Marathon Weekend 2017!

[MightyDuck001]

I personally love the Epcot hotels for January. It's easy to get something for dinner without a reservation or a lot of hassle, I walk over see the Star Wars fireworks, and am back and in bed around 8:30. I've walked back to the hotel after the marathon (I have to have my park ticket on me to do that). I love the Boardwalk, I'm DVC, and I'm looking forward to no construction when I'm back this January.

If anyone's looking to stay there or the beach club, look into renting DVC points, it can be a LOT cheaper than staying on the hotel side. Plus, with a 1 bedroom you could make your own pre-race meals.

 

[Nole95]

We'll be staying at POR. We stayed there for 2014 and 2015 marathon weekends. It's an easy boat ride to Disney Springs and all its food options, and the RD buses were efficient at getting us to the start area very quickly.

 

[alexksmith]

We'll be staying at POR. We stayed there for 2014 and 2015 marathon weekends. It's an easy boat ride to Disney Springs and all its food options, and the RD buses were efficient at getting us to the start area very quickly.

I like it there a lot, and we've stayed a few times. The only thing we didn't like was the massive size of the resort, so we wound up favoring POFQ ever-so-slightly. Theyre both amazing though.

 

[hotblooded]

I think Pop is my favorite for Marathon Weekend because it's so close to WWOS for the expo. We usually don't go to the parks on our short running trips, so it plays into the convenience factor for us. It's also great to have access to both Pop and AoA food courts.

For Dark Side weekend, I stayed at All-Star Music, and while it was fine, I didn't like it as much. It was awesome to watch Symphony in the Stars from a third floor balcony, though.

 

[donk3]

we are staying at POP for wine and dine , and will see if we want to do it again for marathon weekend , we stayed at all start sports this january and had no complain. I wonder what people think of pop ?

 

[rteetz]

we are staying at POP for wine and dine , and will see if we want to do it again for marathon weekend , we stayed at all start sports this january and had no complain. I wonder what people think of pop ?

I like Pop but have never done it for marathon weekend. I've only done POR and BC.

 

[mbwhitti]

I personally love the Epcot hotels for January. It's easy to get something for dinner without a reservation or a lot of hassle, I walk over see the Star Wars fireworks, and am back and in bed around 8:30. I've walked back to the hotel after the marathon (I have to have my park ticket on me to do that). I love the Boardwalk, I'm DVC, and I'm looking forward to no construction when I'm back this January.

If anyone's looking to stay there or the beach club, look into renting DVC points, it can be a LOT cheaper than staying on the hotel side. Plus, with a 1 bedroom you could make your own pre-race meals.

That's what @Keels and I both did! We each have a studio at BC on rented points. I almost always try to rent DVC. I'm spoiled on deluxe resorts now. We've done, BW, SSR and Poly in the past. This will be my first time at BC!

 

[SarahDisney]

we are staying at POP for wine and dine , and will see if we want to do it again for marathon weekend , we stayed at all start sports this january and had no complain. I wonder what people think of pop ?

I stayed at Pop for marathon weekend this year. I had two "problems":
1 - The poster with all of the hours and information didn't show up in the lobby until Friday morning
2 - On 5K morning, the bus picked up in a different place than it had for the expo (and it ended up picking up in the expo spot again for the 10K, which is the only other race I did). We did, however, see the bus (and line) right away, and had no other problems with the buses.

Overall, the problems were insignificant and I'd definitely stay there again for marathon weekend.

 

[lhermiston]

I stayed at Pop for marathon weekend this year. I had two "problems":
1 - The poster with all of the hours and information didn't show up in the lobby until Friday morning
2 - On 5K morning, the bus picked up in a different place than it had for the expo (and it ended up picking up in the expo spot again for the 10K, which is the only other race I did). We did, however, see the bus (and line) right away, and had no other problems with the buses.

Overall, the problems were insignificant and I'd definitely stay there again for marathon weekend.

Good to know. Thanks for the report.

I enjoyed Pop when we stayed there for a family vacation four years ago. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done and I really just need a place to sleep and shower.

 

[PCFriar80]

That's what @Keels and I both did! We each have a studio at BC on rented points. I almost always try to rent DVC. I'm spoiled on deluxe resorts now. We've done, BW, SSR and Poly in the past. This will be my first time at BC!

Own at BCV and stayed there the last 12 marathon years! We only run the 1/2, but I did do my bucket list marathon in 2010 the year over the icy water stations! We like the option of walking back through Epcot after the race if the timing, weather and legs are right! I especially enjoy being able to cheer on the 10K runners on Friday and then viewing the marathon from the elite to the remaining 20,000 plus! It's a great experience, running or not and keeps us coming back every year!

 

[alexksmith]

we are staying at POP for wine and dine , and will see if we want to do it again for marathon weekend , we stayed at all start sports this january and had no complain. I wonder what people think of pop ?

Pop is by far my favorite of the value resorts (although I haven't stayed at Music). Like someone else mentioned, it's right next to WWoS so that's convenient, although I don't really spend anytime at the Expo apart from first getting my stuff when I arrive. Pop, in my experience, is just the quietest of all of the values, which I liked quite a bit. AoA, while nicer than the others, was an absolute mad house. And I know you need to expect that at Disney, but AoA was unlike any other resort I've stayed at.

