Marathon Weekend 2020

[Professor_Cookie]

SAFD: Florida is warm when Michigan is not! I love the energy of Marathon weekend. I love the entertainment on the course. I love the challenges and bling.

@Professor_Cookie What a cutie you have there! My oldest son was born 16 weeks premature, so I know what you're going through. I'm glad to hear she's healthy!

Awww, thanks!

 

[lahobbs4]

SAFD: Like so many, runDisney is the reason I started running! I feel 100% comfortable there based on my athletic abilities and course support. I wish I could say the same for my local races.

Also, it's Walt Disney World which makes my heart oh-so-happy.

 

[Baloo in MI]

SAFD: I ran my first runDisney event in 2015, it was my first half and full marathon. I was in way over my head. But I fell in love with the atmosphere of the event, the positivity, the energy, everyone seemed happy and psyched to be up so early in the morning to go run a race. I had no idea what the course would be like or what type of entertainment and support would be on the course and I was blown away by the experience and hooked.

I have tried to go every year since (missed 2019) because I just don’t want to miss out on the fun. Most years it is with my family but I have gone once (and will likely be again this year) solo. There are no other races quite like it.

 

[bevcgg]

SAFD: Back in 2009 we had just come back from our 2nd long trip to WDW with my then elementary age kids. They along with my hubby were "done" with Disney for awhile. Me not so much! I was still roaming DIS boards and saw a post about "running through the castle"- that led me to find this forum. (Formerly buried under the green header) Reading posts here about Princess Half Marathon was enough to get me off the sofa and start running for the first time in my life completing 2011 Princess Half Marathon as my first race ever! And like others here- one taste of the Run Disney atmosphere, welcoming environment, and social support network of DIS boards- I was hooked. Never thought I would ever run a Marathon say nothing about Dopey. Just completed Dopey plus 1.4 to celebrate 50 miles for my 50th birthday and had a BLAST! Can't wait to do the marathon again- I had SO MUCH FUN!

I run local races to prep for Run Disney- but I don't love (or even like) them at all, I only run because of Run Disney! It keeps me healthy and if at least one race/trip a year is what it takes- then it is worth the $$$ for both my mental and physical health.

An added benefit is that my family has joined in as well. My DH (who doesn't like to run) has completed several RD 5 & 10Ks with me along with Tower of Terror 10miler and Avengers Half weekend. My oldest daughter has also caught the RD bug and eagerly awaited her 14th b-day to be able to run a RD half with me. We are doing Wine&Dine half together this year before college takes over. And my Mom has run a RD 5K with major arthritis issues.
Needless to say Run Disney has had a hugely positive, healthy impact on my whole family!
Dopey was only 4 weeks ago and can't wait to go back for Wine&Dine!!

 

[JulieODC]

I was a runner all through middle and high school, but it lapses in college and early adulthood. RuNDisney got me back into running after having 2 kids - I was looking for a way to get physical activity regularly into my life, and get some time to myself - so turned back to running, and registered for the 2017 PHM as motivation.

Now I use it as an excuse to visit WDW - but also love the accessibility and variety of runners you find doing RunDisney - less intense, more fun - accepting of all paces and approaches (run/Walk). Not that l don’t find that in my local running club/races - but not nearly to the extent of runDisney.

 

[PrincessV]

Anyway, let's start off with an easy one ... why? As in, why do runDisney? This is easily one of the most common responses I (and a lot of you, I imagine) get when I talk about doing marathon weekend? Why run on vacation? Why get up so early? Why pay that much for a race? Why run four races in a row?

So why do you - or why do you want to - runDisney?

SAFD: I've been running for fitness/enjoyment most of my life, but never even considered racing for most of it; I initially thought that was something only professionals did, and when I met my ex and learned he was a triathlete, I thought racing was something non-pro people only did competitively. It wasn't until I happened to be in DHS during the tail end of a WDW Marathon that I realized "normal" people like me did these things. So that was the start of my rD "career."

