Marathon Weekend 2024

[Holly]

SAFD: I’m going to run through a charity again so avoiding the stress of the registration process is a perk of that, I guess.

I enjoyed the signs runners had this year poking good fun at rundisney and expressing their frustration with registration.

 

[The Expert]

I was hiking in Yosemite with my mom with unreliable cell service and Wi-Fi that only worked in the hotel lobby. I also didn’t want to haul my laptop just for registration so I was limited to my tablet and phone. Graciously, my mom agreed to hang out in the lobby with me at 6:45a local time so I ended up with 5 queue spots.

Just have to say that it is totally cool that you were in Yosemite while registering. Well, simply cool that you were in Yosemite! That is my most favorite place on earth!

I feel like we need a National Parks registration badge @GollyGadget ! Last year I was in my car at a pullout in Grand Teton NP trying to register for Dopey with a 2-bar signal. Nice work!

 

[derekleigh]

In for Goofy! Surprised it was the 2nd race to sell out. But I've had suspicions for years rD was slowly limiting the number of Goofy entrants.

In all the previous rD races I've done (dating back to 2012), I've always stayed off-site and drove in with no problems. In 2024, we're planning to stay in-site (thinking Carribean or French Quarters) and I think I might want to drive (yes we are leaning towards renting a car) to the Epcot lot. Thus:

1) Anyone ever stay on site and drive to EPCOT?
2) What resorts would be better to stay at if any? We are planning on 1-park day at Epcot the day of the half.

 

[jpeterson]

In for Goofy! Surprised it was the 2nd race to sell out. But I've had suspicions for years rD was slowly limiting the number of Goofy entrants.

In all the previous rD races I've done (dating back to 2012), I've always stayed off-site and drove in with no problems. In 2024, we're planning to stay in-site (thinking Carribean or French Quarters) and I think I might want to drive (yes we are leaning towards renting a car) to the Epcot lot. Thus:

1) Anyone ever stay on site and drive to EPCOT?
2) What resorts would be better to stay at if any? We are planning on 1-park day at Epcot the day of the half.

I feel like half the people I talk to stay at Pop Century. Combination of pricing and easy skyliner access make it attractive for race weekends.

 

[jrsharp21]

In for Goofy! Surprised it was the 2nd race to sell out. But I've had suspicions for years rD was slowly limiting the number of Goofy entrants.

In all the previous rD races I've done (dating back to 2012), I've always stayed off-site and drove in with no problems. In 2024, we're planning to stay in-site (thinking Carribean or French Quarters) and I think I might want to drive (yes we are leaning towards renting a car) to the Epcot lot. Thus:

1) Anyone ever stay on site and drive to EPCOT?
2) What resorts would be better to stay at if any? We are planning on 1-park day at Epcot the day of the half.

I always drive. I don't like to rely on the buses. I get to the parking lot around 3am and then nap in the car until around 4am.

I love Port Orleans Riverside for MW. Super close to Epcot. I think we are going to try to stay there or Coronado Springs (for marathon viewing for my wife).

 

[Dopey 2020]

SAFD I was originally worried about registration but it turnled out well. Had 5 devices going and one came in at 33 minutes with most reporting hour plus times so I hoped for the best. No errors with the process and I was in for Dopey #5 at 10:35.

 

[Dopey 2020]

In for Goofy! Surprised it was the 2nd race to sell out. But I've had suspicions for years rD was slowly limiting the number of Goofy entrants.

In all the previous rD races I've done (dating back to 2012), I've always stayed off-site and drove in with no problems. In 2024, we're planning to stay in-site (thinking Carribean or French Quarters) and I think I might want to drive (yes we are leaning towards renting a car) to the Epcot lot. Thus:

1) Anyone ever stay on site and drive to EPCOT?
2) What resorts would be better to stay at if any? We are planning on 1-park day at Epcot the day of the half.

Converted to driving a couple years ago and definitely prefer it. I have however only driven to Wine and Dine and MW from AKL and Boardwalk. Both were extremely easy to get to any race. AKL was easy returning, Boardwalk had some road closures to work around, nothing crazy but a bit of studying the map for me as Im only semi-familiar with the roads there.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Driving to the races is definitely "easier" than riding the bus. DH drove to all of the races this past MW (and used the rideshare lane to drop me off Saturday and Sunday), but for MW 2022 I rode the bus to/from the half and the full and I feel like you get more of the "race experience" or atmosphere or some word I can't think of when you ride the bus.

 

[camaker]

Driving to the races is definitely "easier" than riding the bus. DH drove to all of the races this past MW (and used the rideshare lane to drop me off Saturday and Sunday), but for MW 2022 I rode the bus to/from the half and the full and I feel like you get more of the "race experience" or atmosphere or some word I can't think of when you ride the bus.

I don't know if I'd go with "easier". It doesn't get much easier than walking out of your resort room and stepping onto the bus. No need to worry about driving around unfamiliar roads or navigating road closures that may or may not be reflected on your navigation aid of choice.

