Marathon Weekend 2023

[PrincessV]

A couple notes to consider when looking at weather forecasts, since we’re at that point now:

1. Forget the forecast high temp for races: we’re not going to see that. We hit the high for maybe an hour, tops, late in the afternoon this time of year.

2. Do look at the previous day’s LOW: that’s more than likely your waiting at the start/race start temp.

3. There’s a front in the forecast, hence the high temps early next week, followed by some threat of rain/storms and a drop in temps. When will it hit? WILL it hit? Too early to say, but something to watch. Pack ponchos and layers, just in case, but also consider how you might adjust outfits for warmer temps.

4. Sunscreen for anyone not running a 3-hour marathon. Even if the temp is low, the sun is still strong down here!

 

[Herding_Cats]

According to my notes, the race start area opens at the same time as the buses start running from the resorts. So, for example the runDisney buses start leaving the resorts at ~2:30am for the marathon, which means the start area at EPCOT also opens ~2:30am. I've been on the first bus for nearly every runDisney race pre-C19 that I've done and usually get to EPCOT around 15-20 min after bus start and to the reunion area about 15 min after that. So that would put me in the reunion area around 30-35 min after bus start. My recollection was that the pre-race characters were already out by then with a moderate line length. So if the goal is to get pre-race pics, then the shortest line is going to come from you heading to EPCOT via car. You'd be to the reunion area 15 min after (2:45) and I would get there around 3:00-3:05 at the earliest. That 20 min buffer is going to be huge in comparing the number of people that are in line.

With that being said, if you arrive on the first bus, then you have a good chance to get a few pre-race photos. But they do eventually cut off the lines and encourage you to head to the corrals. A secondary consideration is where you want to end up in the corral itself. The walk to corrals opens at ~3:30-3:45am for the HM/M. So if you want a near front of corral position for those races, then you will want to be in the secondary holding area by then. So if you take a first bus and thus limit your time in the pre-race reunion area then you have to balance the desire for pre-race photos against the desire of placement within your corral.

I definitely want to be as far forward as I can reasonably manage for the half and the full. So even though I'm planning on getting to the meet-ups that day, I won't be lingering once the corrals are getting ready to open. As with most things Disney, it seems like if you want a short line it's best to get yourself there early. So we will plan on that for the days we have other stuff going on.

The weather forecast continues to creep up in temperature and it’s making me quite nervous. May have to make some large adjustments in costuming and pace if we are looking at highs in the upper 80s for race weekend. I know it will be “cooler” at race time but I’m still not liking the look of it at all.

Marathon day temps are still starting with a 7, so I'm not concerned. Average for that time of year is around 68-72. I for one, do NOT want a freezing cold day.

 

[DopeyRunner486]

Marathon day temps are still starting with a 7, so I'm not concerned. Average for that time of year is around 68-72. I for one, do NOT want a freezing cold day.

We are due for some decent weather. I have run every year since 2015 and 2019 was probably the best of those. 2017-18 were cold. 2020 HOT. 2022 was warm but not 2020 bad.

 

[surfde22]

The cooler the better. I’d love to see a low in the 40s the night before and staying in the low 60s at most during the race.

 

[runningDisneygirl]

What other rides are typically options to ride during marathon? I am nervous to do anything intense since I usually feel a bit queasy by mile 20 and wouldnt want to make myself sick!

 

[The Expert]

I’m finally ready to start seriously thinking about course planning and have a question for more seasoned MW participants: is there a good metric to estimate the ride wait times for Everest and TOT during the marathon?

I think the answer you'd get from previous MW participants will not be indicative of what may accurate now. The last time Everest was open during the Marathon was January 2020 -- pre-Covid, pre-park reservations and pre-Genie+. I'd just check the app as a few others have suggested. If the posted time is long, ask the cast member if you can sneak in through single-rider, or see if the folks in line will let you jump ahead. They are usually pretty accommodating (and don't want to stand next to a sweaty runner in line).

Jumping on a ride during the marathon is one of those “only at Disney” things though and I also want to experience the whole weekend. I know everyone always says I will feel differently after I cross the finish line, but I really don’t think I will do another marathon. So I want to do all the things and not have any regrets at the end.

These were my exact thoughts in 2020 (and yet now I'm doing my third marathon and second Dopey). Still no regrets having done it!

 

[Herding_Cats]

What other rides are typically options to ride during marathon? I am nervous to do anything intense since I usually feel a bit queasy by mile 20 and wouldnt want to make myself sick!

None of the parks are open before you get to AK, and if you are a fast runner (and in corral A) there's a chance you could be through there too before it opens. Animal Kingdom opens at 7:30 for early entry (resort guests.) There's nothing nearby the course except for EE. After that would be HS (ToT and RnR are closest to the course) and possibly something as your come through Epcot in the final mile or so. Look at the course map and then the park map to see what is nearby.

 

[DopeyRunner486]

What other rides are typically options to ride during marathon? I am nervous to do anything intense since I usually feel a bit queasy by mile 20 and wouldnt want to make myself sick!

It all depends on timing.

Nothing in MK as the park won't be open.

AK - Everest is the big one. I do know people who have ridden Triceratop Spin in Dinoland.

DHS - Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster but waits can be long by the time people are getting there.

Epcot - I know people who have done Test Track as well as Gran Fiesta Tour. Others are likely too hard to get to and have too long of waits.

