Disney Marathon Questions...

[christyeb7]

Hi! I am running the Disney Marathon for the first time this coming January. I have run other races at Disney but I have a question about the Marathon....
As far as spectators go, will my husband need a park ticket to be able to see me through out the race? Like going through the castle? Just curious and would appreciate any help and/or tips for a first timer! Thanks!

 

[BrianD]

You will really enjoy running the WDW Marathon. While the other Disney races are a lot of fun themselves, they do not match the excitement scale and overall buzz throughout WDW that Marathon Weekend brings.

Your husband should be able to see you from several different areas without needing a park ticket. The Magic Kingdom is the one park where you don't need a ticket to be a spectator there because all of the runners are through that park before it opens for the day. They will let you in early and then escort you out once it gets close to 9:00. Some other good places to cheer the runners on are near the TTC, along the road between the GF & Poly, the YC/BC area, and of course the finish line in the Epcot parking lot. Although, there you have to really work hard for a good spot to see because of the crowds. They do have bleachers set up there, but you pay a premium to sit there.

Honestly the biggest issue for a spectator can be transportation. Where are you planning on staying? The monorail resorts probably make it the easiest to get to more places.

 

[FireDancer]

No ticket needed at MK but I will tell you that they are only allowed up as far as the end of main street and it will be pretty difficult for them to see you go through the castle. Unless you are at the front of the pack you will more then likely be in a relatively large bunch of runners and they will be farther away.

If DHS or Epcot are opened to the public by the time you go through there they will definitely have to have a ticket.

To be honest I would not go into MK to view anyone I knew running in the marathon. It is pretty packed and there are plenty of things for the runner to see there to keep their mind distracted. As a runner I would much rather have them jump on the monorail and be waiting for me along the road back behind the GF and Poly. There are less spectators so you can find them pretty easily and that is one point where you could really use the distraction.

They can also head over to the Boardwalk and wait for you to pass by there without needing a ticket.

 

[cewait]

No ticket needed at MK but I will tell you that they are only allowed up as far as the end of main street and it will be pretty difficult for them to see you go through the castle. Unless you are at the front of the pack you will more then likely be in a relatively large bunch of runners and they will be farther away.

If DHS or Epcot are opened to the public by the time you go through there they will definitely have to have a ticket.

To be honest I would not go into MK to view anyone I knew running in the marathon. It is pretty packed and there are plenty of things for the runner to see there to keep their mind distracted. As a runner I would much rather have them jump on the monorail and be waiting for me along the road back behind the GF and Poly. There are less spectators so you can find them pretty easily and that is one point where you could really use the distraction.

They can also head over to the Boardwalk and wait for you to pass by there without needing a ticket.

Agree that I am not a big fan of having my DW head to Main. Main street is all that is open for the marathon. It is crowded and noisy and a lot of fun. Like Frank I would rather have my DW meet me at the TTC then simply walk to the Poly for the next place. AK is not really an option due to race day transportation issues. My DW has met me at BW the year following back surgery but usually burns a park pass and meets me at England. Once at England she hustles to the family reunion area.

To answer you specific question... No pass needed for Main Street in MK. All other park - yes a pass would be needed. Also a quick note, the closest to the castle he will be able to get in MK is the park hub near the Crystal Palace, or not really too close.

 

[Bephus]

Just wanted to third seeing them at TTC and then behind GF and Poly. At the second point you are at around 13 miles and the high of MK hasn't quite worn off. Really great running photo ops. Then have them head over to Epcot and like Coach said use a ticket to meet you in WS (we are going to Epcot that evening anyway for yummy dinner) or just head to the finish area.
If they are not relying on Disney transportation (have a car) and no kids (too hard to be running around with kids) they could drive to TTC, walk to GF/Poly area, drive to WWoS area and see you at out and back and then drive to Epcot for finish. This would be CRAZY rushed, but they could see you when you really need a pick me up. That o&b is pretty brutal Time in the race but thankfully well cheered.

 

[christyeb7]

Thanks for all the tips! I will definitely be using them!

 

[WDWFAN9]

Another great place for a family member to see you without needing a park pass is outside of AK. The course goes right past the bus drop off area, so it is super-easy to get to. I know a few of us are going to be there cheering as the runners/walkers head into that long, lonely stretch towards MGM.

 

[cewait]

Another great place for a family member to see you without needing a park pass is outside of AK. The course goes right past the bus drop off area, so it is super-easy to get to. I know a few of us are going to be there cheering as the runners/walkers head into that long, lonely stretch towards MGM.

Pat brings up a great location. But if you are attempting to view in other locations it can be impracticable. The best possiblity of combining other locations with AK is to view at TTC then up the ramp to get on the Epcot Monorail. From there one needs to select a bus to a resort. Really it can be any resort not otherwise affected by the race. Then it is a bus to reosrt and bus to AK.

I know that my DW has been at AK once in all the marathons I have run. She was able to make the Poly then AK but she said it was like she had help from above. She made the first monorail, caught the first bus leaving Epcot (she can not remember the resort she went to but thinks BW) then caught the very next bus at the stop which was AK. No waiting at any stop, only traffic. She said she was at the AK about 10-15 minutes before I passed.

This really brings upa point of preparing a spreadsheet with a range of expected paces and laying over times at expected locations. It is easy to prepare but the user needs to be flexible - yet willing to give up the wait if they believe you pass an expected point without being seen.

