Marathon Weekend 2023

[matt and beth]

Disney will have water and Powerade available at each water stop. These stops will generally be every 1 to1-1/2 miles or so (more towards the latter half of the race). There are also a couple of stops that will have some kind of fuel (used to be gels, then sport beans, now ??), and also bananas. The course map in the digital event guide--when it becomes available a month or so in advance--will show the stops.

That said....you should ALWAYS have a nutrition plan for your race and practice it in training. You need to find what carb source works for you (sport drink/gel/chews/food/whatever) and plan on using that. If you want to rely on course carbs, you need to train with them.

ETA: Here is last year's course maps with stops shown.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewe...&ll=28.38744636101127,-81.56616950000002&z=13

Also, I saw this in the 2022 thread (from the event guide)..

"There will be 5 food stops on the Marathon Course. Between Mile 9-10 Honey Stinger Chews, Between Mile 14-15 Bananas, Just after Mile 17 Bananas, Just before Mile 21 Honey Stingers chews, and Chocolates just before Mile 23."

My only complaint was no citrus fruits like oranges over the bananas. And the water was warm. Beyond that there’s plenty of stations on the route and the volunteers are the best

 

[lookingforsunshine]

My only complaint was no citrus fruits like oranges over the bananas.

I would LOVE orange slices during the marathon.

 

[camaker]

My only complaint was no citrus fruits like oranges over the bananas. And the water was warm. Beyond that there’s plenty of stations on the route and the volunteers are the best

I would LOVE orange slices during the marathon.

Are orange slices (or the like) a normal thing that you’ve seen during races? Fruit-wise, I’ve never seen anything other than bananas on course during a road race that’s marathon distance or shorter. I’ve seen plenty of orange slices once you get up to the veritable buffets of ultra aid stations, though. Just curious.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Are orange slices (or the like) a normal thing that you’ve seen during races?

No. But one time a stranger gave me pineapple and it was a top 10 race moment for me. I also PRd that half lol.

 

[matt and beth]

Are orange slices (or the like) a normal thing that you’ve seen during races? Fruit-wise, I’ve never seen anything other than bananas on course during a road race that’s marathon distance or shorter. I’ve seen plenty of orange slices once you get up to the veritable buffets of ultra aid stations, though. Just curious.

Oranges are cut, but yes. Even been given PBJ. My experience is mainly 15-20 years ago with distance running. Never liked gels or gummy. Too much sugar too fast. Oranges are more natural personally

 

[flav]

Are orange slices (or the like) a normal thing that you’ve seen during races? Fruit-wise, I’ve never seen anything other than bananas on course during a road race that’s marathon distance or shorter. I’ve seen plenty of orange slices once you get up to the veritable buffets of ultra aid stations, though. Just curious.

I had orange once during a race and watermelon a couple of times.

 

[Dom497]

I submitted a proof of time back when registration first opened. I just went to view my registration to make sure I did submit everything correctly since the deadline for POT was yesterday. When I view my registration I see this block of text with a "I understand" button. However, because the deadline has past, that checkbox can't be checked. I swear that checkbox wasn't there before.

Anyone else see this on their registration? Is not having it checked going to cause problems with POT?

 

[GollyGadget]

I submitted a proof of time back when registration first opened. I just went to view my registration to make sure I did submit everything correctly since the deadline for POT was yesterday. When I view my registration I see this block of text with a "I understand" button. However, because the deadline has past, that checkbox can't be checked. I swear that checkbox wasn't there before.

Anyone else see this on their registration? Is not having it checked going to cause problems with POT?

I remember a checkbox about proof of time and I also remember checking the acknowledgement box but mine is now unchecked as well. My POT is still there at least. I realize at this point we are only two, but I'm guessing it's some sort of Disney IT issue and it won't cause any problems.

It's showing the same for wine and dine so I should know in a month or so if that unchecked box comes back to haunt me.

 

[Desdemona924]

Are orange slices (or the like) a normal thing that you’ve seen during races? Fruit-wise, I’ve never seen anything other than bananas on course during a road race that’s marathon distance or shorter. I’ve seen plenty of orange slices once you get up to the veritable buffets of ultra aid stations, though. Just curious.

I just did a marathon this weekend where people were handing out orange slices. I remember seeing them twice but I don't think either time was an official aid station.

