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Apr 29, 2024

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 21 to 31]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 82 > ]

Ray Willard from South Carolina (1/21/2016) "Ran from the end." (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Disney World Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Had a Disney race time for coral E, but was placed in the last coral P with no changes allowed at the Expo. Impossible to run with so many walkers and very slow runners. I am not a running snob and have had to walk a marathon before because of injuries, but I know how to do this without making it more difficult for those really running. Not all the folks at Disney know the etiquette for doing this. I was doing 'Goofy' so I had to endure this for two races. It's time for a race time for all people and if not verified before race time a way to correct it before the gun goes off.
D. B. from USA (1/20/2016) "Incredible!" (about: 2016) 2 previous marathons \| 2 Disney World Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As I said about the, 'Goofy,' last year, this year's Dopey was incredible! I'm sorry you marathon snobs didn't enjoy it. It's DISNEY! It's not New York or Boston. I'm sure everyone got the same pre-race info as I did so, why were you surprised about anything? The crowds, the walkers, the course, the start times, the corals, the pacing requirements, or anything like that? It's DISNEY! I don't necessarily like all of the course, or the Expo, or lack of porta potties, or a few other things but I knew exactly what doing a Disney event was about going into it. If you don't like doing both things at the same time, then go run a marathon somewhere else then visit WDW on a non-race weekend.
D. L. from TEXAS (1/18/2016) "A fun experience" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Disney World Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The course was good and bad. The park routes were enjoyable, but many boring street miles running in between the parks. The organization was right up there with some of the best I've experienced. I hoped/expected for slightly cooler temps in January...be warned, it might be warm & muggy...which is was this particular year.
Miles Will from Beaufort Sc (1/18/2016) "A MUST DO (IF YOU CAN HANDLE CROWDS)" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Disney World Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Disney, as they seem to do in all areas, knocks it out of the park when it comes to the rundisney experience. Early wake up but Disney makes it smooth and easy. Free transportation (if you stay at a Disney resort), large pre-race gathering area with endless porta johns, Corrals were well organized and spread out also with lots of porta johns, each corral gets their own fireworks display as they take off with a DJ shouting encouragement, parks were so much fun to run through, outside of the parks its a little dull but with all the spectators and random DJs set up on the highways it goes by quickly, MORE than sufficient water/aid stations, 3 or 4 energy gel stations, Disney characters lining the roads encouraging you and taking pictures and a really fun finish line packed with people pumping you up. Just a really fun, well organized , and entertaining race. Do be aware though most of the field is made up of the 5-7 hour marathoners. Run a Marathon well before this one so you can submit it to Disney and get into one of the earlier corrals. It will save you a lot of grief dodging the walkers and slower runners. I would recommend this to first timers and pros alike.
R. A. from Boston, Mass. (1/15/2016) "Walkers DREAM Marathon" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Disney World Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Very disappointed, did this marathon 10 times, got in late this year so they put me in last chute # 16 !!! Saw all the, 'Runners' They were Huge!!! Worked my way up to #6 but still was bad. Disney wants this marathon to be for slow people & walkers. If you don't get in the first 3 chutes & you are a serious Runner don't even think about doing this you will be fighting people for miles! The Volunteers are GREAT, plenty of water & ERG. The Course is Fine. But the slow runners will kill you.
M. W. from London, England (1/12/2016) "AMAZING MAGICAL EXPERIENCE" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Disney World Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 31st marathon and I must say the best by far.. the organisation was amazing! at the start each corral got fireworks to send them off, running through the Magic Kingdom in the dark was an experience, especially seeing the Castle all lit up and running through it with Snow White on the balcony was incredible. There was a lot of running on the road between parks but going through them more than made up for it! Around the course was plenty of entertainment, you could stop and have your pic taken with your Disney favorite, you could even go on a roller-coaster.. The only downside for me - was nothing to do with the organisation or the course - but the weather! It was incredibly humid on the morning, about 95% when we started, and I really did struggle to breathe at times and my legs felt like lead! But I did it and it was still enjoyable.. I'd definitely do it again. but being from the UK.. it will take me a few years to save up to come back.. yes it's expensive.. but it's worth every penny!
