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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 581 to 591]
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Courtney Ann Miller from USA
(3/29/2005)
"Very Memorable!!!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I couldn't have picked a better one. The organization of this marathon is like nothing I have seen...there was enough post-race food, water stations, Gatorade, everything was plentiful. Yes, you get up REALLY early, but it is worth it. Running the first 7 miles in the dark was the best 'night run' that I have had!! What I would change: Put the walkers IN THE BACK!!! I know everyone is walking/running for a cause, but holding hands when you are walking really, really slowly makes runners REALLY, really mad. We had very slow first miles; embarrassingly slow!! They should oragnize the walkers better. | |
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B. H. from Chicago
(2/8/2005)
"Fun way to spend a vacation" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I would have to say that the marathon was a great one. Forget what others say about the getting up early; yes, it is early, but who sleeps the night before a marathon anyway? The temp was warm this year, which made waiting at the start good, but the finish bad. The medals are awesome. For anyone who is a Disney buff, then the course is cool, because you get to go places normal people do not go. I would highly recommend it to anyone. I live in Chicago and run the marathon here. It does not compare in size but makes up for it in character. I will definitely be back next year. | |
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C. S. from Wausau, Wisconsin
(2/7/2005)
"Overall a fun race to do at least once " (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 More sponges! Given Disney's efficiency at everything else, I was surprised they ran out of the correct size t-shirts and as of 4 weeks post-race, have not yet received one in the mail as promised. Disappointed the 10K, half-marathon and 20K chip splits are not posted anywhere. Need some more visual/audio stimulation during those long road stretches that aren't in any of the parks - other courses at least have some scenery to offer. Can't beat the experiences running through the parks though! Great seeing the Disney characters. Would rather see a post-race (Sunday afternoon) admittance to one of the parks than to Pleasure Island. No post-race runners' questionnaire. | |
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B. R. from Charlotte
(2/6/2005)
"Pretty good, but not 'magical'" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The bad: It was MUCH warmer than expected (status quo for Orlando this time of year, you never know how it will be), mile 18-21 was BRUTAL (not too many spectators, no shade, and very boring), you run through some odd areas of Disney (the sewage treatment plant was a surprise), and having to catch a shuttle at 3 am was a little ridiculous. Now the good: The organization was PHENOMENAL. Disney puts on a good show, the crowds were great (except mile 18-21), it's Disney World for goodness sake. There is nothing like running through Epcot when it's still dark and all the lights are on. Very cool. | |
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karl shifflett from Charlotte, NC
(2/4/2005)
"Great Marathon - Problems with Disney Resort" (General Comments)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Disney Marathon was awesome. Will be there next year (2006) for sure. We had a bad experience staying at the Caribbean Resort. We checked in at 3:00pm, but were told our room would not be ready until 5:00pm. We had made reservations for a non-smoking, king room and got a smoking room with two double beds and a REAL small TV. Our room had to be prepaid and was $166.00 per night. Needless to say, we were not happy. Also, there were other families that got put through this same non-sense. I wrote Disney and a month later they called me back. They told me they would send me a $17.00 check to cover the difference between a king and two double beds. As far as the smoking room went, they do not guarantee a non-smoking room. The rest of the world does not have this problem, just expensive Disney resorts. Suggest you stay off property and just drive in early to avoid the lines of traffic at 4:00am. I?ll come in next year at 3:15am and there should not be any lines at all. Also, since the 1/2 marathon is taking place on Saturday, there should be a lot less traffic on Sunday morning. Have a great day, Karl | |
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A. M. from NEW YORK CITY
(2/3/2005)
"It's like a root canal" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Think about it: Who is getting up at 5 AM to cheer a bunch of runners? The begining of the course (3-5 miles) repeats itself. So around the first 3-5 mile mark you essentially see where you began, which is a bummer at that time of the morning. The only time you see any crowds is near the end. The race course takes you through some wacky areas behind buildings and through maintenance areas. For my fellow New Yorkers who ran the Long Island Marathon it is a little better but not much. On a good note: Water and power gel stations are plentiful, and Bio Freeze rubdowns and portable potties are well supplied. THE MEDAL IS COOL. But don't be a GEEK and wear it all day and all week at the park. | |
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L. W. from Baltimore MD
(1/31/2005)
"Disney does address the faults but...." (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Disney World Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 They add new ones each year. There was more entertainment on the course than last year but they still need something on the boring stretch from 18-21, the t-shirts are far better than the cheap cotton ones from last year, and last year everyone complained it was too cold so Disney made it too hot on race day, but the expo was worse this year. Another complaint is the way Disney begged everybody to come to the first day of the two-day expo then put most of the speakers and the pasta buffet on the second day (last years was on both). Next year they are offering the chance to run both races but where is the break in price? I wanted to try it but it will cost almost $200 to register on-line for both, by far the most expensive. I won't pay it. I'll do HOPS in Tampa a few weeks later. Disney needs to stop focusing on their own bottom line $$. (It's the teams that raise money for charity, not Disney). On the plus side it is a flat course with lots of friendly runners having a good time. | |
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S. L. from neverland!
