Marathon Weekend 2018

[disneydaydreamer33]

Quick question for you marathoners: One thing that has always attracted me to this race is the opportunity to ride Everest (my fave ride!) during the race. As the realty of running a marathon gets closer though, I'm wondering if that's something that I will be able to do physically. Have you guys stopped to ride Everest during the marathon, and if you so how hard was it to get back into the running groove? Thanks!

 

[rteetz]

Quick question for you marathoners: One thing that has always attracted me to this race is the opportunity to ride Everest (my fave ride!) during the race. As the realty of running a marathon gets closer though, I'm wondering if that's something that I will be able to do physically. Have you guys stopped to ride Everest during the marathon, and if you so how hard was it to get back into the running groove? Thanks!

This year was my first marathon. I asked myself the same question several times before the race. I decided I'll make the decision based on how I feel at that point. I got into AK at right about 9AM which is park opening. There was a long line already but I overheard someone mention single rider. I jumped in that line and was on in about 5ish minutes. I rode with a fellow solo runner who I struck a convo with. Getting off I still felt in my running groove even with stopping. I don't regret it at all.

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

Quick question for you marathoners: One thing that has always attracted me to this race is the opportunity to ride Everest (my fave ride!) during the race. As the realty of running a marathon gets closer though, I'm wondering if that's something that I will be able to do physically. Have you guys stopped to ride Everest during the marathon, and if you so how hard was it to get back into the running groove? Thanks!

I had a similar experience to @rteetz. I waited to decide once I got to that point but I made a fastpass just in case. I came up to the ride 1 minute before my fastpass time and decided it was fate telling me to go for it. I am so glad I did and I don't feel like it messed with my running groove at all. It actually gave me a nice adrenaline boost.

 

[hauntedcity]

I booked my flight to Disney this morning!

Tip for Southwest: keep checking your fare, even after booking, to see if the price goes down. Southwest doesn't have change fees, other than the price difference of the fares. If the fare goes down, call to get the new price. They won't give you a refund on "Wanna Get Away" fares, but they'll give you a credit good for a future booking... like your trip home

A HUGE THANKS to this board for letting me know that Southwest flights were available!

The flight prices for Jan 3 were bouncing up and down throughout the day. I was able to nab 3 tickets using our reward points at a lower price, but then unfortunately, it shot up over $30 for the remaining ticket for which I had to pay cash.

Fingers crossed that the prices will dip back down at some point -- you never know with Southwest! It would be great to have a little system credit available when flights are available on our return date.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Quick question for you marathoners: One thing that has always attracted me to this race is the opportunity to ride Everest (my fave ride!) during the race. As the realty of running a marathon gets closer though, I'm wondering if that's something that I will be able to do physically. Have you guys stopped to ride Everest during the marathon, and if you so how hard was it to get back into the running groove? Thanks!

It may also be relevant what corral you're in and how long you're willing to wait. I was in G the last couple years and passed before 8:30 while running a 2:30 first 13.1 (so not exactly quickly). I'm not willing to wait 30+ minutes before the ride opens. I've started making FP+ for RnRR and ToT because they are in a more reasonable timeframe for the race for me. I skipped them this year because I wasn't feeling great and they are a little off-course, but they might be a better option depending on your corral and desired pace.

 

[Jaxasaurous]

Quick question for you marathoners: One thing that has always attracted me to this race is the opportunity to ride Everest (my fave ride!) during the race. As the realty of running a marathon gets closer though, I'm wondering if that's something that I will be able to do physically. Have you guys stopped to ride Everest during the marathon, and if you so how hard was it to get back into the running groove? Thanks!

