How crazy busy is WDW marathon weekend?

[jlnten17]

Just got back from our first WDW vacation and I LOVE WDW! I also love running so I am considering signing up for the WDW Marathon next Jan. My only concern is how crazy busy it will be. We went the last weekend in January this year and it seemed pretty busy the first half of our trip (and the second half it was raining). Are the marathon crowds as bad as the summer and Christmas time crowds? I still want my husband and kids to enjoy the trip.

 

[g8rben]

I'm curious about this same question

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

BLUF (bottom line up front): It's not.

I've participated in 5 recent marathon weekends. I ran the half marathon this year so Sunday was a park day. We picked Magic Kingdom since the marathon doesn't impact it. The park opened at 9:00. We caught the bus at 8:15. We walked (not ran!) to 7DMT and got right on. Then we went to Thunder Mountain and walked right on. Then over to Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear, again with no wait.

I can't compare it to a non-marathon weekend, but it seemed pretty relaxed to me.

Be aware that the marathon does impact Animal Kingdom (runners in the park after opening) and transportation to Epcot.

If you are considering running (and I highly encourage it), check out the event forum: http://www.disboards.com/forums/rundisney-events-competition.109/

 

[mountdew1]

The biggest impact tends to be on the resorts, resort restaurants, and Disney Springs. Yes, there are 50,000 some odd runners there for the weekend, but we all need to be up at 3 or so in the morning to get to the race starts, so the runners tend to not stay out late, or even go to the parks. When exactly NYE falls in relation to the Marathon will affect crowds beforehand, but it empties out after.

 

[Andyman33]

Wondering with it being so close to New Years if this year will be busier than ever

 

[PCFriar80]

Wondering with it being so close to New Years if this year will be busier than ever

I've been through the marathon cycle for 12 years now and will share my experiences. From a park touring perspective it's a good time to go. Yes, there are thousands of runners onsite, but they're there to run. A lot of them are running 4 races back-to-back, Thursday - Sunday. In my experiences there's little impact on park crowds....we've done our EMH and regular park visits and have minimal waits. As far as the New Years impact, there will be some overflow depending on when schools start up. Having said that, the tendancy is for those guests to be checking out during the week of 1/2/17 and marathon guests checking in. The week following the marathon is ideal for parks crowds and every couple of years you'll get some great weather!

 

[Erin D]

The biggest impact tends to be on the resorts, resort restaurants, and Disney Springs. Yes, there are 50,000 some odd runners there for the weekend, but we all need to be up at 3 or so in the morning to get to the race starts, so the runners tend to not stay out late, or even go to the parks.

I have done 2 half marathons now and agree with this. We used to live in FL and went to the parks all year long and I wouldn't even begin to compare the park crowd levels to the holidays or school vacations. My only advice would be to make your dining reservations the day you can because that is what will book up quickly (especially all the Italian restaurants where runners are "carb loading")

As far as the NYE overlap goes I don't have much to say but we have done the DLR Half which falls on Labor Day weekend and the added holiday crowd there was definitely noticeable.

Highly recommend doing any runDisney event though, they are extremely well run and super fun!!

 

[Micca]

I have very limited first-hand info, but I'd agree with those above. 50,000 between the four parks just isn't a big deal.

 

[mrsR123]

The marathon does make the resorts a bit more crowded-- DVC reservations can be hard to come by-- but it has very little impact on park crowds. There are delays in transport to MK and Epcot on Saturday morning, and across property on Sunday morning, but that's about it.

I think the way NYE falls will have a bigger impact. My school district, for instance, doesn't go back until January 9th.

 

[Alice777]

I really hope it doesn't affect our trip in April. My son is doing Star Wars 10K and 1/2 marathon but because of his work, we chose to go week before the marathon and do the parks.

It would have make more sense to do park after the marathon so he won't be so tired for the marathon!

 

[DOOM1001]

I really hope it doesn't affect our trip in April. My son is doing Star Wars 10K and 1/2 marathon but because of his work, we chose to go week before the marathon and do the parks.

It would have make more sense to do park after the marathon so he won't be so tired for the marathon!

The main marathon weekend in January has pretty low crowds,yes there's 15,000 people running the 5K,15,000 running the 10K,25,000 running the half marathon and 25,000 running the full marathon but you would be amazed that they don't impact the park that much.I would say the runners are what keeps this weekend from being one of the lowest crowd times of the year.As someone said running these races involves getting up at 2-3am so going to bed early to run the races is a priority.A normal race day involves getting up at 2am,taking the bus to the race,maybe going to the parks for a few hours,getting in some grub before going to bed.And don't forget the actual running of the races,you have people running between 3.1 all the way to 48.6 miles over the weekend,unless you're only doing the 5K you're going to need your rest.

Now for the inaugural Star Wars weekend in April I'm fairly certain crowded parks will be more of an issue but that's simply due to the parks just being busier in April than the first weekend in January.The Wine and Dine half marathon for example does not have low crowds,especially if visiting Epcot for the festival.If I remember correctly the 2014 race was run the last weekend of the F&W festival which is notoriously crowded,Disney apparently realized that and for 2015 moved it back one week.For January however that's a great time to visit the parks.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I really hope it doesn't affect our trip in April. My son is doing Star Wars 10K and 1/2 marathon but because of his work, we chose to go week before the marathon and do the parks.

It would have make more sense to do park after the marathon so he won't be so tired for the marathon!

I assume you mean the April half marathon and not the January marathon, but the parks are always very crowded in April because of spring breaks.

 

[Alice777]

I assume you mean the April half marathon and not the January marathon, but the parks are always very crowded in April because of spring breaks.

yes, I was talking about April marathon.
I thought Spring breaks would be over by April 3rd? We'll be there April 9 through 10.

 

[Dug720]

yes, I was talking about April marathon.
I thought Spring breaks would be over by April 3rd? We'll be there April 9 through 10.

There is not a marathon in April. There is a HALF marathon. Disney's marathon is in January. (When you've run them both, you get the difference.)

As far as Spring Break, anytime from mid-Feb to late April is considered "rolling Spring Break" (not even counting home schoolers who vacation whenever, those on rolling year-round calendars, and those who just don't care and take their kids out whenever). However, as many people are learning, there really isn't a "slow" time anymore.