C. R. from Spearfish, SD (1/11/2016) "First ever big-ever race and loved it!" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Disney World Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The 2016 Disney Marathon was my first ever 'big' race. I had done six previous marathons but they were all in the 300-450 runner range. The biggest race I had done was a 2,000 person half-marathon so moving up to the 20,000+ runner field at Disney was a big jump. My entry time (1:22 half marathon from summer 2015) placed me among the top 350 runners in corral A so crowding was never really an issue, although I'm sure it is for those further back. If you want to be able to run competitively you MUST enter a half or full time to get a better corral starting position or you will be placed in the back. My personal goal was to get a PR (current was 3:18) and to enjoy the atmosphere. The expo was great - I got to meet Bart Yasso of Runner's World and he was fantastic! The technical long sleeve t-shirt is very solid (champion brand) as it should be for the $$ these races cost. The course was fun. Of course running through each of the four main Disney parks were big highlights but I also enjoyed the sports complex, especially running the perimeter of the baseball field and the 3/4 lap on the track. I was surprised by how much of the race was run on empty dark roads (sun wont come up until at least 90 minutes after the start) but running towards the front and not in much of a crowd made these parts of the course very peaceful. I come from a higher elevation with cooler winter temps (my hometown was -12 degrees on race day) so the relative flatness of the course was nice; although there still are a few hills, mostly on and off-ramps. The temperature was not bad but the humidity was a killer! Nothing to do about that though; this is Florida after all. I thought the whole event was fun and well organized and best of all the volunteers and cast members situated all along the course were AMAZING and so gracious and full of energy. This is truly a destination race. Yes you will spend more $$ than you want, but what a memorable experience. I will definitely return to try a Goofy or Dopey challenge. Oh, and despite the humid weather I did PR by over 4 minutes!! :)
M. D. from Canada (1/11/2016) "Not a good Marathon!" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Disney World Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I am just finishing the Disney Marathon today and I am very disappointed about this event. I realize now that it is just a big money game. From the time that I registered on line for this event, several months ago, I have been receiving weekly emails from the Disney organization asking me if I wanted to buy more of their packages, hotel venues, tours, souvenirs, etc.... At the end I got convinced into buying their ' Race Retreat package' . It is a package where you have to pay about $200 usd to benefit from being under a controlled temperature tent with continental breakfast before the marathon. What a disaster..... The marathon starts at 5:30 am and the ' tent' closes at 5 am. Before you have the chance to get there you have to go to security lines, etc...which barely gives you a chance to enjoy that retreat. Anyways, I am going to stop here because it sounds like I am bitching. I am not. The reality is that you have to be there at 3 am in a corral standing up, sometimes in the cold and rain, before your marathon starts. And depending on your corral placement you may not start before 6 am. People were exhausted before we even start. We looked liked cows in the pasture. Some if us were jumping the corral barrier to go to the bathrooms as the wait was so long before your race starts. And Not enough portable toilets!.... When it finally starts, you realized that most of the run is on the highways in between the 'Kingdoms' and it is hilly at times, not that many spectators, very boring and people elbowing a lot. Every body talks about the Disney experience, and 'Have a Magical Day' and on how runners have to be patient while some of us are taking pictures, etc... I am very sorry, but the long time while we were running on those boring interstate Florida highways under 85% humidity there was nothing to be photographed and people were still elbowing and disrespecting each other, even when it was pitch dark at 6 and 7 am....... Overall, highly overrated! I will never do it again! The only time that I loved being in that marathon is when we were finally able to see the very few smiling fans along the road, sometimes the children, waiting for a 'high five' touch from us runners. That to me was better than any Disney Character, better than any medal, because it was sincere and it was real! On a final note. A big organization like Disney should not dilute their Powerade beverage. It is very disrespectful to runners and even dangerous for our health! Please!