This past marathon was my first marathon and I ran it with my brother and sister. We started in corral E and stopped at every picture stop, so it took us awhile to get to Everest. When we got to Everest it was maybe 5 minutes before the ride/park opened so we jumped in the line. I think we were the 2nd train of the morning It was not hard at all after to get back into our running groove after riding it. Riding Everest on my first marathon with my brother and sister is something I will never forget.
I don't know if I would ride it again if the timing happened like that. We were well ahead of the balloon ladies but it took us 6.5 hours to finish the race, but I did have an experience that very few people get and I wouldn't change how we ran the race

 

[DVCFan1994]

It may also be relevant what corral you're in and how long you're willing to wait. I was in G the last couple years and passed before 8:30 while running a 2:30 first 13.1 (so not exactly quickly). I'm not willing to wait 30+ minutes before the ride opens. I've started making FP+ for RnRR and ToT because they are in a more reasonable timeframe for the race for me. I skipped them this year because I wasn't feeling great and they are a little off-course, but they might be a better option depending on your corral and desired pace.

I was hoping to ride Everest, but this is making me wonder, I am hoping for a G or H corral and would likely be around a 2:20 - 2:30 half pace, for some reason it didn't occur to me it wouldn't be open. At about what mileage are Everest and RnR? How far off course is RnR?

And now for my most important goal - cross the finish with a Margarita in hand -- what time do those stands open?

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

I am hoping for a G or H corral and would likely be around a 2:20 - 2:30 half pace, for some reason it didn't occur to me it wouldn't be open.

I got there about 20 minutes after 9. I started in J and took it slow so it might not be opened by the time you get there.

At about what mileage are Everest and RnR? How far off course is RnR?

I'm not sure about RnR but Everest was right after the 13.1 flag.

 

[Barca33Runner]

I was hoping to ride Everest, but this is making me wonder, I am hoping for a G or H corral and would likely be around a 2:20 - 2:30 half pace, for some reason it didn't occur to me it wouldn't be open. At about what mileage are Everest and RnR? How far off course is RnR?

And now for my most important goal - cross the finish with a Margarita in hand -- what time do those stands open?

RnR is not far off course. I don't know the names of everything, but I believe it is just the right hand turn down into the cove where it is located as a deviation from the course. HS is at about mile 22-23 range, very late in the course. One of the reasons I skipped my FP was that I was just in the mood to get finished at that point.

 

[FelisLachesis]

A HUGE THANKS to this board for letting me know that Southwest flights were available!

The flight prices for Jan 3 were bouncing up and down throughout the day. I was able to nab 3 tickets using our reward points at a lower price, but then unfortunately, it shot up over $30 for the remaining ticket for which I had to pay cash.

Fingers crossed that the prices will dip back down at some point -- you never know with Southwest! It would be great to have a little system credit available when flights are available on our return date.

I'm coming in on the 2nd, and booked as soon as I woke up yesterday. I was checking the flight I booked throughout the day, and the price had already gone up a bit, as well!

From Southwest's website:

We are currently accepting air reservations through January 7, 2018. On June 22, 2017 we will open our schedule for sale through
March 7, 2018. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently.

https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/index.html

So June 22 is our target date to book our flights home if we're not leaving until at least the day after the marathon.

I don't know what time they release them. Sometime after 3:00 am but before 8:30 (Edit: Eastern Time)

 

[rteetz]

I was hoping to ride Everest, but this is making me wonder, I am hoping for a G or H corral and would likely be around a 2:20 - 2:30 half pace, for some reason it didn't occur to me it wouldn't be open. At about what mileage are Everest and RnR? How far off course is RnR?

And now for my most important goal - cross the finish with a Margarita in hand -- what time do those stands open?

You enter DHS right at mile 23, RnR is right when you enter to the right. I believe @FFigawi did this this year.

 

[PrincessV]

Quick question for you marathoners: One thing that has always attracted me to this race is the opportunity to ride Everest (my fave ride!) during the race. As the realty of running a marathon gets closer though, I'm wondering if that's something that I will be able to do physically. Have you guys stopped to ride Everest during the marathon, and if you so how hard was it to get back into the running groove? Thanks!

I, too, figured I'd decide when I got there... year 1, I was fighting a migraine at that point of the race and said, "no way"; year 2, (this year) it was so bitterly cold, choosing not to be hurled through the cold air at 65mph was also an easy, "nope" lol! So I'm currently 0 for 2, but will assess again when I get there next year.

 

[GollyGadget]

Thanks for the heads up on flights! Now I have to get my husband to decide exactly what he wants to do.

