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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 401 to 411]
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M. T. from Indianapolis, IN
(1/18/2007)
"Corral management" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I did the Goofy Challenge this year. In both races, I encountered the same difficulty, which was getting behind bands of walkers that were nearly impossible to get around at times. I know the groups like to stick together, but walking 5 or 6 across in such congested conditions makes the race extremely difficult. With the hot conditions, I could ill afford the extra energy to constantly zigzag around slower participants. I'm not the fastest runner in the world by any stretch, but with PR's of 1:46 in the half and 3:53 in the full, I'm mystified as to how I got put in the same corral with so many walkers. Corral management is one area that could use some work. The parts of the course that went through the parks were simply unforgettable. This alone made it worthwhile. The aid stations were plentiful and well stocked. The volunteers were top-notch. The apple pie Clif-Shot was absolutely horrible though. Yikes!! All in all, a good experience, and I will likely return in 2008 for a second shot at Goofy. | |
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S. S. from New York
(1/18/2007)
"Once is enough!" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 It did not affect me but to those who were slower runners - water stations ran out of water for them! Unbelievable! Also, some half-marathon participants did not get their medals because they were told that there were not any left! The registration has been closed months ahead, so Disney should have been better prepared. Hope they will address such issues next year considering their registration fee is higher than many other marathons. On the postive note, their medals are "cute" and it was fun to see Disney characters cheering for you. | |
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R. M. from LT, NV
(1/18/2007)
"Disney Runs Out Of Aid!" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 3 Disney World Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 Orlando Sentinel ran a story about Disney running out of water at the marathon. I don't think this will happen again for a few years. I am still going to send my comments to Disney about this as I am an RD also and this could be dangerous. I counted 2 aid stations completely gone, 1 without PowerAde, 4 without cups, 1 without gels, and 1 without bananas in miles 10-20. Luckily my wife and I always carry water bottles. Many struggling runners didn't! I love Disney races and will be back for my 3rd Goofy! | |
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D. H. from Pennsylvania
(1/17/2007)
"Had a good 1st Marathon Experience" (about: 2007)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I enjoyed it. I realize I have nothing to compare it to, but felt Disney did a really good job. I expected the long waits early in the morning and the crowded running, and the lack of food/gels till later in the race, because I had read a lot of the reviews here and other sites. I was disappointed with not being able to get gels at the expo, but I did get a free pack of Shot Bloks from the Clif booth, which came in handy during the race. I just pinned them under my shirt (didn't figure out till the night before that my shorts didn't have pockets). The post-race party was dull. We went and stood in line for 30 minutes to get into one of the "clubs" and finally someone came out and said it was full, and to come back in 30 minutes. No thanks; we went to Downtown Disney and got ice cream instead. The volunteers did a great job. The medal was great. I wore it to the parks the next day and a few people commented/congratulated me. All in all, I was not disappointed; I caught the marathon bug, and I'm excited to try some more. | |
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j. l. from Boston
(1/17/2007)
"Fun run - not for serious runners" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Overall, my experience for the entire weekend was good. The parks are fun, the weather was great, the after party at Pleasure Island was a blast, and the organization of the marathon was great. However, the actual marathon and the course is less than par. To start, there are a ton of walkers. That can be frustrating for a runner; having to spend miles, 4 to be exact, weaving in and out of walkers. In addition to the walkers, you go from running on wide open roadways to the narrow sidewalks of the parks, which is fun, but again, frustrating. You literally hit a bottleneck and could find yourself running in place until it clears out. You also spend a lot time running on roadways, a lot of them slanted which is awful for the joints. But in addition, you're running on long stretches of black top with the sun beating down on you...it's hot. And the final indication to me that this marathon was not for the serious runner was when I saw people waiting in line along the side of the course to have a picture taken with a character...this in comparison to a Boston where people would rather pee themself than add one minute to their time. Definitely fun, but a bit frustrating. Very well organized. Good for a first timer. | |
