Marathon Weekend 2018

[AlexRunsDisney]

I genuinely hope you have a fun race this year. Your at Disney which is awesome and while we've talked a lot about course crowding for the most part you'll be able to run the race you want. You may also be in a position to ride some of the rides without needing to be concerned about being swept. I've always wanted to do that, but been afraid that I couldn't stand up afterwards.

Although I was stressed about my corral situation, I think the weekend and reading other's responses on here has helped with my expectations. It seems like the course will be crowded no matter where you start, and I will just have to make adjustments and conserve energy early in the race. Not a huge deal. Just looking forward to having fun!

 

[SunDial]

I doubt it's a real zip code, but it's a damn fun song

Haven't heard of the song. If it was an active ZIP @Keels would be saying....

Gracias @FFigawi. Ahora tengo que volar a Puerto Rico para recoger cualquier artículo que pueda llevar a Disney.

 

[PCFriar80]

Haven't heard of the song. If it was an active ZIP @Keels would be saying....

Gracias @FFigawi. Ahora tengo que volar a Puerto Rico para recoger cualquier artículo que pueda llevar a Disney.

Sure you have! Not a zip, but a phone number. Tommy Tutone. Google 867-5309 /Jenny and you'll recognize it!

 

[SunDial]

Although I was stressed about my corral situation, I think the weekend and reading other's responses on here has helped with my expectations. It seems like the course will be crowded no matter where you start, and I will just have to make adjustments and conserve energy early in the race. Not a huge deal. Just looking forward to having fun!

Yes there will be some major choke points. Some of what I have found is that most runners like to stay towards the middle of the road. Less camber of the road. For myself I train on the edges of the roadway and am used to the camber. I find it more comfortable and less weaving thru crowds.

Now for the overpasses on the outside edge there are the concrete runoff channels. They are a little steeper on the sides, however in the middle of those channels there is about a six inch wide flat section. I have never seen anybody running in that channel except me. I find that a good place to pass people or stay out of there way.

 

[SunDial]

Sure you have! Not a zip, but a phone number. Tommy Tutone. Google 867-5309 /Jenny and you'll recognize it!

Ok. I know that song and now i see the numbers.

 

[lhermiston]

Man, I didn't expect so many inspirational responses to the Sundays are for Disney question. I think no matter why you run, it's freaking awesome that we're all doing it.

I didn't feel like typing out a lengthy response on my phone earlier, so here goes:

I started running again in my mid-20s (I did track in high school) to drop a few pounds and to stay in shape. Never really had any goals and was really inconsistent. A couple years later, a friend talked me into doing a mud run. After that, I found that I stuck with my training more if I was signed up for a race. A couple years ago, with a few 5Ks under my belt, I set my sights on a 7-mile race. A few months after that, I ran my first half. Then, it became a matter of seeing how far I could push myself and decided I'd do a marathon.

Like many of you, my choice to do the WDW Marathon was born out of my love for Disney. My wife's cousins had run a couple Disney races a few years ago and I had no idea that was even a thing. I also figured that if I was going to do one marathon in my life, I might as well go big, so WDW Marathon it was.

It's funny, but the other day I looked at the first post on this thread in anticipation of launching the 2019 marathon thread early next month. I had posted that the 2017 marathon would probably be my only Disney race. Now, here I am 11 months later, planning on signing up for Dopey in a few months and plotting at least every-other-year races. runDisney isn't perfect and it's expensive, but there's no beating the atmosphere, the community, the energy and the joy that comes with those races.

 

[croach]

Question for those who have run a Disney marathon before, what is the candy they hand out during the race? I saw in the Event guide that at mile 23.2 candy will be available. Just wondering what to prepare for.

thanks

They had full size candy this year. I know I grabbed a bag of Crispy M&M’s.

 

[Goofy2015]

Why do I run? The answers to these two questions relate to each other. My now passion from running came from Disney. For the majority of my 20's, I found myself to be overweight. I weighed between 220-230 from like 2012 - 2016. This was purely because I ate very unhealthy and was absolutely not active. I have always been a big Disney fan. At some point in my life, I did want to do the WDW Marathon. However, two things held me back. One, the thing that holds most people back the motivation to train for a marathon or be active. Two, my job requires me to work on very specific days at the beginning of the year. In 2015, some friends talked about doing the 2016 Star Wars Half Marathon at Disneyland. They wanted me to come because I am a huge Disney fan. So not only did I come, but I signed up for the Half as well. Didn't really train for the half and struggled, had like a 15:34 pace. However, I managed to have fun while doing it and wanted to do it again. This led me to trying to get near the same crew to do it again for the Star Wars Half Marathon in 2017. However, this time I wanted to train and train hard for it. From December 2016 to April 2017, trained significantly hard. Improved for 5K (11:30 to 7:05); 10K (13:30 to 7:45) and Half (15:34 to 8:40). Lost 60 pounds in the process. 2017 has been a year that I have gained a new passion in running. I have ran in 32 races this year; tallying up to 174 miles in races and this Marathon will bring that number to 200 miles. So to answer the question, Disney inspired me to gain a passion for running.

Why do I run Disney? Again, I am a huge Disney fan. My overall goal is this Full Marathon. Sure, I am not doing the Dopey Challenge. That will come at some point in the future. The Disney races are the best because you are constantly entertained the entire course.

 

[michigandergirl]

Why do I run? I run because it is cheaper than therapy, HAHA. Just kidding, with all the shoes and races it probably costs more than therapy would! It is just great time to be alone and focus on my thoughts and have some time that is just for me.

