Marathon Weekend 2020

[ZellyB]

View attachment 458317

Hope that makes sense

Makes total sense. Thanks.

 

[goingthedistance]

So, I'm not running the marathon this year but I'm struck by this section as well. The elite runners are likely running a sub-6:00 min/mile pace right? And it looks like the course retraces mile 1 with mile 4-5 before it diverges at mile 5. Right? So, that would mean you would have to have your last corral started and at least close to the one mile mark within 25 minutes or so wouldn't it? And if your balloon ladies are at a 16 minute per mile pace for that first mile, that leaves you like 9 minutes to get all the preceding corrals started? That's impossible right? Or maybe I'm misreading the map and it just looks like the courses cover the same ground but maybe they are on different sides of a divided road??? I think it is a divided road there isn't it?

Do they put Corrals on both lanes of Epcot Center Drive?

It looks like, there are two lanes and right after the start, the first sharper left turn looks like a "bridge". So, Lead Pack and last Corral Runners should be on two different "lanes", hopefully ;-)

Corral H is staged on the Eastbound side of Epcot Center Drive. The course starts on the Westbound side and joins back on the Eastbound side off of Backstage Ln. If corral H has not moved up to the Westbound side by about 5:10 there will be issues (unless somehow the race director dedicates a lane on Eastbound Epcot Center Drive in that area). In any case, the port-a-lets are along Eastbound Epcot Center Drive where runners from the corrals will be playing Frogger going to/from the port-a-lets from the corrals.

 

[camaker]

There are a lot of changes and I don't think I'll be able to fully assess them until I've run the course, but some of my first impressions:

• Happy to see WWoS and the pre-AK out and back gone
• Not disappointed to see that long highway stretch over the overpass by the McDonald's with the sun beating down removed
• I'm not sure how you even classify that course as running "through" BB and DHS. It's like they wanted to keep runners out while "checking the box" that they were actually there
• As others have said, course cutting is going to be easy and prevalent.
• Ultimately, MK and the EP finish are my favorite portions of the course and they seem largely unaffected, so that's good
• I hope the speculation about a reduced field is accurate, because there are a number of places that look like they could bottleneck easily

 

[DopeyBadger]

My first reaction is disappointment. There’s an awful lot of highway time, and more importantly, an awful lot of highway time in the dark. I want to run down Main Street and through the castle while it’s dark, or run around WS in the dark, not down the highway.

I actually thought the same. For the most part the sun will be up enough that the run up Main Street with the dream lights against a dark sky will not be something most runners will see.

Working on coding the Excel sheet at the moment. These are the initial pace estimates for different types of dark sky backgrounds for MK.

 

[DopeyBadger]

The Thirsty River/EE projection as it occurs right around Mile 17.



The balloon ladies are projected at EE at 10:18am which is a gain of roughly 30 min from 2019.

 

[SheHulk]

The course should be pretty close but we have seen the illustrations change in the past (for example prior years showed the course not going through the castle on the illustration).

An example of something I saw in the guide currently is the requirement for Goofy Challenge runners to pick up race bibs on Wednesday and Thursday. There is no reason why Goofy runners would be prohibited from Friday pickup.

Uh I hope that is a mistake because I am arriving early on Friday and running Goofy.

 

[rteetz]

Here are some quick comparisons.

Biggest change for the 5K is avoiding future world which is the theme for all four races.



10K

A bit of a change after mile 2. No future world of course. Mostly the same.



Half

Change in the MK parking lot. Change in Fantasyland, avoid future world.



Marathon

I did a comparison but really there is so much different its really no comparison.

 

[JS71]

The half mile on bear island road between western way and Savanah Cir seems problematic. It’s a half mile where the whole field will pass each other on a two lane road. Am I looking at this right?

 

[hotblooded]

I booked Pop Century to be able to take the skyliner to DHS on marathon morning, but it looks like boarding groups are have been gone by official park opening and the skyliner hasn’t been running early. Any thoughts on whether a 6 AM Uber/lyft would be doable during marathon road closures?

 

[rteetz]

Something I was interested in was the finish area. I was worried it would be the same as Wine and Dine but its not.

 

[baxter24]

I know that the map has been wrong before (i.e. - appearing like we don't run through the castle but actually do). Am I reading it correctly that we will enter MK differently on the day of the half compared to the full?