B. D. from Hartford, CT (8/7/2015) "What a GREAT place for a First Marathon!!!" (about: 2015) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Disney World Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I am so glad I picked Disney to run my first marathon! This event is a must-do for anybody, especially any first-time marathoner, especially with a very generous 7 hours time limit. Some complain of the price. Let's face it - anything Disney is pricey. You get what you pay for. Everything Disney does is immaculate and the event is no exception. You are going for the EXPERIENCE. Starting a marathon with 25,000 other runners is absolutely ELECTRIFYING! Plus each corral gets their own starting fireworks! I started in Corral J, and I had absolutely NO problem with people with bad etiquette. Yes, there were some pinch points (Main Street in Magic Kingdom, some of the water stops, some of the popular character stops), but rather than trying to speed through these places, just slow down, go with the flow, and ENJOY the moment! The crowd that was 10-deep at 6:30am at Main Street in Magic Kingdom was surreal. Running through Cinderella's Castle when it was lit up was breathtaking. The lap on the NASCAR track with all of the old cars out there was pretty cool! The dreaded waste water treatment plant was not as bad as everybody makes it out to be. Just KEEP RUNNING! You will be past it in short order. Running through the ESPN complex was perfect - we are all athletes after all. The lap on the track was VERY fitting! I felt like I was back in training doing 400m repeats! Running a lap in the baseball stadium was pretty cool too with all of the people cheering. There were people playing soccer on one of the fields at ESPN. One of their kicks went wide and rolled over to where we were running. I retrieved the ball and took a corner kick!! The mini-candy bars at mile 23 are a nice sugar boost after downing so much Gu. Hollywood Studios was open to the public when I got there, and crowd support was phenomenal! I stopped for a picture of Mickey's hat. Several people in the crowd offered to take my picture. Mile 24.5 was nice with all the people at the Yacht Club cheering us on. And of course Mile 25-26.2 through Epcot was nothing but cheering people. Where else in the world can you ride a roller coaster in the middle of a marathon and buy a giant turkey leg for more energy in the last mile of the race? (Answer: The Walt Disney World marathon!!!) Prior to this race, I have never received any type of medal for a 5k or 10k. Disney leaves nobody out. The medals are first-class, even the rubber one you get for the 5k. I ran the 5k / 10k / Full marathon. I will be doing Dopey in 2016. You might not PR, but this event is first-class all the way around. A good marathon? How about unforgettably ABSOLUTELY AWESOME experience!
S. S. from Minneapolis, MN (5/14/2015) "Most Fun You'll Ever Have Running a Marathon" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Disney World Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I have run the Goofy Challenge the past two years. Although training in the winter has proven to be difficult, I love being able to set aside a marathon specifically to enjoy the sport of running. Where else would a 5-hour marathon time be above average finishing times? I look forward to this event each year simply because this is a fun run, and not at all pressured to turn out a quick time. The registration process is the hardest part, along with the dreaded 3am wake-up time 2 days in a row. The expo is grand, and getting to the race is easy. Props to RunDisney for orchestrating all of the transportation over the weekend- no easy feat for a race weekend of this magnitude. The course itself is only ok. Much of the pavement is concrete, and the angled embankments are a little tough on the legs in the later miles. However, running through the parks is incredible and makes up for the freeways that are the other miles. If you can get through mile 22, the last 4 are 'easy' because there is so much to see in the last 2 parks. Since the course doesn't have a lot of opportunity for spectators other than the parts/resorts, this can be tough if you are reliant on cheering fans. But there are plenty at the end to get you through. Medals are FANTASTIC. I also want to comment on the space blankets. They ARE available. You just have to seek them out. I am a big proponent of massages after the Goofy miles, so this is where I have gotten my space blankets the past 2 years. I will be back for 2016! I love this event and how its truly just for the love of the sport and Disney :)

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