 

[hotblooded]

Pop is by far my favorite of the value resorts (although I haven't stayed at Music). Like someone else mentioned, it's right next to WWoS so that's convenient, although I don't really spend anytime at the Expo apart from first getting my stuff when I arrive. Pop, in my experience, is just the quietest of all of the values, which I liked quite a bit. AoA, while nicer than the others, was an absolute mad house. And I know you need to expect that at Disney, but AoA was unlike any other resort I've stayed at.

I enjoy the proximity to WWOS because I absolutely hate the expo. It's the worst part of the trip for me, so I like to get it over with as quickly and painlessly as possible. At Pop, it's such a short distance each way that in my experience, there are rarely any bus delays. It beats sharing a bus between FIVE Epcot resorts -- unforgivable, in my opinion. I will never* stay on the boardwalk for Marathon Weekend again.

*unless someone else is footing the bill

 

[slp1650]

I've loved staying at the Boardwalk for previous races and vacations in general. However, I live close enough to the parks that I think this year since I'm only running the half that I'll stay home and drive in. I've done that before as well and as long as the car is at the same spot as the end of the race it has always gone well for me.

However, for the '18 Marathon weekend, I'm hoping to run the Dopey Challenge and I'll probably try and stay at Boardwalk. At least for the first three days I'll use the walk through the park as my cool down/recovery, but we'll see.

 

[MightyDuck001]

Pop is by far my favorite of the value resorts (although I haven't stayed at Music). Like someone else mentioned, it's right next to WWoS so that's convenient, although I don't really spend anytime at the Expo apart from first getting my stuff when I arrive. Pop, in my experience, is just the quietest of all of the values, which I liked quite a bit. AoA, while nicer than the others, was an absolute mad house. And I know you need to expect that at Disney, but AoA was unlike any other resort I've stayed at.

Art of Animation does feel really loud and busy but I do love how much newer the Little Mermaid rooms are, especially the bathrooms. I love the '50s section and pool at Pop Century because as an adult I a) love how few lounge chairs are out there, b) how quiet it is, and c) the music is usually my favorite soundtrack of any Disney resort pool. During Dark Side there were a lot of high school groups and I didn't run into any of them beyond the food court. I also avoid the food court at any value like the plague because it'll take 6 hours to buy anything since I'm always in line behind 3 families who don't know how to use their dining plan.

 

[sammykster]

We are staying at Port Orleans French Quarter this year! Last year (and most of our trips) we stayed at POP and I did really love how close it was to ESPN but we're not doing the parks at all this time so I figured we could spend a little extra on the hotel to be closer to our main entertainment which will be Disney Springs. I also liked that there was a bit more at the resort for us going without our kids and I wanted somewhere I haven't stayed. I'll be on my own for a bit so I was hoping to try something new that might not be quite as loud as pop so I can get some naps in!

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

Got the room booked at OKW for marathon weekend and now it's totally for real. Now I just need to get back from my 20th anniversary cruise (and all of the nonstop food involved with that) and get to work getting ready for the 1/2.

 

[ZellyB]

My primary goal is to get to the race. I plan on taking a few weeks off after IMFL, but that should still leave me with enough time to build some strength back up. My secondary goal is to ride ToT and RnR in DHS and TT in Epcot. The beer along the way is a given.

How has this never occurred to me!! We've always bypassed Everest because my DH doesn't think he could handle the backwards portion, but ToT and TT would be great. We are slow, so will they let runners through the FP line (like they do at Everest) or do you have to try and figure out a time to book and FP+ it?

I started craving a soft pretzel long about mile 17 - that would be a great item to have waiting for you!

We had my sister buy one for us on our last marathon run. She and my kids were waiting for us in Germany with them. They were delicious. I can basically eat anything while running and I love the chocolate at DHS.

As for goals, I never have time goals for Disney races. I'm all about the pictures. I'm desperately hoping they may have the Royal Donald, Mickey and Minnie meets set back up again in MK. I wanted those shots so badly when we ran in 2015, but they weren't there. Were they out this past January?

 

[Nikfour]

Hi! I signed up for my first half in January. I am signed up for the 5K and hope to sign up for the 10K through a group...both are in November.
I am not a runner...yet. Can anyone recommend a really helpful app for beginners? I want to follow Jeff Galloway's training methods but the apps do not get good reviews. Would love some advice from tried and true

 

[rteetz]

Hi! I signed up for my first half in January. I am signed up for the 5K and hope to sign up for the 10K through a group...both are in November.
I am not a runner...yet. Can anyone recommend a really helpful app for beginners? I want to follow Jeff Galloway's training methods but the apps do not get good reviews. Would love some advice from tried and true

You really can use any running app to track your running and then do the intervals on your own. I have used map my run, run keeper, and just downloaded strava.

 

[rteetz]

Hi! I signed up for my first half in January. I am signed up for the 5K and hope to sign up for the 10K through a group...both are in November.
I am not a runner...yet. Can anyone recommend a really helpful app for beginners? I want to follow Jeff Galloway's training methods but the apps do not get good reviews. Would love some advice from tried and true

You really can use any running app to track your running and then do the intervals on your own. I have used map my run, run keeper, and just downloaded strava.