Marathon Weekend 2017!

[FFigawi]

This week's question: outside of the race and related activities, what are you most looking forward to about our upcoming trips to WDW? (Yes, you can say DATW, but I better see some creative answers!)

I'm looking forward to our traditional marathon weekend ice cream. A bunch of friends all get together on Sat afternoon at Beaches & Cream to eat, talk, and catch up after not seeing each other for a while.

Plus DATW. And celebration dinner at Victoria & Albert's. And seeing @Keels finish her second Dopey.

 

[FFigawi]

As a "half only" runner I really enjoy spectating the full marathon early Sunday AM just outside the BC between mile 24 and 25 to see the elite runners come through around 7:45 AM and thinking they just ran the full around the same time I did the half! More importantly, cheering on all the other runners knowing how they feel at this point [yes, I did my bucket list full in 2010] and that little push to get them over the walkway heading to IG and Epcot. After that, it's 4 more days of vacation, pool time and afternoons / evenings at Epcot!

If you want to give us a little push, you can help man the beer stop

 

[Barca33Runner]

Good morning, runDisney All-Stars! How YOU doin'?

Seven weeks, people. 49 days. Mix in the holidays and this is going to go FAST. I hope everyone's training is going well. From the looks of it, everyone is ramping up their mileage. May your runs be swift and injury-free.

Thanks to everyone who participated in last week's Sundays are for Disney, from @rteetz and his Xmas light collection to @Keels and her game show competition to all of your great careers, hobbies and whatnot, I learned a lot and that's pretty awesome.

This week's question: outside of the race and related activities, what are you most looking forward to about our upcoming trips to WDW? (Yes, you can say DATW, but I better see some creative answers!)

This will be my two-year-old's first trip. More than anything, I am just looking forward to seeing the look on her face as she experiences things for the first time. Seeing the castle. Riding Dumbo. Meeting princesses. Even though the marathon is the reason we are going, I am tailoring the trip to her. I'm trying my best to temper my expectations, but I really can't wait to share Disney with her.

I am excited because we are doing an extended trip. I will be at Disney with all of my nieces and nephews for the first time. All of them are 7 and under and it will be the first time for the two youngest. It will also be the first time I have been to AK and the first time visiting all four parks in one trip. I'm a little too excited about all of it if I'm being honest, but I've basically been looking forward to it since I first conceived the idea when I saw the dates for 2017 over a year ago. A little apprehensive about the races with all of the extra activity, but I'm sure it will work out.

 

[Wendy98]

I just signed up for the full last weekend (very surprised it wasn't sold out). I usually limit myself to no more than 2 marathons a year because it takes such a toll on my body, but this will be number 3. This will be more for fun but I would still like to do well. I am very excited about this race--it combines my 2 faves: running + Disney!

 

[Ariel484]

This week's question: outside of the race and related activities, what are you most looking forward to about our upcoming trips to WDW? (Yes, you can say DATW, but I better see some creative answers!)

I'm looking forward to getting pictures with the characters and my medals - that was fun during Wine & Dine.

I'm also making a point to see the new Muppets show in Liberty Square, Hall of Presidents before it gets changed and the Tree of Light awakening. And hopefully Rivers of Light, too. And am looking forward to the Christmas decorations.

 

[camaker]

This week's question: outside of the race and related activities, what are you most looking forward to about our upcoming trips to WDW? (Yes, you can say DATW, but I better see some creative answers!)

I'm looking forward to seeing WDW all decked out in its Christmas finery. All the lights and decorations and huge trees. It's one of my favorite times of year. If you have some free time I also recommend the Yule Tour that Disney runs. It's a very interesting behind the scenes tour of how Disney does Christmas.

 

[croach]

This week's question: outside of the race and related activities, what are you most looking forward to about our upcoming trips to WDW? (Yes, you can say DATW, but I better see some creative answers!).

The thing I'm most looking forward to isn't Disney related - I know, I know. I'm going to Universal for the first time and I'm excited about seeing Harry Potter World. Doing both sections after the 5k on Thursday. But I'm also looking forward to trying several new Disney restaurants this time and no trip is complete without at least one spin on the TTA.

So all the Christmas decorations will still be up? I can't remember from previous Marathon weekends.

 

[Keels]

This week's question: outside of the race and related activities, what are you most looking forward to about our upcoming trips to WDW? (Yes, you can say DATW, but I better see some creative answers!)

Since I get to Florida the week of Christmas, I love my little personal holiday traditions - Candlelight Processional and a glass of champagne on Christmas Eve, NYE fireworks and DATW at Epcot, etc., and my RunDisney traditions - Wishes at Cali Grill before the 5K, Illuminations and DATW after the Marathon.

But mostly what RunDisney weekends have come to mean to me is a chance to spend time with my favorite people that live in places scattered around the globe (@FFigawi, @Ariel484, @tigger536 among others). And then watching my friends accomplish goals they've been working so long towards.

And then this time around, I'm showing one of my best girlfriends what Disney is all about - she thinks it's like Six Flags. Boy, is she in for a surprise ...

 

[rteetz]

Good morning, runDisney All-Stars! How YOU doin'?

Seven weeks, people. 49 days. Mix in the holidays and this is going to go FAST. I hope everyone's training is going well. From the looks of it, everyone is ramping up their mileage. May your runs be swift and injury-free.

Thanks to everyone who participated in last week's Sundays are for Disney, from @rteetz and his Xmas light collection to @Keels and her game show competition to all of your great careers, hobbies and whatnot, I learned a lot and that's pretty awesome.

This week's question: outside of the race and related activities, what are you most looking forward to about our upcoming trips to WDW? (Yes, you can say DATW, but I better see some creative answers!)

