - I was actually fine with the communication, with one exception. The website said we would be getting frequent emails as the race approached (weekly maybe?) and I wasn't getting any. I started to worry that maybe I wasn't actually registered or something, finally checked in on a discussion board and realized that indeed, it wasn't an issue with me, runDisney just wasn't actually sending emails. The Expo is a total zoo and a ton of walking to get to the check in, etc. We didn't even try to get into the main exhibitor area because the line was easily a quarter to half a mile long (not kidding). Also, we kind of hated the part of the course that goes through Wide World of Sports. Lots of turns, we were tired by then, and my partner and I aren't into sports (except running!). But every marathon course has some parts that aren't great, so not really a huge deal. Overall, this race is just a ton of fun - magical even! I'd definitely rank it among my favorite marathons. I think if we had been serious about a PR instead of doing the Dopey and enjoying the parks with family, I don't think anything would have really prevented going for it. With the corrals, the crowding was no worse than any other major marathon, the course if flat and the cold weather was actually pretty great for running, just not for waiting to run. There are very few marathons I'd consider running twice, but this is definitely one of them.
R. W. from SC (1/19/2017) "Need to fix a few things." (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Disney World Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Disney has the ability to make all of their races really great, but a few changes need to be made that may lower the bottom line of dollars to their coffer. Disney doesn't seem to like this. A place to sit while waiting a really long time for the start would be nice. Sitting on the ground in a parking lot or on few cold metal benches for hours is not very pleasant. Some light snacks and something hot to drink would also be a nice touch. NYC, Boston and many other races do this, so can Disney. Perhaps two bus loading times so that the folks in the later corrals aren't out there doing nothing for hours in the cold. I am just waiting for that day when it pours all morning before the race with no shelter for the participants. If you are in the A-H corrals then load by 4 am. The I-O corrals could have a resort pick up at 4:30. It's a trade off. Get there early and start on time. Get there late and miss the start. No problem you have a chip and a wide open course. You can plan for this before your adventure. Thanks to all the volunteers who make race day possible. You are the best and no race would go on without you. Disney did a great job with their offers to runners after the half was cancelled. Most races offer no refunds and that's that. Disney was more than fair. Even though some runners and some walkers don't always share the road, I'll be back with the understanding that it's a Disney Race and that makes it different than other races. Keep in mind your goals for the weekend and be considerate to all on the course.
S. B. from Austin, Texas (1/12/2017) "Slower Runners Be Forewarned!" (about: 2017) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Disney World Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 GOOD THINGS: Bussing to and from the race, smooth orderly flow of the race, LOTS of water, clean park restrooms, many port a johns, mile markers at each mile, music throughout, characters at intervals, cute goats, a Goofy topiary,retired ride vehicles such as the 20,000 leagues submarines, Christmas decorations, and friendly folks directing/spectating. BAD things: NO FOOD TIL MILE 13. No hot coffee available for purchase though it was 33 degrees and most people in the back had hours and hours to kill before race start. Instructions were to catch a bus at your Disney hotel BEFORE 4 AM to get to the start line. Most races have bananas at the start if the race directors ask you to be there ineffably early we got nada with our 185 entry fee. OK yall, i'm a walker/joggerit's not that we walkers do not know the appropriate etiquette, it's that SOME PARTIES ARE WALKING 6 PEOPLE ABREAST. Doing the hand sign for walking is not adequate. Fast on the left, slow on the right, and hang with your buds within reason. Runners, y'all are just as bad, acting like you deserve to be on the course more than us slower people and elbowing the crud out of us to get to the front. Let's all be mindful of each other and get along, eh? I do lots of trail runsmaybe I have just gotten used to courtesy between participants? Ah yes, the milk of human kindness is a Texas Trail Run : ) Come to Texas y'all! I think all was well except for waiting out in the cold for 2 hours in the corral before starting the race (corrals O and P did not get to get moving until 6:30....). I am a rule-follower and made sure that I was out there early per instructions (which led to mucho calisthenics pre-marathon). You will walk about 2 miles to the race start (I liked this part! Kept warm while moving!) Those trying to PB will not like this. It's Disney. It's pricey. Evaluate your goals for coming (PB? Fun? Family time? Just a race?) ADVICE: 1) If you are a 6:00 marathon walker, and DEFINITELY if you are a fast runner, SUBMIT YOUR PROOF OF TIME!!! BEFORE OCTOBER! 2) You won't be hungry at 2:30 AM, but pack a naner, some gu, and a cup of coffee you won't regret it come 7:00 AM. 3) If you have mad stacks of cash, stay at a 'monorail loop' resort for ease of transport for your family to see ya and for you to quickly get to the race start. The cheapest monorail-access room is a standard view garden room at the contemporary. 4) It is a joy to be able to complete a marathonwhatever the time and whatever you look like. I am thin but i greatly respect heavier participants. All worked hard and accepted the challenge of the marathon. 26.2 is 26.2. I heard some comments about heavier walkers that made me want to pop some narcissists in the mug. You are not a special snowflake. I am not a special snowflake. We are all just a bunch of crapheads living on the same spit of land. Go enjoy the happiest place on earth!
R. M. from NH (1/11/2017) "Magical!" (about: 2017) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Disney World Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 My second time running at Disney, first time for the full. I was registered for Goofy, but the half was cancelled due to lightning (a bummer, but Disney handled communication around the cancellation very well and can't control the weather). The full was great. Logistics were seamless, love the course and entertainment. Weather was abnormally chilly with some strong headwinds and it made the long wait in the corrals kind of sucky, but again, weather is not something that RD can control. I'll be back next year!
P. M. from Chicago, IL (1/10/2017) "Ugh! Disappointing!" (about: 2017) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Disney World Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 First, the positive: running up Main Street toward the Cinderella castle was fabulous. That was about 2 minutes of a long, miserable morning. I had heard Disney was 'magical,' and well-organized. NOT. I understand that the weather was not under their control, but many things about how the race is managed could be improved. Standing in the freezing dark for two hours before the start? A long walk from staging to corrals? Dodging walkers when I had to provide proof of time for corral? Miles and miles of parking lots and service roads? No choice of foods at the finish? No changing tents? The magic is definitely in the marketing. This race is for tourists, not for runners. Few amenities and absolutely no freebies. Very expensive, too! Unless you are a big Disney fan, pick another race!
L. M. from Ottawa, Canada (4/3/2016) "Magical" (about: 2016) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Disney World Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a great destination race! Do not expect a PB, there is just too much to take in - it would be unfortunate to race past everything! The organization is excellentjust as one would expect with Disney. The course is beautiful giving one the opportunity to run through the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and ESPN centre. There are Disney Characters at almost every km (stop to take your picture with your favorites). In Animal Kingdom, even some of the animals had race bibs on! So fun! The music is great. The Toy Story Soldiers commanded you up the hills. Race start and finish lines are filled with positive energy. I would recommend this race to anyone! I will definitely run more Disney races. (My children participated in the Kids Races and they too were well done.) I did the Dopey Challenge (5K, 10K, 1/2 marathon and marathon) and would also recommend that!
J. F. from Berkeley, CA (1/26/2016) "I'm fine with the walkers" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Disney World Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run just over 60 marathons and Disney is my favorite for pure fun, not for pure best time. I am a middle of the packer and I pass a lot of people and a lot of people pass me. If you're in this marathon for a best time or to qualify for another race you made a bad decision. If you're in this race to have a fun vacation marathon you made a good decision. My only complaint is that I find, very oddly, that this marathon has more people that elbow other people than most other very competitive marathons. This is a party marathon. Chill out.

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