Why I've kept at it for years and many, many miles of races? 1. WDW is close - I'm about 100 miles away, so it's not a big, expensive trip to do a race. 2. I have ventured out into "real" races locally that are less about fun and more about competition... and hated the experience. I run for enjoyment and for how it makes me feel - rD allows me to do that in a race setting with virtually no outside pressure to perform. At this stage of my life (read: mid-life and dealing with long-term health issues), I really need that to counter my internal, innate self-competitiveness. 3. I've made some really amazing friendships through rD, and race weekends are a chance to spend time with those fine people and catch up.

I don't think of WDW race weekends as vacations: they're race weekends, first and foremost, with the option of spending a little time outside of races in a favorite place. I keep my real vacations race-free. The getting up so early part is just what comes with the races: not something I delight in, but I'm willing to accept. The cost is getting hard to handle. I think I get my money's worth, but my salary just isn't keeping up with the increased costs of life, across the board. This year, I'm cutting most local races and W&D out to save money. It's a bummer. Four races in a row? Bragging rights. And 4 days of fun and friendship. Along with testing my own limits in a slightly uncomfortable, but generally safe, manner - a much healthier option than some of the ways I've tested my limits in the past.

 

[baxter24]

SAFD: I started running because of runDisney. I had done two 5k’s before I was pregnant with my oldest and thought that distance was far enough. I saw an advertisement for marathon weekend and thought it would be a good incentive to lose the baby weight plus a trip to Disney so I signed me and husband up for the half. The race was hard but fun. I really started to love Disney races when we returned after the twins were born over two years later and I did a challenge. I really started to take training seriously and saw results because of it. I enjoy doing other races but nothing can compare to a Disney race for me. They are so much fun!!! No other race has produced happy tears while running for me. The easiest/cheesy way to best describe it is I feel like I’m in my happy place when I’m running a Disney race.

 

[disneygpa]

SAFD: I haven't run a Disney race yet. But Dopey 2020 is my goal. It will not only be my first runDisney it will be my first marathon. Long story how I got here, but its all in my training journal.
Why did I pick a Disney event for my first marathon? Well, honestly it just looks amazing and if it's going to be a one and done marathon. I want it to be as magical as possible. This group looked like they had so much fun last year that I can't wait to meet you guys!!
Plus, I can get the DW to join me on vacation!! She LOVES all things Disney, so it was an easy sell!!

 

[2girlsR2good]

SAFD: Run Disney got me running. I had a milestone birthday that I was dreading and I decided to do something that would distract me from my internal "death is coming for me" monologue. Realized that the 2017 marathon was on my actual birthday and decided to start running with the goal being to run that marathon on my dang birthday. It worked! I was totally distracted/panicked about something scarier. When I finished, my family met me and we had a nice dinner together at California Grill and that was all the milestone partying I needed. What I didn't anticipate is how fun a marathon could be. I signed up for a couple of half marathons back home and like @PrincessV found them disappointing in comparison.

Disney is appealing because it’s not intimidating for people like me.

Yup--the party atmosphere, characters, fun-loving fellow runners, and feeling like I fit in even though I am at the back of the pack.

They along with my hubby were "done" with Disney for awhile.

So much this! I can plan a trip to somewhere I love with a friend and get a Disney fix in without dragging my family down with me. Did the last Disneyland half for my coast to coast, the marathon again, and am now planning Dopey and maybe even squeezing in Wine and Dine.

 

[Jason Bryer]

My path to runDisney was a bit of an accident. I have been running 5Ks for many years and thought anything longer that that was crazy. My wife ran the San Francisco marathon around 2010 and thought she was nuts. Because of some personal issues, I found myself adding more miles to my typical runs. I found running was really helping me and running an hour or longer was getting easier. I decided to signup for our local half marathon in October and as started training started to think that this might be my chance to do a marathon and Disney was the marathon that fit that schedule. I thought I was going to be one-and-done marathoner, but I have now completed two (2018 and 2019) with this year's coming in under 4 hours. I have at least one more runDisney as I want to finish Dopey once. It may be 2020 if I don't get into the NYC marathon.