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M. K. from NYC
(1/17/2007)
"Overrated!!!!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 The 2007 Disney World Marathon was a grand spectacle but very overrated. Expo: The expo is moderate, not as big as NYC but better than most mid size races (Philadelphia). There were mainly venders selling running stuff, and Disney selling race souvenirs. Not much in the way of samples or test products or other marathon race information. The shirt is a white long sleeve runner's shirt, not a t-shirt. Check your goody bag for the post race party certificate. Most staff at the resorts did not seem to know much about the marathon weekend events and were not helpful but very friendly; I could not find a pre race pasty party for runners and staffers had no clue. Prerace: Disney wants all the runners to assemble at EPCOT by 4 am. That means getting up by at least 3 am if you are NOT staying at a Disney World resort. If you are staying at a Disney resort you have to take the free Disney bus to the staging area. This by far is the best way to go. Any Disney resort is fine to stay at. I made a 10 day vacation out of this by staying at Pop Century resort. Now being at the staging area 2 hours before a race may seem extreme but it is less time than NYC. The problem with the staging area is it is in a parking lot, the ground is hard and sometimes cold. The worst problem is there is no food and only water after checking your bag. The only food is sold by concession. How can Disney charge $100+ and provide no prerace food. They need to contact NYC officials on how to run a prerace setting. Note to porta potty users, after checking your bag don't go to the first line walk down a bit and there are shorter lines. It only took me 5 minutes of waiting in line. There is a long walk to the starting corrals and officials check your corral number. The start is spectacular with jumbo screens to see the personalities (Disney Characters) and the firework sendoff is inspiring. Goofy challenge: For this challenge you must run the half marathon on Saturday and run the full marathon on Sunday. I believe about 3000 runners participate. Finishing is the key for this, fast times or PRs are not required. Only finish in the required time frame 7 hours for the marathon and 3+ (not sure of the correct time) hours for the half. This challenge is the main reason to run Disney, but plan well in advance and come up with your own strategy for completion. Weather: This year the weather was very hot and humid. The temp at 6 am was about 70 degrees and at least 90% humidity. There was a dense sea of fog at the start and lasted until about 7 am. When the sun came up at about 7:30 am the heat was on. It reached a sunny 85 degrees. Much to warm to run. Course: The race is billed as a run through the Disney World parks but in actually you will spend about only 25% of the race in and around the parks (if you count the back areas of the parks). Most of the race is run on the highways connecting the parks. Running on a highway is very boring and this year with the sunny weather and 85 degrees it made it very difficult. The few runs through the parks were enjoyable and seeing the characters along the route was fun. Bring a disposable camera with you to take pictures of you and the characters, but expect a few waiting lines (there are always lines at Disney). I read a few articles (Orlando Sentimental) that some water stations ran out of water; I personally did not encounter this. There was also orange, banana, gels and chocolate station on the back half of the race. The volunteers and the Disney staff are great and deserve the greatest cheer, they make the race enjoyable Post Race: The post race staging area and family reunion area was good. After finishing you receive the Mylar blanket, chip removal, medical tent and the Finishers Medal. The finisher's medal is one of the most spectacular in the world, well worth it. If you are brave enough to run the Goofy Challenge you receive 3 medals in total. Food is adequate including oranges, bananas, cakes, protein bar samples (Cliff is a sponsor) water bottles, PowerAde bottles (sponsor). There was no bread or bagels after the race; this is the first race I have ever run in that did not have bagels or local breads. The baggage area and family reunion was smooth and I found my family easily. There were more pictures taking area with Mickey and Minnie Mouse and the customary Finishers Photo. Disney also provides a post race party at Downtown Disney clubs for free ($22 value) and half off for quests (some marathoners give away there tickets, so you can obtain a free pass for your guest) Conclusion: The best parts of the Disney Marathon is the world class finisher's medal and the Goofy Challenge (if you are up to it). It worth while to run it once and plan a vacation around the race. For the high entrance fee there could have been much more to offer to the runners, One of my fellow runners seemed to put it best "Disney is all about the mighty buck" | |
