Crowds during Run Disney

[cling]

My wife and I are considering a long weekend, just the two of us to celebrate our anniversary. One of the weekends we are looking at coincides with a Run Disney weekend. Since we will be there without kids, we are hoping to hit the parks hard. I am wondering what the crowd levels are like during these weekends now that they have become so popular.
Thanks!

 

[wilkeliza]

It depends on the event in question. Marathon weekend brings in the most but with others it would be manageable crowds unless it is also a holiday weekend which is more and more common. Most runners are only in the parks for a couple hours during the actual race weekend so early mornings and late nights are less crowded. All races are in the wee hours of the morning now so runners are tired after running and have to get to bed early in order to get up and run.

 

[gap2368]

There is almost always something going on at Disney between tour group cheer groups run Disney you get the picture I find if I want a quieter time I go on line and see when the hotel room are cheapest and if I find a cheap time and they are doing discount even better

 

[DOOM1001]

Which Run Disney race,if there's a holiday or you're talking about the Wine and Dine half marathon there will be crowds.The January main marathon weekend brings the most runners but aside from that the crowds are not horrible,even though I have noticed bigger crowds this year than others.For Wine and Dine that's one of the most popular events of the year you combine crowds for the festival with the runners it can get pretty busy.

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

The race weekends impact transportation and roadways much more than they impact park crowds.

 

[disnut8]

The race weekends impact transportation and roadways much more than they impact park crowds.

Totally agree. We were there during the true marathon weekend in early January (not this year, a few years ago). We just did the Disney transportation to the parks since the bus drivers knew which roads would have slow downs and avoided them as much as possible. We did see some interesting ways to get to the parks, though Once in the parks on that Sunday, we did Animal Kingdom (slow going on the road since some of it was closed) but the park itself was fine. After Animal Kingdom, my husband and I went to Epcot while my son and his family went to Magic Kingdom on Disney buses. Again, slow going on the roads and the marathon was going through Epcot when we got there but there were cheerful Cast Members directing us where to walk so we didn't bother the runners. We joked with one guy directing us because we wanted to go to the counter service place in Mexico but we had to cross to the other side of the walkway and then cross back again. We said "so, we're going to be like a chicken, crossing one way and then going back to the other side", he just smiled and said, "yes, but the runners have priority today and we want to make sure no one trips anyone". And sure enough, when we had to cross the walk way again, there was another friendly Cast Member to hold us up until there was a break in the runners and then encouraged us to move as fast as the runners to get to where we wanted to be.

 

[jahber]

Which Run Disney race,if there's a holiday or you're talking about the Wine and Dine half marathon there will be crowds.The January main marathon weekend brings the most runners but aside from that the crowds are not horrible,even though I have noticed bigger crowds this year than others.For Wine and Dine that's one of the most popular events of the year you combine crowds for the festival with the runners it can get pretty busy.

This year's marathon weekend was unusual because of the way Christmas fell. Central Florida schools were back this week, but many many other schools go back next week. My friends in the parks (here for the race weekend as usual) said the parks were crazy, even mid-week. Certainly when I picked them up at Hollywood Studios on Thursday, the parking lot was almost full at 2:30-ish. And I mean FULL.

 

[DisneyHardin]

We were there during the Wine and Dine two years ago and I didn't notice an uptick of crowds from the previous year when we were there during Nov, but not the race weekend.

 

[aprilfoolwed]

We just returned today, spending 5 days in WDW over marathon weekend. It was busy. Really busy. I will not ever go back at this same time.

 

[Accident]

We just returned today, spending 5 days in WDW over marathon weekend. It was busy. Really busy. I will not ever go back at this same time.

for the next 6 years (calendars repeat every 7 years) it's going to go back to very comfortable even with rundisney. This year the problem was how many didn't go back to school yet (and start again tomorrow). there was just 3 weeks in a row with a large number of states that were on vacation and the xmas and new years on the weekend it was really easy for people to have time come. This is not normal for the week that just ended.

 

[JulieODC]

We visited over marathon weekend 2 years ago -- and didn't find the parks to feel overly busy, but we did get stuck on a bus to AK for over an hour one morning (I am thinking it was the morning of the 1/2 marathon - because we got to watch runners the next day coming through DHS - which didn't impact our ability to enjoy the park, and was really cool to see! Probably part of what inspired me to do the Princess half marathon next month) -- so definitely plan your park days keeping the morning running schedule in mind.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

I'd never been during a marathon, but my trip (going home today) just happened to coincide with the January marathon. Since we usually go in the summer or during the holidays, I didn't find it to be overly busy at all. Your estimation of marathon crowds will be dependent on what you're used to. Take advantage of RD and book your fastpasses for the afternoon, as the runners hit the parks en masse from about 11am to mid afternoon/dinnertime. Since the runners had races in the early mornings, the crowds thinned out in the evenings. It was a strange phenomenon, having such low crowds, then to be fairly slammed, back to low crowds again. I'm used to the progressive build of insanity that lasts all day.

 

[suebedo]

We just returned today, spending 5 days in WDW over marathon weekend. It was busy. Really busy. I will not ever go back at this same time.

Were just returned as well. It was full on summer/holiday busy. I was expecting it though because of the holiday timing this year . Many many schools were till on holiday break at the same time as the marathon weekend. We still were able to get a lot done though by arriving early and
having a plan.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

Were just returned as well. It was full on summer/holiday busy. I was expecting it though because of the holiday timing this year . Many many schools were till on holiday break at the same time as the marathon weekend. We still were able to get a lot done though by arriving early and
having a plan.

You really found it to be as busy as summer?

Last night I grabbed a pretzel and strolled (as in there was actually space enough to walk freely) into the center of the hub about two minutes before the castle show started. Can't do that in the summer!

 

[suebedo]

Last night at MK it was pretty cold. That could explain the lower crowds. But all the days leading up to Sunday last week were very busy. Probably much busier than past year's marathon week/weekend.

 

[Accident]

many runners get out of there fast and the last of the school holiday crowd should have left over the weekend as well. cold doesn't hurt getting people away..

What did ride lines look like? I've noticed the hub isn't the same type of crowd anymore now that msep is gone and many spread out more until very last second.

 

[rteetz]

It depends on the event in question. Marathon weekend brings in the most but with others it would be manageable crowds unless it is also a holiday weekend which is more and more common. Most runners are only in the parks for a couple hours during the actual race weekend so early mornings and late nights are less crowded. All races are in the wee hours of the morning now so runners are tired after running and have to get to bed early in order to get up and run.

Marathon weekend doesn't always bring in the most crowds. Princess weekend is also very popular.

I'd also say Star Wars is probably going to be the most crowded race weekend because it aligns in the spring break period for some.

This years marathon weekend was more crowded than I've ever seen it mostly because of the way the holidays fell this year.

 

[rteetz]

The race weekends impact transportation and roadways much more than they impact park crowds.

I'd say only really marathon Sunday. The 5Ks and 10Ks are all down before the parks open. Even halfs have little impact anymore but may have some early in the morning.

 

[rteetz]

We just returned today, spending 5 days in WDW over marathon weekend. It was busy. Really busy. I will not ever go back at this same time.

It wasn't because of the marathon it was because of the holiday crowds.

 

[rteetz]

many runners get out of there fast and the last of the school holiday crowd should have left over the weekend as well. cold doesn't hurt getting people away..

What did ride lines look like? I've noticed the hub isn't the same type of crowd anymore now that msep is gone and many spread out more until very last second.

Ride lines were pretty long during the week. This weekend and today was much more tolerable.