Really glad they moved the finish line back from where it was at Wine and Dine!

 

[FawnJD]

The start of the course looks very similar to what I remember from 2012. Maybe someone else can confirm.

Pros:
1) We avoid Osceola Parkway, which was always my least favorite part of the course.
2) I have the course in my hands prior to my 21-miler this weekend, which will be good motivation!

Cons:
1) There's no way there's more park time.
2) Even given the problems with the narrow pathways, I was hoping for more BB.

 

[croach]

The half mile on bear island road between western way and Savanah Cir seems problematic. It’s a half mile where the whole field will pass each other on a two lane road. Am I looking at this right?

Yes, once you cross Western Way there will be runners coming and going from AK.

 

[UNCBear24]

Yes, once you cross Western Way there will be runners coming and going from AK.

At least this far into the race the runners will be strung out, so hopefully crowding won't be an issue. Maybe Cone Alley won't be as bad with this new course.

 

[Barca33Runner]

The positive I am looking forward to is that it’s a little more packed with landmarks on the back half of the course. During the longest boring slog we have MK to look forward to and after we reach AK the race seems to be sectioned pretty nicely with the small portions of parks we get to enter all back to back to back. Before it was about 9 miles of highway and WWoS before reaching DHS. That could get pretty soul-crushing.

 

[Neon Cactus]

I know that the map has been wrong before (i.e. - appearing like we don't run through the castle but actually do). Am I reading it correctly that we will enter MK differently on the day of the half compared to the full?

Really glad they moved the finish line back from where it was at Wine and Dine!

It looks like the half has us going in the main entrance but for the marathon, we'd be going backstage and then coming out onto Main Street by Tony's. That backstage entrance was how we came in for the 2016 marathon.

 

[rteetz]

I booked Pop Century to be able to take the skyliner to DHS on marathon morning, but it looks like boarding groups are have been gone by official park opening and the skyliner hasn’t been running early. Any thoughts on whether a 6 AM Uber/lyft would be doable during marathon road closures?

Uber is probably your best option right now.

 

[FawnJD]

The positive I am looking forward to is that it’s a little more packed with landmarks on the back half of the course. During the longest boring slog we have MK to look forward to and after we reach AK the race seems to be sectioned pretty nicely with the small portions of parks we get to enter all back to back to back. Before it was about 9 miles of highway and WWoS before reaching DHS. That could get pretty soul-crushing.

Yep. Whatever other issues this course has, it's taking away the portion that has, in the past, been the hardest/least fun for me, so I'm counting it as a net positive until it proves otherwise.

 

[Barca33Runner]

I know that the map has been wrong before (i.e. - appearing like we don't run through the castle but actually do). Am I reading it correctly that we will enter MK differently on the day of the half compared to the full?

Really glad they moved the finish line back from where it was at Wine and Dine!

I know we’re starting earlier but, with MK at mile 10, it’s going to be pretty close to opening when the last corrals go through. I’m guessing they don’t want to have any confusion at the main gates with ticketed customers and runners. As someone else just pointed out, up to the last couple years the backstage entrance next to Tony’s had been the norm for both the Half and Full when we were entering MK. It’s substantially the same experience from my perspective.

ETA: I’d guess this change is also meant to help bus traffic.

 

[StarGirl11]

Few thoughts:

1. Disappointed but not surprised by the lack of DHS time. Even if they had been planning to maybe add more I think the absolute mayhem that’s been ROTRs opening has made it not viable for who knows how long.
2. Still going by Everest thank the lord
3. Guess I’m one of the few that realized early Epcot meant losing the run down Main Street? I ran the math over a month ago based on the old pre 2013 course and realized rather quickly the only way to make it was a really early placement and being pretty fast
4. @Barca33Runner Thats probably exactly what they’re thinking. My one experience on the old course in 2011 where I DNFed had me getting out of the park right as they were opening. And I was very much towards the back. They don’t want to get the runners mixed up with the normal customers.
5. Disappointed by Pandora but wasn’t entirely expecting it either since like BB it’s got narrow pathways. Come alleys a nightmare normally can’t imagine having to go through a similar situation a few more times.
6. They must be planning to move H over as soon as enough the first two corrals are off or else they’re going to have a giant safety hazard.
7. Some of this decision making with the full course feels like it was brought on by the construction understandably. So going to be interesting to see what possibly changes next year.