(1/26/2005)
"If you love Disney, it is great! " (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Enjoyed the course, especially running through the parks. If you love Disney, do it! CONS: -expo. -having to get up 3am in order to get to start 2 hours before start of race. I don't mind the early start, just the hassle of having to get to the start and sit around for 2 hours. - this course is not spectator friendly. Disney transportation is not reliable for spectators and the traffic is awful. It became obvious that race veterans knew where their friends/family could go to cheer that wasn't listed by Disney as 'official' spectator viewing spots. Getting to the 'official' spectator areas is a ridiculous task. -Getting anywhere after the race. You end up walking miles to get back to your hotel or waiting for hours for transportation. I believe driving to the start at 4:30am or 5am might be the best option - then you can drive back to your hotel after the race. Staying on a monorail resort would be another good option. We stayed at the Boardwalk, took the bus to the start at 3:45am & walked back through Epcot to get back to the hotel after the race. This ended up being okay because we got to cheer for runners who were still on the course on the way back. :) -Large number of groups of people walking/running 3-4-5---->8 people across. It makes it extremely difficult to pass in this situation. Also, walkers not moving over to the right. The course gets narrow in several areas when the marathoners and half marathoners are together, and personal space is limited! Next year the marathon and half marathon are on different days, so hopefully miles 3-13 won't be so crowded! PROS: -clean, fast, flat course! -plenty of water, Gatorade, power gels, bananas, candy. It was hot, would have liked another water sponge (got one around mile 18?) and also more oranges! -DISNEY!! Running through Epcot with the buildings lit at 6:20am was spectacular! The first 13 miles didn't have many characters, which was disappointing. In Magic Kingdom (mile 10+), Lilo & Stich, Alice with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, & Cinderella's mouse outside the castle. Running up Main Street in Magic Kingdom was great, and through the castle! I was dreading miles 18-22 after reading previous reports. But, in actuality the worst part of the run for me was the mile before Animal Kingdom and all through that park and around that parking lot area. -characters: above mentioned, and: Scrooge, Bug's Life ant, Donald with Lion King actors outside Animal Kingdom, Mickey and Minnie right after Animal Kingdom, Jessie-Buzz-Woodie & Army Men, Beauty and the Beast, Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, cast members from all different countries in Epcot w/ their flags, Pluto at finish. I do believe I got to see a lot of the characters that were out for the race, but they took breaks and if you missed 'em, you were just out of luck. My family didn't get to our designated spots until the last one (at mile 24+), so the characters helped lift my spirits! I probably won't run another marathon, but if I was going to, I wouldn't hesitate to run Disney again, especially now that I know the tricks (spectator viewing, and also driving my car to the Epcot parking lot at 4:45am)! | |
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L. L. from NJ
(1/26/2005)
"Disappointing First Race (1/2 Marathon)" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 Stopped prematurely by Disney at Mile 10 (was within 16 minute/mile pace) and not allowed to finish. Over 200 runners were stopped here and there was no water, food, Mylar blankets, shade or bus transportation for us. Disney staff on-site were incredibly rude. I will never try this race again. | |
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Steven Hawking from Alpharetta GA
(1/25/2005)
"Excellent Experience" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Hi, just overall a great experience! I couldn't agree more with most of the comments! One note for the EMMI and Disney Folks--the trial real-time update feature was SUPER! I was able to get this setup so that my wife and family knew exactly where I was on the course, and when to be expecting me at the finish line! I entered her cell phone's E-mail address, so she received the updates and my location right on her phone! This is a really neat idea, and hope you consider this for next year!! |
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