 

[Guidman]

I didn't do my first runDisney event until 2017 (dark side challenge). Mainly it was because I love Star Wars and a reason to head south for a vacation in April. I also hadn't been to WDW in over 25 years so it was just another excuse to go. Had no clue really what to expect and when you're standing in a parking lot at 3AM, you think maybe I could have made a better decision about this whole thing. Thankfully 10K+ other people decided the same. The race, atmosphere, cast members are all amazing for the runDisney events. I did dark side again in 2018 and am heading back down again in April this year for round 3. I love the local races here in Pittsburgh, they're what got me back into running and racing, but the runDisney races are really special too. I'll hopefully continue going down each April and one of these years I hope to do marathon weekend.

 

[IamTrike]

SAFD: I grew up swimming competitively. We would run a mile or two before some practices and I HATED every second of running. In 2010 one of our friends told us that she was going to be running a Marathon at Disney and they though we should come too. Weekend lined up with our 13th wedding anniversary. I thought it would be fun to run 13 miles to celebrate 13 years of marriage so I signed up for the half. While training for that race I met so many cool people on this board like (Coach Charles, Firewalker etc) and I got more interested in running. I was nervous going into the half, but by Sunday afternoon I was convinced that I needed to come back for Goofy in 2012. I try to do other destination races now ( NY, Chicago, Marine Corps, Sydney, Wellington), but Marathon Weekend is still my favorite. I think it has a camaraderie that you don't see any where else. NY is absolutely amazing, but I'm not on a forum talking with people about it 11 months in advance, and you won't wind up bumping into random strangers and congratulating them for the next 2 or 3 days.

Actually Run Disney is also how I've gradually gotten most of my close friends into running. Training for Marathons together is a great way to bond too.

 

[jennamfeo]

SAFD: runDisney has been my first Half Marathon, first Challenge race, and first Marathon. If they came out with a Ultra, I would make that one my first too! The magic of running on Disney Property and through the parks is enough to always bring me back. But this past race weekend for the WDW Marathon has been the most special to me because of the (life long) friendships that it has given me.

 

[rteetz]

SAFD: runDisney has been my first Half Marathon, first Challenge race, and first Marathon. If they came out with a Ultra, I would make that one my first too! The magic of running on Disney Property and through the parks is enough to always bring me back. But this past race weekend for the WDW Marathon has been the most special to me because of the (life long) friendships that it has given me.

How do you know they’re life long

 

[Disneyslowrunner]

Good morning, runDisney all-stars! It's time for a little Sundays are for Disney.

For those of you who are new to Sundays are for Disney (commonly shortened to SAFD), each Sunday I'll post a question usually related to Disney, runDisney or sometimes running in general. Although the questions are posed on Sundays, feel free to weigh in all week ... or not at all.

I'll do my best to keep the questions fresh and a lot of them are inspired by discussions I see on here, but marathon weekend thread veterans are bound to see some (a lot) of repeats. I'll probably do a little more crowdsourcing this year for questions.

Anyway, let's start off with an easy one ... why? As in, why do runDisney? This is easily one of the most common responses I (and a lot of you, I imagine) get when I talk about doing marathon weekend? Why run on vacation? Why get up so early? Why pay that much for a race? Why run four races in a row?

So why do you - or why do you want to - runDisney?

For starters, I like the challenge. My only two events have been the 2017 WDW marathon and 2019 Dopey Challenge. 2017 was my first marathon and 2019 (obviously) was my first and only Dopey. I wanted to challenge myself and see if I could do those kind of races.


Have a great week, everyone.

I had a lot of reasons for runDisney-specifically marathon weekend.

1. I wanted to get back into shape and from doing an half marathon that ran with a full marathon, I realized that if I did a local marathon, I would be running by myself and may not even make the time limit. I knew had a larger time frame and that it was big enough I wouldn’t finish by myself.