Why do I run Disney? Because it is a good excuse to go to Disney, I love running through the parks, and I LOVE the bling!

I'm just going to have to borrow this as my answer to the Sunday question.

 

[lilmc]

Why do I run? Because I like to eat. I discovered fall of 2012 that I have exercise induced asthma. (So THAT’S why I can’t breath when I run. Huh. Who knew that not being able to breathe while running wasn’t normal?) I just always thought running was the hardest sport ever and could never understand how people could do it. Once I knew that albuterol was the key, then the question was did I really hate running or had I just been conditioned to think it was too hard? Well I learned to run a few miles, then found out about the WDW half coming up in a few months. (Couch to 13.1, anyone?) I convinced my hubby to go. Absolutely hated 13 miles and said I’d never do that again. Many races later, I have learned that I don’t like running, but I *can* do it and with as much I like to eat, well, I should probably keep doing it.

Why do I run Disney? Because I’m not a ‘runner’. Most runners need to run, it’s part of their psyche and sanity (or so I’ve heard ). Nope, not me. I could quit at any time and never look back. For me I can’t take my running seriously (a cop out because I’m slow?), so Disney for me is perfect. It’s super fun and the perfect excuse for me to not feel guilty that I’m not fast. I love the accomplishment, the BLING, and the not-frowned-upon-reason to stop every little bit take pictures with characters. I’m not into time. I don’t care how fast or slow I am. I ran. I accomplished. It was amazing. Perfect choice for me. Now let’s get into the parks and get some Dole Whip.

 

[Jim Tancredi]

Good evening fellow marathoners! I'm running the Disney Marathon for Autism Speaks, and am apparently able to purchase park tickets at a discount as a runner for charity. I was ready to purchase my tickets and then realized that I had to pick these tickets up in person at WWS Will Call or theme park will call. Doesn't look like I'm able to link these tickets to My Disney Experience. Has anyone else out there purchased the discounted park tickets and linked then to their My Disney Experience account? Any help anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for another question from a naive rookie!

 

[rteetz]

Good evening fellow marathoners! I'm running the Disney Marathon for Autism Speaks, and am apparently able to purchase park tickets at a discount as a runner for charity. I was ready to purchase my tickets and then realized that I had to pick these tickets up in person at WWS Will Call or theme park will call. Doesn't look like I'm able to link these tickets to My Disney Experience. Has anyone else out there purchased the discounted park tickets and linked then to their My Disney Experience account? Any help anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for another question from a naive rookie!

You’ll be able to link them once you pick them up but not before because you won’t have the number on the tickets.

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Sunday's Question:
Why I run: After having my second son in 2008, I thought running would be a good way to drop the 55 pounds of baby weight I always gain. My sister-in-law and mother-in-law had just run a half marathon, and I thought it looked so cool and fun! Running has done all of the things I was hoping it would do and more (keeps depression at bay, has introduced me to an uplifting and positive community, helps me reach goals, etc)
Why I run Disney: This will just be my second rD race, so I have done far fewer than most of you. RunDisney combines two great loves of mine, and while I probably will only do one every couple of years, it's fun to have one on the horizon!

 

[Jim Tancredi]

You’ll be able to link them once you pick them up but not before because you won’t have the number on the tickets.

Thank you, Rteetz! As organized as Disney is, I think they missed horribly on this one. Looks like I'm headed straight to WWS to pick up my race pack and my park tickets as soon as I get there.

 

[GollyGadget]

Rookie question alert... I forgot my headlamp today and had to finish my last couple of miles in the dark. This reminded me that I'll be running about 1/3 of the marathon before sunrise. Is the course well lit or should I plan to bring the headlamp?

 

[rteetz]

Rookie question alert... I forgot my headlamp today and had to finish my last couple of miles in the dark. This reminded me that I'll be running about 1/3 of the marathon before sunrise. Is the course well lit or should I plan to bring the headlamp?

Course is well lit and you should never be in an area where you should have to worry about light at least in my experience.

 

[IamTrike]

In general the course is lit well enough that you shouldn’t need a headlamp. I find that for the half and full the darkest part tends to be the road before you make the turn onto World drive. That fist mile or so is pretty dark, but you shouldn’t need a head lamp.

 

[GollyGadget]

Course is well lit and you should never be in an area where you should have to worry about light at least in my experience.

In general the course is lit well enough that you shouldn’t need a headlamp. I find that for the half and full the darkest part tends to be the road before you make the turn onto World drive. That fist mile or so is pretty dark, but you shouldn’t need a head lamp.

Thank you guys! That's what I assumed but wanted to ask to be sure.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

I went to the orthopedic doctor yesterday for my foot. After my marathon, it was swollen and red and hurt so bad I broke out the crutches.

Dr. Google had convinced me it was a stress fracture.

The X-ray was clean, no fracture. The diagnosis was basically 'your foot was telling you it had enough for that weekend', but no injury that he could see or feel.

I'm cleared to run. I really should get a written note because my wife never believes me. This is the doctor that after ankle surgery, told me I was not cleared to drive. Then he told me I could either try the using the cast foot fot the gas/brake or put my right leg over the console and use the left.

Dopey weekend seems unlikely at this point, but this is one minor roadblock removed.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Course is well lit and you should never be in an area where you should have to worry about light at least in my experience.

I agree with this. The course is lit well enough that no headlamp is necessary.