Staying in the Contemporary for Marathon Weekend?

[marathonmickey]

Hi everyone,

I'm doing my first Disney half marathon in January (very excited!! :cool1: )and just booked a room at the Contemporary. For you veterans out there, is this a good place to be in terms of access to the start line? I hear that the Contemporary has a monorail so if I hop on around 4:30ish, will I make it in time to the start line? I know that these are probably such silly questions this early on and I'm probably being a worrywart! Anyway, anybody who's willing to share their words of wisdom would be MOST appreciated! Thank you so much and good luck to all of you who are in the midst of your training!!

Jules :)

[DisneyMarathon]

Yes, you will get there on time for the 6 AM start. The monorail resorts are very convenient. The gold-plated medal is BIG compared to other races around the country. There is a website, www.disneyrunning.com where some previous runners have posted their experience and photos. You will receive a guidebook from Disney in the fall. It usually tells runners to be in their corrals by 4 AM. However, you can still enter the corrals after 4 AM so you catch a little more sleep. Every minute of sleep is precious! :)

I have completed the Disney marathon and half-marathon several times. Feel free to ask if you have any other questions. Yes, I was nervous and excited when I did my first Disney half-marathon. It is very well-organized and the running route is very flat. I keep coming back every year!

[TXBelle]

The Contemporary will be a great place to stay because of its access to the monorail. You can take the monorail to the start and take it back to the finish. If you have family or friends coming to cheer you on, the best way to travel around the race course is via monorail. We stayed at the Poly in 2005, and it was very convenient. Others stay close to Epcot and like being close to the starting line and finish line. You can walk from Port Orleans to the start line very easily. We stayed at the Swan last year and had no complaints, but we ended up driving to EPCOT and parking there. We have not decided where to stay this time, but I am leaning toward the Poly or the GF. We prefer being close to the MK and taking the monorail.

Based on our experience, if you are on the monorail by 4:30, you will have no problem getting to the starting line in time.

Please join us on our weekly training thread. We have a great WISH racing team and would love for you to join us.

[marathonmickey]

Many thanks, guys for the very helpful posts! Thank you for the invite to the WISH training thread---see you there and happy training!! :thumbsup2

Jules