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K. D. from DC Suburbia
(1/17/2007)
"Good marathon for first-timers" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon after a year of weekend 5, 8, and 10Ks locally, one 1/2 marathon and one ten-miler. Other than that, I trained not at all. As people management is a Disney specialty, and hearing that this was a good first marathon, my expectations were high. Read everything organizers sent me regarding course so I knew most of course was between parks, not in them. I enjoyed the course within the parks: Magic Kingdom was nice in being able to run thru the castle (whereas tourists could not). Animal Kingdom was a waste; if it wasn't for the few small animals being held by staff along the route, you'd never know you were even in an 'animal' park. Epcot is my favorite park but by the end of the race, my mind was focused only on finishing. The volunteers were very helpful and were very good at keeping tourists from crossing the course in front of participants (though a baby carriage almost clipped my heals once). Water/food: I didn't carry any of my own as the course map seemed to show plenty of water stations. I didn't pass any water stations that were out of water but one was out of cups. I saw no food until the last 5 miles and it was only in the form of a small chocalate bar. There was one fruit station earlier that had bananas and oranges or tangerines. I had a banana but I don't consider an orange to be food. Unfortunately the pacer passed me in the last mile but I was just happy that I was close to the finish. There have been many comments on the weather being very hot. I didn't find it terribly uncomfortable during any part of the race. The humidity wasn't a factor as much as unshaded sun while on the highway asphalt. Guess it all depends on what you're used to where you live. I have no idea what other marathon environments are like but enjoyed the Disney location overall. My objective was to complete a marathon and I did, and I think this marathon was a good experience and the best place for my first. | |
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S. J. from Bloomington, Illinois
(1/17/2007)
"Plan to spend some money...it's Disney!" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Disneyworld is an interesting place but expensive. Walkers/slower runners clog up the road for 2 to 3 miles at the start so if this is your first marathon, lie about what you think your finish time will be to get closer to the front. Why can't walkers stay to the right? If someone is trying to watch you along the way, pick one spot like Main Street USA/left side. They won't be able to use monorail to keep up (big crowds doing the same thing.) This positive experience helped me get hooked on marathoning. Getting ready for more! | |
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O. J. from Portland, Oregon
(1/16/2007)
"Let me know when you find the perfect marathon!" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I have been reading the comments and wonder: If you didn't like the early start, would you have rather started at 8 and finished after noon when it was really hot? Don't sign up for Honolulu because it has a 5 a.m. start! How much sleep do you usually get the night before a marathon anyway? I've done 15 and I know for me it's not much, regardless of when the wake-up call is. If you don't like waiting around for a couple of hours before the start, don't ever do NYC or Boston. If you don't carry your own water, I hope you weren't at the first Rock 'n Roll San Diego or Reno last year where they ran out - it's also happend at LA. If you don't like a long walk after the race, once again, don't do NYC; and if you don't like the long walk before the race, stay away from Marine Corps. And if you don't like long stretches without spectators, avoid most small marathons and even some large ones like the Mayor's Midnight in Anchorage and St. George. Less-than-perfect expos? Victoria, BC was so small I almost walked past it, but it was a great marathon. Pacific Shoreline is a fun race, but the parking is a mess. In other words, when you find the perfect marathon, please let the rest of us know - but if you wait for the perfect race, you're going to miss a lot of good ones. | |
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J. M. from Orlando, FL
(1/16/2007)
"Carry your own water?" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Disney World Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 There is no excuse for running out of water. Disney prides itself on its organization. It should have had people bringing additional supplies to the stops when they were low. I can't believe someone would even suggest that it's our fault we didn't carry our own water. It was planned and expected that they would have it. Comparable to if you were training and someone swiped your hidden water bottle, or the drinking fountain was not working where it always is. No excuse! |
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