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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 221 to 231]
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M. R. from Orlando, FL
(3/8/2009)
"Enjoy the race." (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Disney World Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my fourth Disney Marathon and second Goofy Challenge. I enjoyed this race more than the other three. To those who complain about the route, all marathons have dead zones (other than NYC), and to cover 26 miles, you have to cover many miles between the theme parks. Pros: The expo is better in the larger venue. The volunteers were GREAT. There were multiple medical stations with Bio-Freeze that kept me moving for the marathon. The new medal is great - keep changing the design EVERY YEAR. Keep the GOOFY, as it makes a nice two-day challenge. Food on the course - bananas, oranges, GU, oranges and candy keeps you going on the second half. The full moon over Cinderella's Castle was a great sight. The theme parks in the early morning are wonderful. Cons: There needs to be better food at the finish line. The shirts have been the same for each of the last four years. Change the color, at a minimum. The first three miles are a bit tight with the crowd, but all major marathons have this issue - it helped me slow down at the beginning. See you next year at the 2010 GOOFY. | |
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l. g. from Chicago, il
(2/9/2009)
"Goofy Challenge is a must-do!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my fourth marathon, and by far the most fun! I brought a camera and got pictures with characters along the course. I had so much to look at, and I got 3 medals!!!!!!!!! | |
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C. G. from Phoenix, AZ
(2/5/2009)
"Great, interesting race!" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was amazing! To respond to the negative comments about the course, it's 26.2 miles! There's got to be time spent outside of the parks! All together, you run through parks 5 times, which is better than any other course I've done. The overpasses aren't that bad if you live anywhere with minor climbs. I did the Goofy and enjoyed both courses (half and full). I think the organization was great. There was no wait at Friday night packet pick-up. The expo did run out of a lot of the Goofy Challenge merchandise though, which was disappointing. The volunteers and spectators were fantastic. Besides having more Goofy merchandise, I'd recommend that they change the course to avoid the recycling plant. The smell is kind of gross after you've run 16 miles. Also, it would be neat if the Photopass photographers would be on the course so that runners don't have to bring their own cameras. I would recommend this race to anyone (but be prepared to pay a pretty penny for it!) who is looking for a fun race with lots of excitement. Just don't be disappointed if you don't PR - there are lots of runners and walkers, as well as great distractions to take your mind off of running, both of which make it difficult to secure that PR (but you'll have a blast!). | |
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M. F. from North Carolina
(2/5/2009)
"Honest Feedback for Disney" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Disney World Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Honest Feedback for Disney: First of all, my family loves Disney, and we also love marathoning. This was my tenth marathon, and my third Disney. I obviously like the race, or I would not have come back. That being said, there are some issues that I really hope race organizers will improve on. I know the race sells out every year, so trying to improve things for the runners is not likely to occur, but I do hope they listen. 1) RACE SHIRT - I now proudly own three of the EXACT SAME race shirts from three different years. I understand races want runners to buy race merchandise, but to reuse the exact same design every year is unacceptable (the exception to this was last year, on the 15th anniversary). To spend this much on a race, I should not get the same shirt every year. NO OTHER marathon I know of does this. At least change the color. 2) MEDALS - The Disney Medals are some of the best available. I would probably only list the Medoc Trail Marathon medal as one that is better. What is frustrating is that they again reuse the same medal designs year after year. This year they did redesign the Donald and Mickey, but next year, expect the EXACT same medal. The only difference is the "rocker" on the bottom of the medal will say "2010." Again, no other marathon I know of uses the same medal design for 5+ years at a time. Disney is the most creative company in the world; modify the medal every year... don't just change the year. 3) FOOD - Disney has very poor options for food after the marathon. Runners generally do not want more PowerAde, and sweet foods after a marathon. That is what we have been taking in for the last 3-7 hours. Please at least add salty snacks next year. Bags of pretzels are honestly needed after a race. Runners need to replenish their sodium and pretzels are a quick and cheap way to do this. 4) PREMIUMS - Disney has created a "class system" for runners and spectators. If you pay more money, you can get better food, more bathrooms, a premium seat, even a heated tent. If you don't pay the extra cash, you are short changed with long bathroom lines, big crowds, and poor spectator viewing. I would rather you raise the race fee by five bucks, and find ways to improve things for everybody. 5) SPECTATORS - Seriously... you charge top dollar so spectators can see an amateur sporting event? One of the biggest complaints of Disney is the spectators. Disney's solution: pay a premium, and you can see your family member finish. If you don't pay, enjoy staring at the back of people's heads, trying to look through a fence. This one really irritates me. Don't charge people to be a fan! Other comments: TIME IN PARKS: I know lots of runners complain that most of it is on roads and not in the parks, but this can't change. Do the math: It is 4 miles from Epcot to Magic Kingdom; it is 6 miles to get to Animal Kingdom; it is another 4 miles to get to MGM; and finally, 2 more miles to get in to Epcot. That is 16 miles just getting from park to park. Disney is full of "magic," but not even they can make the parks move closer together on race day. START TIME: People complain about the start time, but Disney does not keep this a secret. You know when you sign up it starts at 5:50 a.m. Disney World is made up of 4 theme parks. They are not going to shut down these parks just for a marathon. This is why you start early. I actually like the early start (but NOT the absurd bus pickup times). | |
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h. u. from usa
(2/4/2009)