 

[striker1064]

Are orange slices (or the like) a normal thing that you’ve seen during races? Fruit-wise, I’ve never seen anything other than bananas on course during a road race that’s marathon distance or shorter. I’ve seen plenty of orange slices once you get up to the veritable buffets of ultra aid stations, though. Just curious.

The Cherry Blossom 10-Miler here in DC has an orange slice table. A very pleasant and refreshing surprise!

 

[jrsharp21]

I wish they would also change up the Powerade flavors. After last years MW, I haven't touched a blue Powerade since. And some of the hydration stations, the Powerade was watered down and at some the Powerade was straight out of the bottle. I definitely learned last year to make sure you grab water/Powerade and a banana whenever it is available. I am not a big banana guy, but they were life savers out on the course. I do wish there were other options like people said, maybe some oranges and some pretzels for salt/carbs. I remember hitting the chocolate stop last year and them handing the trick or treat size candy bar. I asked for like 5 more than the one they handed me. Those were heaven at that point in the race.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I wish they would also change up the Powerade flavors. After last years MW, I haven't touched a blue Powerade since. And some of the hydration stations, the Powerade was watered down and at some the Powerade was straight out of the bottle. I definitely learned last year to make sure you grab water/Powerade and a banana whenever it is available.

So the way the aid stations are set up is the the water tables are first, and then the powerade tables are second. I think last year they tried out using liquid concentrate to make the batches as some of the stations (instead of powder, which they definitely used at most of them) and they have to make so much so quickly that it doesn't always get dissolved like it should so YES. Some of them were very strong and some were very weak. And I feel like there were 3+ banana stations?? SO.MANY.BANANAS.

agree x however many have said it at this point to bring your own nutrition.
I know I can handle stinger gummies (and have found out that I prefer them to gels!), so I took 2 packs at the first station they handed them out (one to eat and one to stash), and 2 more at the 2nd station. That way I only needed to supplement with that I brought myself, instead of having to figure out how to carry ALL of my nutrition for the entire race. This means I brought about half of what I needed with me to the start line (plus a little extra just in case), and used the on-course stuff to fill in. Having a plan to CARRY your fuel is just as important as knowing how much/what kind works best for you (as an example, if you ONLY use gels and you consume 1 every 45min, and finish in 7hrs, that means you'll need just over 9 gels on the course OR, if you consume 1 every 2 miles, that's 13 gels and that's a lot to fit into pockets/a belt/or use a vest which is a whole other discussion.)

 

[GreatLakes]

I submitted a proof of time back when registration first opened. I just went to view my registration to make sure I did submit everything correctly since the deadline for POT was yesterday. When I view my registration I see this block of text with a "I understand" button. However, because the deadline has past, that checkbox can't be checked. I swear that checkbox wasn't there before.

Anyone else see this on their registration? Is not having it checked going to cause problems with POT?

I wouldn't worry about that. I also submitted my POT and checked that box but it is showing unchecked for me. I went back and checked my MW registration and that box was also unchecked but my POT was accepted and put me in the correct corral.

 

[sandam1]

I would LOVE orange slices during the marathon.

I can't see this ever happening at Disney. Just the act of having to cut up the oranges would be a big enough complication.

One other tidbit that I read somewhere - the medical tents have Coke available. They don't advertise it, but if you find yourself in need of sugar, that's potentially a quick way to get it.

 

[Let's Get Kronk]

I started last year running 1 mile in mid Sept. Did just fine building mileage and running Dopey. Granted I’ve done a lot of marathons and ultra when younger. You can do it! Ate very clean and lots of protein. Did something like Hal Higdon but on an escalated program with no recovery weeks.

This is very encouraging to hear, thank you! I am starting to feel more motivated and confident that I can still do this. I almost cancelled my reservation at BC this week in despair, but I need this trip so I'm plowing full steam ahead.

 

[Barca33Runner]

I can't see this ever happening at Disney. Just the act of having to cut up the oranges would be a big enough complication.

One other tidbit that I read somewhere - the medical tents have Coke available. They don't advertise it, but if you find yourself in need of sugar, that's potentially a quick way to get it.

I know it’s cynical, but runDisney will have whatever they can get for free/sponsored. I haven’t looked specifically at the sponsors for a while but I know Chiquita was a weekend sponsor for a long time. The on course fuel stations have switched a bunch over the years as the sponsors have changed. And Coca Cola has always meant Dasani and Powerade.