 

[crewmatt]

I think disney does the text alerts of where the runner is, that can also be quite useful in determining approximate pacing/etc.

another way to make sure you get seen is to wear something outrageous. I ran quite a few miles of the marathon next to a man dressed as Minnie. Quite entertaining watching him sprint up to the characters, snap a picture, and continue on.

 

[Bephus]

I think disney does the text alerts of where the runner is, that can also be quite useful in determining approximate pacing/etc.

Unless it has improved since my last marathon at Disney (which was 2007, so very possible) the problem with this is that the system gets bogged down in the middle of the race and the alerts are sent too late to be of any use. We got DH's 5k at a reasonable time (within minutes of him running over the pad) then never got the 10k split and the 15k split came in after he finished the race and if I remember correctly after the finish time text. These texts are great to send to friends and family who can't attend and are interested in your results but I wouldn't rely on them to actually know where your runner is at the race.
BTW, I think this an issue for the company who sends the texts because the same issue has occurred with every race I have had this feature. It is actually understandable it you think about the fact that they are sending many 10's of thousands of texts in a very short amount of time, especially for the half.

 

[cewait]

Unless it has improved since my last marathon at Disney (which was 2007, so very possible) the problem with this is that the system gets bogged down in the middle of the race and the alerts are sent too late to be of any use. We got DH's 5k at a reasonable time (within minutes of him running over the pad) then never got the 10k split and the 15k split came in after he finished the race and if I remember correctly after the finish time text. These texts are great to send to friends and family who can't attend and are interested in your results but I wouldn't rely on them to actually know where your runner is at the race.
BTW, I think this an issue for the company who sends the texts because the same issue has occurred with every race I have had this feature. It is actually understandable it you think about the fact that they are sending many 10's of thousands of texts in a very short amount of time, especially for the half.

Beth, it really has but has not improved ?!?! It really depends on the race and how good the cell communications are. Like you I have seen it fail miserably at other races, also. 2007 by far was the worst with my cell getting texts as I was in line for dinner. I think since then the starts have been good and then I would call mid race results spotty.

 

[Bephus]

Beth, it really has but has not improved ?!?! It really depends on the race and how good the cell communications are. Like you I have seen it fail miserably at other races, also. 2007 by far was the worst with my cell getting texts as I was in line for dinner. I think since then the starts have been good and then I would call mid race results spotty.

That is so funny, we got one of the texts for my marathon split at dinner or right before that year! We were like, um thanks but that was HOURS ago
I do like the idea of the texts, and still sign up for them for every race that offers them.

 

[jakespop]

where and how do you sign up for the text alerts? I can't find it on the main website

 

[cewait]

where and how do you sign up for the text alerts? I can't find it on the main website

The link is not up. Assuming that text alerts will be offered this year, The link will be placed on spectator resources link on the left side of the page. In addition, Disney usually notices the addition of the link in the hot box on the right side of the page.

Note that the texting system does not have the best record for timeliness. One year Mary received a notice that I started the marathon at 6 straight up and then that I finished sometime on Monday.... I would say that about half the races have decent timing.

So given that, you really need for your spectators to have tools noting when to expect you at various points on the course. This is best done by noting the mile points where they plan to be and then applying your expected pace to that point. Disney has a nice tool on the spectator page or you can easily do the math and have a print out for your folks. I would provide bridge times for expected paces. If you are expecting to run a 9:30 pace, I would provide expected arrival times for paces from 9:00 though 10; or wider. You will need to adjust the time a bit depending on your wave..

We had a spreadsheet that we used for years that worked well for Mary. I ranged a set of paces and then she could look at where I arrived at TTC in comparison with the range and then know when to expect me at the Poly and then when to look for me at mile 25.

Hope this helps

 

[nancytoby]

Yes, absolutely DO NOT count on a runner timing/texting system to be actually working and reporting in real time on race day. They are notoriously unreliable.

If you're carrying a phone, text your people when the corral in front of you starts. Then stow it and run!

 

[paxsarah]

I found that in 2011 I received the automated e-mails (same system as the text system) in a timely manner, if the spectator has a phone/device with e-mail capabilities. At the very least, if someone signed up for both e-mail and text you'd have a better chance of at least one of them actually working. But what worked for me was to have a pretty good idea of my pace and when I'd be at my family's viewing locations and then giving them very specific instructions about when to be where, and then keeping an eagle eye out for them (it seems I'm always the one to spot them, not vice versa).

 

[jakespop]

Looks like the event tracking is now available for the Jan races

http://www.xacte.com/templates/disney/marathon/

 

[cewait]

Looks like a new notification service this year. I am hopeful that it has the band width to do a good job. I would definitely enlist BOTH email and text services if you have them on your phone.

 

[halvnorsk]

At resorts with multiple bus stops, do the Expo and Race Day buses just stop at the main one or do they make the rounds to all the stops?

 

[cewait]

At resorts with multiple bus stops, do the Expo and Race Day buses just stop at the main one or do they make the rounds to all the stops?

General rule of thumb....

For resorts with multiple stops, the marathon buses use the regular stops. For resorts with convention facilities, the convention center is used. Then there is the Saratoga where neither apply and you need to get to the central stop.

So the bottom line is play it by ear. You may want to look at how buses enter and loop your resort. For instance, at CBR a few years back, marathon buses were entering the resort from Victory Way, meaning that the first stop was Jamaica. Buses were filling at that or the next stop on race morning.

Oh, do not expect cast members to know much about busing until Thursday morning. Cast members may not even know that there is a marathon until then as they operate on a need to know basis. Even on Thursday, expect to have some flexibility as not every cast member will understand what is happening.

Just look for coach style buses and not the resort buses and you will figure it out quickly