Marathon Saturday

[alisigns]

So because of scheduling, one of our Disney Days is going to be the Saturday, September 3rd (a.k.a. the day of the Disney Marathon). I would love any advice, tips, tricks, etc. What should we expect? What strategies do you have? It will be 4 adults if that makes a difference and we plan to be at Disneyland that day (California Adventure a different day). Thanks!

 

[alisigns]

Or should we switch days and do California Adventure that day?

 

[bumbershoot]

Saturday would just be the 10K. It will be over by the time the parks are open. It starts at 5:30 and even a later corral slowpoke like me would likely be done before 7:30.

 

[Kender]

As bumbershoot said, Saturday is the 10K. The half marathon will be on Sunday. There is no full marathon so the parks are not affected like they are at WDW during the one full they have.

The 10K is often done with before the parks open in my experience. People will definitely be out of the parks. All the races go through both Disneyland and DCA within the first few miles so there are no runners in the park by the time they open. The final miles are on the streets of Anaheim.

Road closures are the biggest issue you might run into if you're driving at all. I would look at the closure map that will be included in the online program guide on runDisney's website and plan a route to a parking lot from there if you are driving. I would aim for heading straight for Toy Story lot and not trying for the Mickey and Friends parking structure.

 

[chrisaman]

U can probably expect a 9 am opening. The run won't affect much for you. You will find the parks mostly dead till around 11 or so then after that it will be really busy. It is the last weekend for paint the night parade also so I am sure it will be even more busy than usual

 

[Malcon10t]

So because of scheduling, one of our Disney Days is going to be the Saturday, September 3rd (a.k.a. the day of the Disney Marathon). I would love any advice, tips, tricks, etc. What should we expect? What strategies do you have? It will be 4 adults if that makes a difference and we plan to be at Disneyland that day (California Adventure a different day). Thanks!

The race of the day is the 10k. It starts at 530 outside the park, then runs thru the park, exiting into DTD and finishing by the DLH. It will be finishing about 730am. After the race, we usually change and hit breakfast, then the parks. Magic Morning is 8-9am, and park opens to all at 9. It is usually a busy day simply because everyone wants to hit the parks early, then bed early for the next morning.

 

[Davidg83]

Like the person posted above it's also the last weekend for the 60th decor and entertainment. When you pair that with the runners I'd go in expecting a busy weekend all around. The only upside is that there are a lot of Annual Pass levels that are blocked that weekend so it may help keep the crowds down a bit. If you're still around Monday I'd expect a crazy day as all Annual Passes look to be valid.

 

[Mjmdiva]

No marathon at Disneyland. That Saturday will be the 10km. The runners will be out of the park before they open. I would get to the park for rope drop and get a lot done in the first hour or two.

 

[alisigns]

Thanks everyone! This is our first trip to Disneyland so I am not sure what to expect in general and was afraid that this would make it awful. I appreciate all of the info! DISers are the best!