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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 481 to 491]
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M. S. from Florida
(1/8/2007)
"Poor organization, so-so course, great crowds" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This is a much-talked-about race, but generally a disappointment. The expo is crammed into too small a space. The official clothing is unexciting to downright ugly. Of all races, one would think that Disney would have the coolest designs and logo. It turns out that running through Disney is about 3 miles through the theme parks and 23 miles of entrance roads. Oh, I forgot there is a good look at many of the dumpsters behind the scenes. I am a back-of-the-packer who lives in Florida. The prediction was for warm weather at least 5 days in advance, yet they ran out of water and PowerAde at miles 17, 18, and 19. A very dangerous thing on a hot day. Thank heavens for the Leukemia and Lymphoma support groups who were willing to share their groups resources. The Disney staff and crowds were very encouraging. The medal is fabulous. Look for another race with a nice medal instead. | |
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K. B. from Orlando, Florida
(1/8/2007)
"AWESOME fans, but how can Disney run out of water?" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my very first marathon.... I live in the Orlando area so I knew that it was gonna be SUPER hot and had been training in Florida weather. I felt prepared and was excited to achieve this major goal. What I was not prepared for was for the first food stop (bananas were promised) to run out of food... and to have the following stop out of Clif Shots as well! And then two water stops out of water or cups??? Are you kidding me? I was shocked by Disney's lack of planning.... Luckily, I had a couple of gels on me and there were some spectators with bags of oranges and candy. Overall, it was fun and I had an awesome time! I finished, which was my goal, but my goodness - shame on Disney for not taking better care of their runners!! | |
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L. C. from Miami
(1/8/2007)
"Horrible route" (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This is my second marathon, my first being Chicago, so maybe I do not have enough experience to make a fair comparison. However, the Disney route was awful. I understand there were 32,000 people running this race, yet Disney had us on one side of two-lane streets. For most of the race you are running in a very tight pack. At one point the only thing separating you from the cars are caution cones. For much of the race you are sucking in car exhaust with every breath. The walk to the start was another sore point with me and the loading into various corrals was not necessary. Other than special corrals for the elite runners, why does Disney need to break up the average runners into numerous sections. Forget about your family trying to follow you around. My friends had to buy tickets to MGM to get to see me. Disney is all about the money and not about the sport. This was evident the whole weekend. The medal was the best thing about the race. I got mine but will never run this race again. | |
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C. S. from Nashville, TN
(1/8/2007)
"Fun race if you are prepared" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Marathon 6 for me... and I agree with the comments so far: 1) Amazing experience running through the parks. Wonderful Disney staff and volunteers along the way. I met a staff member who came out at 5:30 a.m. and was still working in the Magic Kindgom at 7 p.m. The long stretches between parks were pretty empty. Surely there are some bands and cheerleading groups. Seeing behind the scenes of Disney is cool... although not well lit at times, causing people to fall early in the race! 2) Too hot... though not Disney's fault. Not enough supplies, though, which is inexcuseable and medically irresponsible. 3) Expo was disappointing. Can't buy gels at an expo? Come on! 4) Transportation/signs at the end of the race were a big problem. Disney staff didn't know where buses were back to resorts and some even said they were not running. There should be large signs pointing runners from the race finish in a direction out of Epcot. CONCLUSION: I survived the race based on the inspiration of Disney magic and being well prepared from having run 5 previous marathons. I am concerned for first-time runners and fun runners (who this race attracts) because the heat plus the exit ramps plus the lack of supplies and organizational problems really take away from some of the magic this race has to offer. | |
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Jenna S. from Gainesville, FL
(1/8/2007)
"Fun course but no water on an 80-degree day?" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon. I've run shorter runs such as 5 and 10K's and thought I'd give a marathon a try. Disney was a fun course with lots of entertainment and music along the way. Flat course and the Disney employees were energetic and supportive, always cheering us on. However, my only complaint (and this is a big one) is that back-of-the-pack runners like myself were without water from about miles 15-20 because they ran out on an 80+ degree day! Gels were given out at mile 19 but there was no water or anything to wash it down. The only good thing to come of this was the camaraderie between runners. Those people running with their own Gatorade and water were sharing. Brutally hot and nothing to drink. Disney should be ashamed. When I crossed the finish line after most other runners were long finished, there was plenty of Gatorade and water at the finish. Couldn't some of that have been taken to the course to replenish the water stops? Disney needs to prepare for this and be sure that back-of-the-packers have supplies. After all, we paid the same amount as the faster runners and were out in the heat longer. Tough. Aside from that big goof-up, the race was fun. | |
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S. N. from Florida Keys
(1/8/2007)