This will be my two-year-old's first trip. More than anything, I am just looking forward to seeing the look on her face as she experiences things for the first time. Seeing the castle. Riding Dumbo. Meeting princesses. Even though the marathon is the reason we are going, I am tailoring the trip to her. I'm trying my best to temper my expectations, but I really can't wait to share Disney with her.

This will be my longest Disney trip ever. 9 days. I am excited to see new things at Disney Springs like the drone show. I also am excited to spend time with the group of 12 I'm going with. I want to see my mom finish her first 5K as well.

 

[rteetz]

The thing I'm most looking forward to isn't Disney related - I know, I know. I'm going to Universal for the first time and I'm excited about seeing Harry Potter World. Doing both sections after the 5k on Thursday. But I'm also looking forward to trying several new Disney restaurants this time and no trip is complete without at least one spin on the TTA.

So all the Christmas decorations will still be up? I can't remember from previous Marathon weekends.

Yes most will be except for the Epcot Christmas tree.

 

[ZellyB]

Taking all 3 kids this time. My son is 18 and I'm so happy he decided he wanted to come along. Can't wait for a wonderful family vacation just the 5 of us!

 

[NurseRunner]

As a "half only" runner I really enjoy spectating the full marathon early Sunday AM just outside the BC between mile 24 and 25 to see the elite runners come through around 7:45 AM and thinking they just ran the full around the same time I did the half! More importantly, cheering on all the other runners knowing how they feel at this point [yes, I did my bucket list full in 2010] and that little push to get them over the walkway heading to IG and Epcot. After that, it's 4 more days of vacation, pool time and afternoons / evenings at Epcot!

That was always a reality check for me. Like this past February, I was at the Phoenix half, around mile 9, and thinking "Man, I'm doing insanely good..." when I hear 'MMove to the right for the full leader!'.

 

[Ariel484]

That was always a reality check for me. Like this past February, I was at the Phoenix half, around mile 9, and thinking "Man, I'm doing insanely good..." when I hear 'MMove to the right for the full leader!'.

The first time I ran our big local half (which finishes at the same place as the marathon does) I was coming down the straightaway to the finish and suddenly people started cheering like crazy. And I thought "wow, this is really nice of people to stick around and cheer for someone like me!" Turns out the eventual marathon runner was behind me, flew past and finished before I did!

 

[baxter24]

I am pretty much looking forward to everything! It will be just my husband and myself. We are eating at a couple of new places that we haven't wanted to attempt with our kids in tow and we are going to be getting on a Disney cruise the Monday following the marathon to celebrate our 10 year anniversary!

 

[UNCBear24]

Things are a bit calmer but still stressful so I'll do the 3 things a bit late but the last 5 days have been nuts:

1. I am in college right now wanting to become a Seismologist, but my own medical stuff has kept me at this for a lot longer then me or my family ever anticipated but it's taken so long that by the time I graduate next year (which I'm on track for) it will have been 10 years since I graduated high school.
2. I decided to pick up running not for health truly but because I was talking to a friend about how much she wanted to do NYC Marathon and it got in my head I wanted to do the NYC Marathon (admittedly I was debating taking it up before then but this was the push I needed)
3. I am into pretty much anything horses but my favorite sport of them all is horse racing, been following it since I was a little kid.

Side note: Anyone ever done Dopey solo? Considering that for a last option if the medical stuff keeps parents from coming.

I did Dopey solo this past January. I could stop for pictures, walk breaks, etc. without impacting anyone else. It worked for me.

 

[Tinkerbelle14]

I'm looking forward to sitting down at dinner after our first ever marathon, ordering a beer and doing a cheers to finishing! That and running past the spot where we got engaged in Magic Kingdom and the spot where we got married at the Yacht Club.

 

[DOOM1001]

This will be my longest Disney trip ever. 9 days. I am excited to see new things at Disney Springs like the drone show. I also am excited to spend time with the group of 12 I'm going with. I want to see my mom finish her first 5K as well.

I just came home from 4 days away for my brothers wedding and knowing that the second drone show of night was at 8:30 and that I was passing just outside the Hotel Plaza Disney entrance at 8:28 I decided to drive towards DS to see if the drones could be seen from the street while driving.Sure enough right at the corner of Buena Vista and Hotel Plaza I saw them,they looked like fireworks at first but different,they weren't exploding and they were just crazy looking,like something out of an alien movie,I didn't see much and I heard its only like 5 minutes as by the time I drove past the lime garage the show appeared to be finished but I really need to go see it from inside DS cause it was like something I've never seen.

 

[mawatcha]

I'm looking forward to sitting down at dinner after our first ever marathon, ordering a beer and doing a cheers to finishing! That and running past the spot where we got engaged in Magic Kingdom and the spot where we got married at the Yacht Club.

It is the most amazing race on earth It may sound corny but I think about the marathon regularly, it was just such a great course, physically and mentally trying, but wonderful. I will be cheering all of you 2017 runners on from Vancouver, Canada! Still debating if I am going to wait until 2019 or run it again in 2018.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

This week's question: outside of the race and related activities, what are you most looking forward to about our upcoming trips to WDW?

Easy for me, but not at all creative. I get to spend time with the people that I love in a place that we all love.

 

[Dis5150]

This week's question: outside of the race and related activities, what are you most looking forward to about our upcoming trips to WDW? (Yes, you can say DATW, but I better see some creative answers!)

This one is easy! It is my first marathon and my first time at WDW during Marathon weekend. I am looking forward to all the excitement involved in that, plus our WDW trips are when my DD26 and I get to see each other (we live in different states). So super excited to see her and spend 10 days in our very favorite place on earth.