I know a lot of people prefer driving themselves and to each their own, but even with the random chance of a misrouted bus, I'll take that possible stressor over the guaranteed stress of driving on unfamiliar roads at night when I'm barely awake to begin with.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I don't know if I'd go with "easier". It doesn't get much easier than walking out of your resort room and stepping onto the bus. No need to worry about driving around unfamiliar roads or navigating road closures that may or may not be reflected on your navigation aid of choice.

That's going to depend on the resort. Although, maybe I've just experienced the 2 that are the "worst" for that in OKW and SS where there's one bus stop and I'm a mile walk away from it in the morning.

I know a lot of people prefer driving themselves and to each their own, but even with the random chance of a misrouted bus, I'll take that possible stressor over the guaranteed stress of driving on unfamiliar roads at night when I'm barely awake to begin with.

We definitely take the "follow the line of traffic" approach to get to epcot on race mornings. I will say that my apple maps routed us correctly each morning, even when the routes were different due to road closures.

 

[Barca33Runner]

We switched to driving in a few years ago when we stayed off-site for the first time during MW and I’d never willingly go back to the buses. We easily get 30-minutes more sleep (most days closer to an hour) and have a climate controlled vehicle to sit in if the weather is bad rather than being forced off the bus for an extended stand around in the staging area/corral.

It also prevents us from being beholden to waiting for buses to go back to our resort (I’m not sure if this issue has been fixed but it wasn’t good a few years ago).

 

[Goofed98]

I've ridden the bus once, and it was the year that there was a traffic problem, and people were jumping off of buses to try to get to the start (2018?). Every other year, since 2010, I drive. I can sleep in a bit, relax in the car and nap a bit, have climate control, drive straight back to BW and pick up the family for breakfast after the half, etc..

I get the idea of more "atmosphere" on the bus, but you get to see a lot of entertaining things there in the parking lot. Especially when people forget things. Or when a boyfriend/ husband forgot to bring something that his spouse SPECIFICALLY asked him to make sure he had before they left the room.

 

[jrsharp21]

We switched to driving in a few years ago when we stayed off-site for the first time during MW and I’d never willingly go back to the buses. We easily get 30-minutes more sleep (most days closer to an hour) and have a climate controlled vehicle to sit in if the weather is bad rather than being forced off the bus for an extended stand around in the staging area/corral.

It also prevents us from being beholden to waiting for buses to go back to our resort (I’m not sure if this issue has been fixed but it wasn’t good a few years ago).

Great point here about having the car to sit in during those cold days. This past MW, it was nice having the car for that cold Saturday morning. We waited until the very last second before leaving the car.

 

[nekonekoneko]

I got a car last year (2022), mostly because prices for cars totally crashed, and because of the (not) Castaway Challenge Cruise, so we could schlep ourselves to Port Canaveral. We decided to use the car to drive to the races, also. After using it that one weekend, we won't go back to the bus.

We loved blasting our own music with the temp at what we want, going at our own pace. We target getting to the tollbooth by 3:30 am, and we haven't run into any problems.

 

[nekonekoneko]

Or when a boyfriend/ husband forgot to bring something that his spouse SPECIFICALLY asked him to make sure he had before they left the room.

"No, YOU said you'd bring the life jackets"

 

[nekonekoneko]

I stayed at SSR for Springtime this weekend. There is one rD bus for SSR and it’s near the front of the resort. It would be a pretty far walk to go from Disney springs to the rD bus at Saratoga in the morning.

Wait a second... isn't there an internal bus system inside of SSR, and if there is, shouldn't it be operating to get the runners to the front of the resort? I swore OKW had theirs running.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I feel like half the people I talk to stay at Pop Century. Combination of pricing and easy skyliner access make it attractive for race weekends.

I just stayed there for Springtime. It was great for a solo runner and I like the additional space with the Murphy bed up. I used the table to set out my race gear. The one thing is they’ve renovated some rooms with just a shower. I couldn’t take a hot soak yesterday to try to stay ahead of my sore muscles. Going up and down the stairs at home this afternoon hasn’t been fun.

 

[Naomeri]

I just stayed there for Springtime. It was great for a solo runner and I like the additional space with the Murphy bed up. I used the table to set out my race gear. The one thing is they’ve renovated some rooms with just a shower. I couldn’t take a hot soak yesterday to try to stay ahead of my sore muscles. Going up and down the stairs at home this afternoon hasn’t been fun.

Yeah, I got stuck with a shower-only Pop room too (which is also at the absolute edge of the world—if there were a path to the Caribbean Beach skyliner station, I think it would be faster to walk there than to walk to the Pop station and fly to CB)

 

[nancipants]

"No, YOU said you'd bring the life jackets"

That was me and my husband at HS yesterday when we got there at rope drop and didn’t have park reservations. “I thought you made them!” “I thought you did!” We were THOSE people.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Wait a second... isn't there an internal bus system inside of SSR, and if there is, shouldn't it be operating to get the runners to the front of the resort? I swore OKW had theirs running.

There was definitely one running at OKW when we stayed there. I never saw one at SSR. That doesn't mean there wasn't one, but I also feel like in the amount of time I could sit and wait for an internal bus at SSR, I could just walk to the front, especially if I had just missed it (like I did with the one at OKW.) It could take 20+min if they make a run out to the Treehouses.