"It sounded like a good idea, but never again!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I am a frequent visitor to Disney World. It is a favorite of my husband's, so I thought this marathon would combine two of our favorite things. Good plan; bad outcome. While I rate the volunteers and cast members on the course 5 stars, the Disney organization gets 1 star on this event. My experience was bad from reservation to finish line. My reservation took 40 minutes; my questions could not be answered by phone or email; my deposit information was never recorded, nor my requirement for a non-smoking room. I was assigned a smoking room and was initially told that my room could not be changed. The marathon is a sports department activity and is not embraced or understood by the whole Disney World organization, either because of poor communication or indifference. In NYC, everyone from taxi driver to the hotel staff is excited about the marathon and treats participants like they are special guests. At Disney, no recognition existed unless it was bought in a VIP package. (What would it hurt for medal wearing visitors to get an automatic Fastpass for exhibits on Marathon Day? We pay full admission to hobble around half the day! Why not block sections of rooms in each hotel for participants who need to go to sleep early and wake at 2:00 a.m.?) Lastly, my husband and I could not meet at the finish because he did not know how to get to the "reunion" area after paying admission to Epcot to cheer for me on the course. (Unlike NYC, no spectators' guide was provided in the information package.) I was not allowed to return to the finish line area (also not mentioned); he was not allowed through that area; and no volunteer could tell him how to get from A to B. As a result, I finished a tough race and had to stumble to a bus alone to return to my room - no "magical" congratulatory hug. I agree with every other negative comment posted so far and find the treatment of the volunteers really shocking. I would also add that the route was dark in places traveled before dawn, too tight in places in order to allow for traffic and lined with hazardous traffic cones, and only about 5.5 miles of the 26.2 are in the parks, leaving a lot of long, shadeless, humid stretches on those connector roads where spectators are sparse because of security restrictions. The stretch between mile 19 and 22 should be streamlined and more distance in the parks added. The runs through the parks were great, albeit brief. The volunteers and cast members, especially along the long, hot, empty stretches, were awesome. I may return to Disney as a guest; I will run more marathons; I will never combine the two again. (Final note to Disney: I spent about $1,000 without the VIP package. I should have had a more "magical" experience!) | |
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C. L. from Cleveland, Ohio
(1/8/2007)
"THIS IS A HOLD UP! GIVE ME YOUR MONEY!" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 Wow! This was my fourth marathon and by far the biggest and most disappointing. I can't believe how money-oriented this race was! If you're looking to get the states in, go somewhere else! Pros: 1. The actual start was VERY cool, with the national anthem and fireworks. 2. Course itself was pretty neat, with very enthusiastic spectators. 3. The medal(s). Cons (this could take awhile but I'll keep it short): 1. Expo was VERY poor for something this big - very few deals, charging $5 for a 5-minute massage, no gels, etc. 2. At the finish, they charged $1 for a massage (yes I know it's not much, but how many races include it in their price?). 3. Food afterwards was pathetic for a race this big - bananas, Clif Bars, oranges and drinks. Although they did have one concession stand once you've gone through the tents where you could get more food - for a fee, of course! 4. You had a 1/2-hour walk to the start! (couldn't they use the trolleys or have the start right there?). 5. The post-race party was not as advertised. Party was said to start at 7 o'clock (after the awards); the clubs were closed until 9 p.m.! 5. Spectators who wanted to watch in the parks were CHARGED ($70 or so) despite the parks not opening until 10 a.m.! 6. For the entry price we got NO discounts to the parks! 7. Coverage of the race was terrible (Orlando Sentinel had 1 page... in which I then read that there was no prize money, which equals more money for Disney!!) . Someone once told me that small races are where it's at. I had no clue what they were talking about - until now! | |
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P. S. from Sarasota, Florida
(1/8/2007)
"It's Disney Making Money" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Disney World Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I have run the Disney Half-Marathon for the past four years and enjoy the experience. My complaint is that for one of (if not the) most expensive races in the country, they skimp on amenities. The tech shirt is nice, but they did not change it for 2007. The only difference between the 2006 and 2007 shirts is the date and sponsor information. Also, the medal ribbon - in the past there have been different designs, but this year they just changed the background color from blue to red. For the amount of money you pay, it seems like Disney could hire a graphic designer to do a different design every year. I will probably run Disney next year because I like to make a weekend out of it and I hope I will not have three identical shirts next year. | |
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G. L. from State College, PA
(1/8/2007)
"Great spectators and setting!" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It was a warm one but there were plenty of water and PowerAde stops. I feel for those farther back if some water stops went dry. The spectators, characters, DJs and bands were great and helped keep my pace up. I had a great time. Thanks. | |
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T. S. from Houston
(1/8/2007)
"Where were the fans?" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I was sad to see that there were so few fans. There were fans there - just not everywhere. In Houston, there is someone cheering you on THE WHOLE TIME. As for the expo... it was not what I expected; I wish there was more sale merchandise and maybe more variety on the sports bars/drinks. I will not run this one again, but I will say that this race had a cool medal! |
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