Marathon Weekend 2025

[GuinnessRunner]

SAFD: I typically rotate through two sets of shoes. I use Saucony Rides and then either Hoka Cliftons or the Brooks Ghost Max, which were a new addition for last marathon since I was getting sick of the minimal miles I would get from Hokas. Generally I just try and alternate but will plan a bit to try and use Hokas or Ghost Max for my long run for the extra cushion they provide.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

SAFD: I have three shoes on rotation: Saucony Kinvara and Wave (or Ride?), and Brooks Launch. I also have Princess feet and these are tried and true for now.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

Me: I’ll be smart and buy groceries instead of paying $35 for a terrible burger.

Isolated ski town: Haha, go ahead.

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Buy at the costco and king supers next the airport... Then drive up. I live in that area... Green valley ranch right off of Pena. Much better prices.

 

[Baloo in MI]

SAFD:
For many years I was also in team Ghost. I still think they are a good shoe but I started integrating Hoka Clifton based on a recommendation. I have really liked them and now use them almost exclusively. The only exception is I will also use the Hoka Speedgoat for trail running. I rotate between two pairs of shoes for both training and races. My only knock on the Clifton has been that they do break down pretty fast for me. I only get about 300 miles out of one pair. That gets expensive - not ski trip expensive evidently. But still more expensive than I would like!

I am really happy with the shoes, but even more happy that my “Days until Disney World” slipped under 200 days the other day!! Ok, still six months away but that first number not being a ‘2’ just feels better! Come on Marathon Weekend!

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

SAFD: I have wide feet.. so I first had shoes like Altra which felt super great on my toes but killed my calves. I figured out zero drop shoes make me have Achilles issues. So after getting another fitting at a real shoe store I am now a NB fan. I get them in wide and I get the fresh foam 860 which is such a great stability shoe. Highly recommend for anyone else needs a stability shoe. They are like a work horse these shoes... they are nothing special but they get the work done and keep my feet happy. I do not run back to back normally but when I do I run with an older pair on what ever the shorter run will be. Now that I am training for dopey... maybe I should get another pair to rotate.

 

[dancingtodisney]

SAFD: I was a Brooks girly and dabbled in New Balance for the fun themed ones but switched to lululemon blissfeel and LOVE them! I really liked the fact that they have been made for women specifically (apparently a lot of women's shoes are just sized down from shoes made for Men) - I don't know if it's a placebo effect from all the marketing they did about it but I swear they fit in a way that no running trainer ever has for me. I haven't blistered or had any toenail issues on my two marathons with them and I was NOT appropriately trained

 

[SheHulk]

Buy at the costco and king supers next the airport... Then drive up. I live in that area... Green valley ranch right off of Pena. Much better prices.

lol I thought this was a contribution to the shoe conversation!

 

[Barca33Runner]

SAFD: I’m an ASICS guy, not that I have anything against any of the other companies. I started wearing the Noosa Tri line because I liked the aesthetics and, fortunately, they have always worked well for me. Currently, I have the 14 and 15 as my everyday wear and training shoes. I am mixing in the Novablast 4 this year as well.

 

[Dopey 2020]

SAFD for the most part I’ve been a mizuno fan since close to the beginning. I have very picky feet, and though I’ve gotten better over the years I am jealous of those that can just grab any shoe and run. Mizuno wave sky was my go to and I still keep them for long or recovery runs ( lots of cushion) a couple years back I found that that Mizuno seemed to go flat only a few hundred miles in and that Saucony started feeling good for me and I got the endorphin speed, then the pro. Now I keep a few pairs minimum in rotation. Currently I have an older pair of wave sky on the way out, a new pair of the same with about 30 miles just entering the rotation, a pair of endorphin speed 3 for everyday, and a pair of pro 4 for race day. I try for 400 miles/pair and move them to shorter runs if they don’t feel right sooner. Once done they become my vacation shoes so that I know they are comfortable in the parks and I can use them for a run if necessary.

 

[kristenabelle]

SAFD - I have ballerina arches in a non-ballerina body, so custom insoles from RoadRunners are my jam.

