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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 811 to 818]
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Jim Berbee from Madison, WI
(1/2/2001)
 "A great time." (General Comments)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Don't miss this race, it's a gas. This will be the third year I've run Disney; I also plan the family vacation around the event. The first half is fun - travel through EPCOT and The Magic Kingdom with the thrill of feeling good. The second half is tougher with many access roads and boring 4 lane highways. From the exit of Animal Kingdom through the entrace to MGM, be prepared to gut it out. Good news is that after that the last 3 miles are visually busy with OK crowd support. Best part is the Disney characters, especially Cruella D'Ville who, in character, yells at you for keeping her waiting so long. This is not a very competitive marathon; there are many slow runners so be prepared for a mess at the start. It's a much calmer event than Chicago or Boston. | |
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A Runner from Florida,U.S.A.
(11/28/2000)
 "A great tradition" (General Comments)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run disney 4 times and 2001 will be 5. Yes at time the course becomes a little boring, but that all seems to be at the early miles. Yes it is an early start, but running in florida is. All your long training runs start at 5 or 6a.m. The sun will melt you otherwise. The course is considered flat, but some tunnels and ramps let you know in the legs it's not so flat. When you enter the fan area's, it's like entering Olympic stadium. This is a must marathon. The only problem that I have ever had is the three steps getting on the bus for the ride back to the start. | |
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A Runner from Goose Creek South Carolina
(11/11/2000)
 "have run Disney 7 times" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This marathon is always fun. Lots to see and do as only Disney can put on. The characters, sights and atmosphere are fantastic. Course is flat and fast and a great one for first timers. | |
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A Runner from Columbus, Georgia
(9/18/2000)
"Good course for runners not requiring crowd suppor" (about: 2000)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Start is early but it helps lessen the effects of the warmer temps that will break through after about 3 hours. The starting temperatures are very cool for the first couple hours which makes for good times. Only real grades come in the form of exit/entry ramps on the major highways that connect the vast Disney complex. The overall route was good but the loop to and from the Sports Complex was mentally taxing. Crowd support was very sparse on the highway route but good once you were in the different theme parks. You will spend a very small portion of your time in the theme parks. The staging along with the use of ChampionChip chip timing gave everyone very accurate times. This is extremely important for back of the pack runners that may cross the start line long after the starting gun fires. Aid stations are located about every 2 miles up to the half marathon distance and every mile from that point to the finish. Very good support from the Disney employees that are working at each theme park. Sometimes they make up the majority of spectators at some of the less visited theme parks, especially early in the morning. This is a very well staged race but don't depend on crowd support to carry you. Scenery/sighseeing for the mid pace runners is limited mainly to the theme parks, which you run through a small portion of the actual run. This is a very good marathon for those runners that do not require crowd support to carry them to the finish. | |
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A Runner from Lake Villa, Ill
(7/18/2000)
 "Disappointed in Disney" (General Comments)
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I agree with the guy from Wheaton. Not only are the access roads boring, they are heavily banked and hard on the legs. And the long walk to the start really was a drag. Nevertheless, I'll be running it again in 01. At least every other Disney thing is top notch. At least I get to run in the warmth in January. (relative warmth-compared to Chicago) | |
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Charles Wait from Houston, TX
(6/2/2000)
"Fun race, especially for the first-timer..." (about: 2000)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Yes, you have to leave your room @ 3:30-4:00 to make the 6:00 start, but who sleeps well before a race anyway. It?s a fun race that moves through the 4 WDW parks. The course is flat and smooth on asphalt roads between the parks and concrete in and around the parks. The course and theme are revised annually but the course generally proceeds from Epcot to the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Wide World of Sports, MGM and back through Epcot. There are areas where the crowds are thin outside the parks so beware of the emotional let down in those areas. Disney does provide music and volunteers in these areas so it?s not really all that bad. The course stays open for 7 hours making it a great race for the first-timer and for run/walkers. The organization is excellent (It?s Disney, the experts in organizing crowds) and as a result food and water (about every mile) are plentiful along the course. Clocks are also located at every mile along the course. As with most southern/winter races the weather is unpredictable so pack for the extremes. Temperatures can range from below 30 to above 75 with high humidity. (Year 2000 started at 56F in the fog and increased to 78F for the end of the race). The Expo was rather small considering the size and magnitude of the event. The speakers at the Expo were good! I stayed on-site and the transportation to and from the Expo and Race was good. My wife did have a few logistics problems with race day transportation after the race started. A car may have helped. I plan my year around making this race. It makes a great family vacation and where else can big kids run a race and high-five Mickey and the same time! | |
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Darren Lange from Wheaton, IL
(5/27/2000)
 "Not so magical" (about: 1999)
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 First you have to get to the race at 4:00 am, then walk a mile to the start at 5:00 am, then finally start the race at 6:00 am. How much can one wait around? 90% of the course is on desolate access roads throughout the Disney grounds. Yes, it is fun to run a couple minutes through the theme parks and it is organized well. However, there are no fans to cheer you on except for paid Disney employees. I'd recommend running a marathon in a real city like Chicago. | |
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A Runner from Colorado springs
(5/16/2000)
 "Fun, but starts way to early." (General Comments)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This is a fun marathon, but it starts at 4:00 am my time. That makes it hard to run fast. There aren't many spectators because they have to pay to get into the parks. In addtion, the route takes the runners through the back of the parks more then the front. I think I know all about the inner workings of the theme parks. There was very little food at the finish, but the family meeting areas are well marked. The volunteers are terrific. They do thier jobs with smiles and cheers. It's worth doing for a fun marathon. |
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