Is it really slow to ride rnr or tot without a fast pass? We're not planning on going to a park that day so I'd have to wait in line. I'm thinking I'll probably just be ready to finish at that point but would like to know my options.

 

[FFigawi]

I was hoping to ride Everest, but this is making me wonder, I am hoping for a G or H corral and would likely be around a 2:20 - 2:30 half pace, for some reason it didn't occur to me it wouldn't be open. At about what mileage are Everest and RnR? How far off course is RnR?

And now for my most important goal - cross the finish with a Margarita in hand -- what time do those stands open?

You enter DHS right at mile 23, RnR is right when you enter to the right. I believe @FFigawi did this this year.

I rode both RnR and ToT this year. The course, assuming it doesn't change any, runs right past ToT. You don't have to go out of your way at all to ride it. RnR is a bit more work since you have to run over to the entrance when the course turns left to head towards the rest of DHS. From stepping off the course at ToT to rejoining after RnR was about 45 minutes. People were gracious enough to let us zip to the front of the singles line at RnR, but ToT had long lines because one side had been down.

As for the bars, the one in AK near Everest opened around 8. We were the first ones to buy a beer from them. The ones in Epcot usually open at 10 or 11, I think. We stopped at Germany for a finish line beer.

 

[DOOM1001]

The only time I ran past Everest where I saw it open was in my first marathon in 2013 where I started in the second to last corral.If I remember correctly I ran past it around 8:50 but there were allowing runners to ride it,as it was my first full and the highs that day were going to hit the mid 80's I had no idea if I was going to struggle in the second half and the main goal that day was to never see the balloon ladies so I looked at it like even taking 5-10 minutes to ride Everest as risky.At the end of the day I regret not riding it as I was never in any risk of being swept and since that 2013 race I've run the full every year and every year I'm running past a closed Everest around 8:20-8:30 and I'm not going to wait 20-30 minutes to ride it,I tell myself every year to start in the last corral to ride it and have a different race experience,this year I might do it.With the revised course at DHS due to construction you definitely run closer to RnRc and ToT but with those rides having pre-shows and with the park already open to guests I know it won't be as quick as Everest where its basically right on the course and especially if you get on near opening time you might be able to get on almost immediately.Has anyone heard of any runners getting on Frozen Ever after half a mile from the finish line?

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Oh gosh I didn't realize that riding RnR or ToT were even possibilities! Hmm interesting! It sounds like Everest or any of the rides can't be planned with any certainty, because of timing. I guess we will take the same approach and wait and see how everything lines up! Thanks for the responses, guys!

 

[rteetz]

Hope everyone had a great week! I'll be in WDW in just 10 days!

As always Sunday's are for Disney! Today's Disney related question...

What is one thing you've never done at WDW?

My answer: I have never been to Tom Sawyer Island at the Magic Kingdom. I hope to change that soon as I really want to check it out at least once.

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

Hmm one thing I've never done at WDW is stay at a deluxe resort! We really enjoyed when we stayed at Art of Animation a couple of years ago, but with our 3 kids getting bigger it has been nice the past couple of trips to spread out in an off-site condo. I would hate to pay deluxe prices and then feel cramped with 5 of us in a room on our vacation. But I'm determined to stay in one someday- it may just be a couples trip?

Have a great time at WDW @rteez

 

[FFigawi]

Oh gosh I didn't realize that riding RnR or ToT were even possibilities! Hmm interesting! It sounds like Everest or any of the rides can't be planned with any certainty, because of timing. I guess we will take the same approach and wait and see how everything lines up! Thanks for the responses, guys!

If you know about what pace you'll run and roughly what corral you'll be in, it's fairly easy to predict when you'll be at any given part of the course. As I recall, @DopeyBadger even had a spreadsheet which he used to predict for people their location at TTC, AK, and other places for spectators. If he still has it, you might be able to persuade him to add rides to the list of locations.

What is one thing you've never done at WDW?

I never got to do the sketching at the Animation Academy before it closed.

 

[rteetz]

I never got to do the sketching at the Animation Academy before it closed.

They still do a smaller version at Art of Animation. It was one of my favorite things before it closed.