NB Supercomp trainer v1 owns my heart. I love them, and feel super fresh after every run, even shockingly better than I thought I'd feel after a full. Didn't like v2 as much, so I tried to stock up on spare v1s whenever I saw discounts. I was terrified I wouldn't find another shoe I liked, especially since I'm a baby about things rubbing on my heel (I tested an Adizero Prime and it was a big fat no thank you). VERY curious to see what the SC Trainer v3 is like.

That said, the new HOKA Skyward X and Cielo X are really great! I like using the Skywards for my 2x a week park runs, Cielos for days when I want a little more oomph, and NB SC for my long runs. This is my last spare, though, so these are getting run into the ground until they literally fall apart.

 

[Herding_Cats]

NB Supercomp trainer v1 owns my heart. I love them, and feel super fresh after every run, even shockingly better than I thought I'd feel after a full. Didn't like v2 as much, so I tried to stock up on spare v1s whenever I saw discounts. I was terrified I wouldn't find another shoe I liked.... VERY curious to see what the SC Trainer v3 is like.

Hi! Are we twins? I too am curious about the v3. That being said, I don't think they'll ever re-create the magical springiness of the v1. I'm curious about the fuel cell rebels(?) since the fuel cell foam is where I feel like the magic is going to be.

 

[nancipants]

SAFD. I’ve been wearing Brooks Adrenaline. I’m not super attached to them and I haven’t tried many other types of shoes, but so far the Adrenalines have been the best for me.

 

[kristenabelle]

Hi! Are we twins? I too am curious about the v3. That being said, I don't think they'll ever re-create the magical springiness of the v1. I'm curious about the fuel cell rebels(?) since the fuel cell foam is where I feel like the magic is going to be.

I KNOW! The v1s are just so bouncy and fun and ugh....I really am sad they were like, we need to make them lighter...like every single other light shoe! End rant.

I did test drive the most recent fuel cell elites and they didn't do it for me, but the Skywards are really, really close!

 

[catsrgr8]

SAFD:

Ran in ASICS gel kayano for many years and then switched to Brooks Adrenaline a few years back. Wore the Adrenaline for training and the Disneyland half marathon and ended up with a black toenail

Just went and got fitted for shoes and realized I should have been buying wide shoes all along! I’ve always sized up 1/2 to full size in length but now realized by shoes were too narrow.

Still really enjoyed the Brooks Adrenaline in the correct size but also tried ASICS Gel Kayano again and really liked it as well! They have such a different feel and I wanted to get something that worked well and hopefully keeps me injury free during my first marathon training! I ended up getting both so I can train in them both and see which one I prefer. When I’m not training for a race I workout at Orangetheory 5x/week so I’m sure I’ll get good wear out of both shoes, even if I decide one is a better option for long distance running.

 

[BigEeyore]

SAFD: I am a one pair at a time, same pair of shoes no matter the distance runner. I have to use a stability shoe as I have super rollie ankles.
I go back and forth between Brooks Adrenaline and Saucony Guides. I like both equally, but find I can get more miles out of the Brooks.
Having to use a stability shoe really limits my options - jealous of how many choices there are for neutral shoes!!

 

[FFigawi]

Good afternoon RunDisney All-Stars! Welcome to this week's edition of Sundays are for Disney (SAFD). This week, let's talk about one of a runner's favorite topics: shoes. Everyone has different wants and needs from their shoes, so what are your go-to model(s)? Do you have different shoes for different types of runs? Do you rotate? Between models or within a model? If it's shoe related, it's fair game for this week's SAFD.

SAFD: Since I started running almost 20 years ago, my go-to shoe has been the Asics Kayano. They're not the fastest shoe out there, which is okay because I'm not the fastest either. Recently, I've added some plated shoes to my inventory too. The Saucony Speed 3 are my daily trainer for anything but easy z1/2 runs, and I used the Asics Metaspeed for my racing shoe in a few 70.3 races earlier this year. Not sure what I'm going to do for Challenge Roth in a few weeks since I now have a pair of the Saucony Pro 4 as well. Decisions, decisions...