"first-time marathoner" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved the whole experience of my first marathon. I was hoping for a time of 4:30, but missed that by an hour. I wasn't used to the warm weather. (Four days before, I was running in eight-degree weather in Michigan.) I'm going back in 2010 to do the Goofy Challenge. | |
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K. W. from Dallas, Texas
(2/3/2009)
"It is the happiest place on earth" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 My second marathon and my first Disney Marathon. It was a great weekend! There are 20,000 runners at the start. That's a lot of runners and it is congested at the beginning. You are not running your run; you are running the run of the thousands of runners in front of you. It is hard running on the cloverleaf ramps, as the road has a noticeable slant. But to run through all four parks was great. Many runners take a camera with them and stop and have their picture taken with the hundred or so Disney characters that are on the route. I did not stop but for many runners this is a huge part of their weekend experience. The prep area opened at 3 a.m. and the race started at 6 a.m. You run the first 90 minutes in the dark. Then, between Epcot and the Magic Kingdom, the sun comes up. Disney has lots of photographers at the special photo spots. I got several good photos of myself while running. The only real bummer was the U-Turn right after mile 20. After 20 miles, the last thing I wanted to do was a U-turn! But it was a great weekend and I highly recommend the run to anyone - especially first-timers. Disney gives 7 hours for people to finish the full marathon. And everyone who finishes gets a really cool Mickey medal. | |
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K. C. from Idaho
(2/2/2009)
"I had a fantastic time!" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I thought it would be overkill to get up and on the bus to the race by 4 a.m., but it turned out that the time was needed, and even allowed for some relaxation at the start. Plus I got to chat with some interesting people. I picked up my packet on Thursday and had no trouble. I was back at the pick up on Friday with my family so my kids could do some of the kids' races (which were wonderful) and it seemed that the pick-up was MUCH more crowded and chaotic. I would recommend picking up the packet early. During the race there are characters all along the course. Each one has a handler. If you bring your camera, they will take your picture with them. I took about 75 pictures on the course and had a blast. Needless to say, I was 35 minutes slower on this one than my first one, but it was worth it. The marathon was on my birthday, and you can get a "Happy Birthday" button from Disney. I wore mine for the race, so everyone was wishing me happy birthday. It was a crowded race, but it was so well organized and supported. I almost felt there was too much water and medical help. I was sloshing by the end of the race. For me, the highlights of this race were running through the parks. There was a lot of road running, but Disney made that interesting with signs and characters. I don't think the roads detracted from the race at all. During the race, I was actually thinking about how I would like to do the Goofy Challenge sometime, and planning out my next marathons. | |
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B. F. from Plano, TX
(1/28/2009)
"A great experience!" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my third marathon and my first Goofy Challenge. The course does spend a lot of time on roads between the parks, but the crowd support and cast member support along the way is so good that I did not get bored at all. The event is perhaps the best organized that I have ever seen - especially given the large number of runners. It is a flat course - even the overpasses are not significant. I ran a PR in the half even with the crowds. A large number of the runners seemed to be first-timers or walkers. If you run under 4 hours, you will experience less congestion. I will do the marathon again - although probably not the Goofy. | |
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J. W. from Chicago, IL
(1/27/2009)
"An AMAZINGLY well executed marathon" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 As with everything Disney does, every detail was perfect. The course covers all of the interesting parts of the parks, and the mile through the Magic Kingdom is one of the most impressive marathon miles I have ever run. The spectators are all over the course (even at 6:00 a.m.), and in the areas where spectators aren't permitted (back stage areas of the parks), they have Disney "cast members" there to cheer you on. I don't know who he was, but there was a guy with a can full of change behind EPCOT cheering us on at 5:50 in the morning, and when I came back for lunch at 1:00, he was still there on course cheering the last few finishers making there way through the last mile. It was great that the employees put in that kind of effort. The course is a little crowded. It's mostly on one-lane roads. If you're running with a pace group, it gets pretty bunched up, and consequently it gets pretty hot. If you run a lot of large marathons, this is nothing different. The course is surprisingly hilly due to the on and off ramps, so be prepared for that. Also, stay at a Disney hotel - getting to and from the start would be a nightmare from an off-site resort. As for the negative comments, most of these folks could have avoided their problems with a few things: Course map (take a look: most of the miles aren't in the park, and doing laps around Cinderella's Castle would be boring anyway), Farmer's Almanac (sunrise the first week of January is 7:20 a.m., it's gonna be dark), and a race schedule (yes, it's early, but no one wants to run at noon in Florida). I loved this race. I highly encourage you to run it and take a few days to enjoy Disney while you're there. | |
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Alan Birdsell from Hesston, KS
(1/24/2009)
"A Magical Voyage" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Disney World Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second WDW Marathon and my first Goofy. I agree with all of the positive comments previously made, and, while the negative comments have some merit, you're in a world of fantasy! Allow yourself to be a kid again. Having taken our kids to WDW when they were young, this was a wonderful trip down memory lane. Running through the parks is well worth the miles in between. The crowds are fantastic. This was my 8th marathon, and it's certainly in my top three. And the Goofy is certainly doable if you put in the training. I'm certainly looking forward to running the Goofy again in two years. All in all, don't pass up this wonderful marathon. (I will agree that the half isn't that great.) |
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