 

[Livelovedance]

Just came here to say I’m freaking out about my SW flights for MW. I can’t talk about this with anyone, so please pardon the rant below.

I fly from a small airport and SW is the only viable (and usually reliable) airline. I’m using all of my time off as is for Dopey, flying out Tuesday immediately after work. I just booked another SW flight for Wednesday morning, but if Tuesday night gets cancelled I’d imagine Wednesday morning won’t be looking good either. I’d attempt a major airport further away, but there really aren’t any options that will allow me to still work Tuesday and get there after work with rush hour traffic.

This training cycle has been a tough one emotionally. I haven’t updated my training journal in far too long because I just haven’t had enough time, but I’ve put in the work and I’ll just be devastated if I can’t get there due to these SW issues.

I know quite a few people that have already been impacted, had flights cancelled and had to make the 24 hour drive last minute. I’m trying to mentally prepare myself with a plan if this should happen to me next week, but I’m hoping beyond hope that this will be better by then…

 

[Cabius]

Animal Kingdom opens at 7:30 for early entry (resort guests.) There's nothing nearby the course except for EE.

Whoa now. This is TriceraTop Spin erasure!

 

[Cabius]

I know quite a few people that have already been impacted, had flights cancelled and had to make the 24 hour drive last minute. I’m trying to mentally prepare myself with a plan if this should happen to me next week, but I’m hoping beyond hope that this will be better by then…

Nobody can predict the future in situations like this, but what I've read from SW execs is that they are being super-aggressive with cancellations for the next few days to try and 'reset' the system and get back to normal as quickly as possible.

I TOTALLY understand being nervous in your position, but I'd be surprised if they were still cancelling a lot of flights the next week.

I really hope everything works out!!

 

[Herding_Cats]

Whoa now. This is TriceraTop Spin erasure!

Well! I thought we cut out of AK by the nemo building, but I was CLEARLY wrong about that. TTS would for sure be an option, although maybe not for the OP who says they are already queasy at that point.

 

[HangWithMerida]

I really hope SW gets themselves sorted out quickly. This adds a level of stress for sure. Fingers crossed for all you SW people that your flights go off without a hitch!

 

[fatmanatee]

l

Nobody can predict the future in situations like this, but what I've read from SW execs is that they are being super-aggressive with cancellations for the next few days to try and 'reset' the system and get back to normal as quickly as possible.

I TOTALLY understand being nervous in your position, but I'd be surprised if they were still cancelling a lot of flights the next week.

I really hope everything works out!!

Yep, I think they realize that this is already a catastrophic situation that they need to fix ASAP, if it runs into next week I don’t know how they recover from the damage to their brand.

 

[fatmanatee]

It all depends on timing.

Nothing in MK as the park won't be open.

AK - Everest is the big one. I do know people who have ridden Triceratop Spin in Dinoland.

DHS - Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster but waits can be long by the time people are getting there.

Epcot - I know people who have done Test Track as well as Gran Fiesta Tour. Others are likely too hard to get to and have too long of waits.

First time I’ve heard Epcot mentioned! It totally makes sense as an option bc we run by a few attractions (and a few spots to order drinks ), surprised I’ve never heard of people riding stuff there though.

 

[pluto377]

First time I’ve heard Epcot mentioned! It totally makes sense as an option bc we run by a few attractions (and a few spots to order drinks ), surprised I’ve never heard of people riding stuff there though.

My guess is people are so exhausted by the time they get there that they just want it to be over. Plus by the time you get there the park has been open for a while and lines may be long. Everest was always seen as the easiest because you could hit it right at park opening and therefore have little to no wait.

 

[accm]

Its the busiest week of the year, its not a great judge at the moment.

That’s true, but I’ve been looking at wait times for a while, and that’s been typical for a while. These are the wait times for TOT for the last month:

 

[The Expert]

First time I’ve heard Epcot mentioned! It totally makes sense as an option bc we run by a few attractions (and a few spots to order drinks ), surprised I’ve never heard of people riding stuff there though.

I think because it comes at the very end and most rides are far off course or those that tend to have longer lines with the park being open for a bit. Epcot is a gamble if you're close to the balloon ladies, and by mile 25-26, you're just ready to be done. From my experience, if runners stop in Epcot it's to grab a drink to cross the finish line with, rather than ride a ride.

Speaking of timing, I'm starting to wonder about Everest. Yes, the park opens at 7:30 but they will often open Asia as late as 9 or even 10am. I suspect rD knows that EE is a popular ride for runners and may try to open it (and the bar there) anyway, but there IS a chance it could be closed for a bit even with the park open.

 

[XoxoAmy]

4. Sunscreen for anyone not running a 3-hour marathon. Even if the temp is low, the sun is still strong down here!

Sunrise is 7:19am next weekend so unless you're running a sub-2 marathon (or a sub-2 half on Saturday), sunscreen for everyone!

 

[jrsharp21]

Nobody can predict the future in situations like this, but what I've read from SW execs is that they are being super-aggressive with cancellations for the next few days to try and 'reset' the system and get back to normal as quickly as possible.

I TOTALLY understand being nervous in your position, but I'd be surprised if they were still cancelling a lot of flights the next week.

I really hope everything works out!!

My wife is flying home from WDW after she runs the half marathon. Ironically to go train as a new Southwest employee. LOL. She is on a SW flight late afternoon on the 7th. She already has a notification from SW that her flight may be impacted and to keep checking her flight status for updates.