 

[disneyrunnergrl]

Shoes are my nemesis! I was Team Ghost for years and then had a foot injury when the version went too narrow. Switched to Nike zoomx invincible and then version 2 had QC issues and two pairs fell apart. Found out the hard way I can’t run in NB when I tripped and fell on two separate runs on those pointy toes. So the current shoe is On Cloudmonster. They’re ok.

I am having this problem with the ghost now! The 16 is too narrow. Had the same issue with the 14. I need to find an alternative. I tried the glycerin and launch when the 14s didn’t work and didn’t love either of them. If anyone has ghost alternatives I’d love to hear them!

 

[kps7795]

I am having this problem with the ghost now! The 16 is too narrow. Had the same issue with the 14. I need to find an alternative. I tried the glycerin and launch when the 14s didn’t work and didn’t love either of them. If anyone has ghost alternatives I’d love to hear them!

My suggestion is to try on the Saucony Triumph. Good luck on your search. I know from personal experience how frustrating it is to find a shoe that is a good fit for your feet.

 

[The Expert]

Tuesday-Thursday DH and I in a studio--will talk to the front desk about keeping the studio for our continuing stay, listed below. I'm not counting on it though. Would save packing up and having to move luggage around.

Thursday-Monday DH and I, plus BIL/SIL in a 2br lockoff

Monday-Tuesday DH and I in a studio. Again, it would be nice if we could "keep" the studio.

I've had excellent luck keeping half of the room when we've booked this way, so don't give up hope. It is to their advantage as it is less cleaning and turnover of the room. I would make the request at the front desk, as you mentioned, but you can also use the live chat on the DVC site to add the request to all three reservations. This will flag them in the system so the room assigner for the first reservation sees them well before you're standing at the desk and other room assignments make it more complicated.

Rental car prices are always eye-popping this far out. Every time that I've rented a car, they start out stupid high, come down to an "I could stomach this"price, and then prices real start dropping about 4-6 weeks out. I wouldn't give up on getting a rental car.

Don't laugh, but try AARP. You can join at any age, and there are tons of really good travel discounts. I just booked a rental car for a work trip through them with Avis and saved about $250 over every other rate I could find. It routed me via their app to the Avis site, so it retained all my loyalty info and my status, so I didn't have to go to the counter.

Uber/car care center rental is also an option but I dont necessarily want to tie up vacation hours with rental car lines/shuttles to save $150

There is an Avis rental counter at the Hilton near Disney Springs as well. We've picked up at the airport and dropped there (or vice versa) when we only needed a car for part of our trip. Because it is still local, they don't charge you the extra for a one-way rental, and it is easier to get to than the car care center (walk to/from the Springs bus stop or use their shuttle).

 

[The Expert]

SAFD: Count me among the picky feet club. I have narrow heels, a wide forefoot, a Morton's neuroma on my left foot, and Morton's toe (where the second toe is longer than the big toe) on both feet. FUN! After a lengthy search and much trial-and-error, I ended up in the NewBalance Fuel Cell line, training mostly in Rebels and racing in Elite V2s. When the first Supercomp trainers came out, I was super excited, but even with lacing tricks they flared my neuroma. Ugh.

Between changes to the FC line and my gait over time (I'm landing more midfoot and no longer heel striking), I've had to start over. I took advantage of a trip to Boston to pop into Marathon Sports and get a new eval and discovered another fun side effect of perimenopause: my feet are growing?! After finding my proper new running shoe size, we tried Brooks Ghost (good, not great), Altra (which I'd tried before and yep, still hate them), and finally Topo, which I'd never even heard of. I'm IN LOVE WITH THEM! They are built for my foot structure -- narrow heel, wide forefoot. I can actually tighten them up so the heel doesn't slip without squashing the top of my foot and flaring my neuroma. They don't feel huge like they are they are falling off, and I have just enough support and spring even though they are low drop (5mm). I bought a pair of Phantom 3 for most of my training and a pair of Atmos, which are a bit squishier, for my long runs. I'm hoping they hold up during training and one or both will be my Dopey shoes in January!