Advice from anyone whos done the marathon

[MnzWildcat28]

I plan on doing the marathon in Disney in 2016. Just wondering anyone who's done it, their opinions on the marathon itself, race course, how much fun it is, any special offers during marathon weekend, special event apparel, etc. Also any opinions on the time of year, crowds, special decor, park hours, etc. Thanks for any and all help!

 

[chuss]

I plan on doing it in 2016 too, but haven't really put a lot of time into thinking about it because I have some other marathons between now and then and a Disney trip this December. But... I do like to plan ahead and now you have me thinking about it! Might be worthwhile to spend some time looking through the 2015 thread that's here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3223771&highlight=2015+marathon

Definitely looking forward to it! Have you done any Disney runs before?

 

[joefire]

I have done numerous runs at Disney. One thing I found out is that they tell you to be on the bus if taking there transportation by a certain time, Having done this you find that you arrive about two hours before the start. You have to take into account the traffic going to the race but try not to get to obsessed about getting there early

 

[eeyoresmom]

I thought it was a lot of fun. So awesome to run through the parks and have other guests cheering you on. Being from NH, I would suggest you train on as flat a course as possible. The only "hills" are a very few, short overpasses and the little bridges around the Boardwalk area. Now, I don't necessarily like running hills, but they do give you that break on the downhill that you won't be getting in this race. It's all flat...all the same muscles in use for 26.2 miles.....have fun

 

[ZellyB]

I plan on doing the marathon in Disney in 2016. Just wondering anyone who's done it, their opinions on the marathon itself, race course, how much fun it is, any special offers during marathon weekend, special event apparel, etc. Also any opinions on the time of year, crowds, special decor, park hours, etc. Thanks for any and all help!

I've run the marathon twice and will be doing the Goofy Challenge in January. Those have been my only marathons, so I can't give you much comparison with other marathon races. I love the races at Disney. They are great fun and there is wonderful crowd energy. The marathon course is as mentioned by the previous poster relatively flat and for the most part lots to entertain you. The course does get pretty narrow and crowded at places, especially in the early miles, so depending on your speed, you may have to dodge some slower racers. There are some sections of the course (most notably the part through Wide World of Sports) that a lot of people don't enjoy (me included), but overall it's a good scenic and enjoyable course. Support along the course is also outstanding.

I think special offers are pretty limited during the marathon. I don't think there's much in the way of discounts on tickets or anything although someone else may know of some things. The Expo is really great with lots of vendors. However, especially now with Dopey, if you are arriving later in the week, expect the popular items to be gone or very limited. But, if you get there early, they have a lot of really fun special apparal to choose from. I also really have liked the long-sleeved tech shirts you get as a participant. Especially since last year runDisney joined the new age and started providing women's cut shirts.

Time of year is awesome. The weather for us the last two years have been great and the crowds in the parks reasonably low compared to peak times. The hours at the parks are a bit abbreviated as you would expect during off-peak, but with lower crowds we've had ample time to do everything we wanted to do. Overall, I'm sure you will love the experience.