2.I liked that the races was sort of a big celebration, otherwise I could just run 26.2 miles on my own for a lot cheaper.

3. It was a way to go on vacation during a good time of the year for me.

4. It helped me keep physically active and watching what I eat during the holidays. December and January are typically the months I tend to gain weight and this has kept this in check.

Now, I have gotten fast enough that the first reason is no longer an issue, but the others still hold true. In the grand scheme of things, I don’t really think running a marathon is a big deal, but I love how rundisney and many racers make a big deal about it. I love witnessing others do something that they never thought they could do it and being able to experience the race with them.

 

[lhermiston]

I love witnessing others do something that they never thought they could do it and being able to experience the race with them.

This was one of my favorite aspects of Marathon Weekend 2019. Although I didn't witness it, just knowing that so many people I had gotten to know over the last year were completing such a huge personal goal and knowing how good that feels, having done it two years earlier.

 

[PkbaughAR]

SAFD: W&D 2016 was the weekend that the lightbulb went on for me to realize that not all runners look like my preconceived idea. We were down for vacation during W&D weekend, and I saw regular people of all shapes, sizes and ages sporting super shiny medals that I wanted! I made a commitment to run the 10k in 2017 and dragged my DH and 2 friends along with me! Lol From there I entered all kinds of races, set all sorts of goals and have been constantly pushing my limits to see what I can do. And this from a formerly completely unathletic, food challenged middle aged woman! I’m running my first challenge at the SW Rival Run this April and want 2020 to be my first Disney marathon. Whether or not that’s part of a goofy or dopey challenge is still to be determined.

 

[Dis5150]

SAFT: The only reason I started running was to run W&D 2015! We had been at Disney during Princess weekend and thought that it looked like so much fun, seeing all the people with the awesome bling! So we signed up and I started training. W&D 2015 was the half of a half so we had to come back for a re do race, aka Princess 2016. Then of course we had to up to the marathon during Marathon Weekend 2017. And naturally Dopey in 2018 lol! Now it will be Star Wars and Dopey again. I do run other races but Disney is just, well, magical! No one puts on a race like Disney! Then there is the fun vacation surrounding the race.

 

[flav]

SAFD: I was a runner but when I learned about runDisney, I dreamt of it and it brought me to planned races with training and pacing in function of a given goal. I ran my first 10k knowing there was a chance it would be my POT should I runDisney and I registered to my next race, WnD Two Course Challenge 2017, at the same time of taking a big assignment at work. That made both commitments equally important so it helped me with balancing my schedule.

Also, I would probably not have considered long distance races without that. Now, I am hooked on racing challenges in general and enjoy the local races as well.

When I ranDisney, I went solo for practical reason. It had some unforseen positive side effects: I got to meet people from this amazing online community (thanks again @Keels ), my kids saw me as an full individual rather than “my mom” and DD started being interested in running... After all, there is so much perks (smile, going to Disney, being relaxed, the bling).

Combine the above and you have a multigenerational trip to run (DD 5k and 10k) and cheer us (all others) for Dopey 2020!

 

[ZellyB]

LOVE this question.

I started running back in 2012 to do a local half marathon and one day while out running with our Galloway group someone mentioned that Disney has races including a marathon in January. I was on a runner's endorphin high and proclaimed to my husband, Chris, "Let's go to Disney and run a marathon" I went home that day and researched and that January, 2013, I completed my first marathon and first runDisney event and was hooked. Marathon weekend remains the primary one we've run (we've done Tinkerbell at DL and one shortened W&D half at WDW) and we keep going back because we enjoy running, we love Disney and it's Florida in January. Hello? Huge attraction. But, it's also just the unique nature of the races and how incredibly well they are supported. They do an amazing job moving huge numbers of runners through the process and the course. Much as we may all complain about various aspects of runDisney, the event itself is top notch and in a place I love.