The overall sponsorship had seemed to be down for a couple years leading into and then during the pandemic. I’m not the biggest expo person and have never really cared who the sponsors were; but with demand for the races, seemingly, back to peak levels it will be interesting to see if they are able to spin that into more sponsors and perhaps some new options during the races.

ETA: Just the Coca Cola partnership itself could lead to any number of things. I’m always a little surprised that it’s always just Dasani and Powerade. They have Body Armor and Vitamin Water along with Minute Maid, Simply, and even something like fairlife, which could do well with a running crowd, all in their portfolio.

 

[sandam1]

I took a long break from these forums, partly because of life stuff and partly because I lost a ton of motivation after not getting into Dopey. I am still signed up to do Goofy, but I wanted some advice from seasoned marathoners on this site. I am basically just starting my training now. I did 3 miles yesterday with no problem, but there is no way I can fully complete an actual marathon plan as prescribed and would have to just try to increase mileage from where I am. Is it a lost cause at this point? I am not worried about time at all, I just want to finish both races and need some encouragement or a reality check.

Have you ever done a Galloway plan? If not, would you be open to it? If so, you might want to look into a customized training plan through the Jeff Galloway website. Chris Twiggs (who is the CTP coach) has some fantastic tricks to get the mileage up quickly while minimizing the risk of injuries from doing so.

 

[jpeterson]

Have you ever done a Galloway plan? If not, would you be open to it? If so, you might want to look into a customized training plan through the Jeff Galloway website. Chris Twiggs (who is the CTP coach) has some fantastic tricks to get the mileage up quickly while minimizing the risk of injuries from doing so.

Second this suggestion. CTP with Chris Twiggs is fantastic! As a newcomer it was a great way for me to feel confident training for multiple races at the same time. Chris is super easy to work with and has regular zoom calls where you can ask him any questions (you can also text/email him too of course).

 

[Let's Get Kronk]

Have you ever done a Galloway plan? If not, would you be open to it? If so, you might want to look into a customized training plan through the Jeff Galloway website. Chris Twiggs (who is the CTP coach) has some fantastic tricks to get the mileage up quickly while minimizing the risk of injuries from doing so.

Second this suggestion. CTP with Chris Twiggs is fantastic! As a newcomer it was a great way for me to feel confident training for multiple races at the same time. Chris is super easy to work with and has regular zoom calls where you can ask him any questions (you can also text/email him too of course).

I have not done a Galloway plan. I trained for my first (and only) marathon using the Hal Higdon novice plan. Does Chris Twiggs charge money for custom plans? Or does creating a custom plan on the Galloway website also cost money? If so, how much? I am also not sure what CTP is.

 

[jrsharp21]

So the way the aid stations are set up is the the water tables are first, and then the powerade tables are second. I think last year they tried out using liquid concentrate to make the batches as some of the stations (instead of powder, which they definitely used at most of them) and they have to make so much so quickly that it doesn't always get dissolved like it should so YES. Some of them were very strong and some were very weak. And I feel like there were 3+ banana stations?? SO.MANY.BANANAS.

agree x however many have said it at this point to bring your own nutrition.
I know I can handle stinger gummies (and have found out that I prefer them to gels!), so I took 2 packs at the first station they handed them out (one to eat and one to stash), and 2 more at the 2nd station. That way I only needed to supplement with that I brought myself, instead of having to figure out how to carry ALL of my nutrition for the entire race. This means I brought about half of what I needed with me to the start line (plus a little extra just in case), and used the on-course stuff to fill in. Having a plan to CARRY your fuel is just as important as knowing how much/what kind works best for you (as an example, if you ONLY use gels and you consume 1 every 45min, and finish in 7hrs, that means you'll need just over 9 gels on the course OR, if you consume 1 every 2 miles, that's 13 gels and that's a lot to fit into pockets/a belt/or use a vest which is a whole other discussion.)

The gummies were life savers last year. I usually will use a Gu gel every 4 miles. So I had 6 on my belt last year. Two fell off during the race. So the gummies rescued me. I also like the gummies for just having one sit in my mouth while running to just counter dry mouth or that bad taste you can get in your mouth sometimes from just running.