Marathon Weekend 2025

[Baloo in MI]

I have the consult with the surgeon in the morning. Nervous about surgery, nervous about how much damage I may have done, nervous about being able to get back to running in that I'll always wonder if I'm about to break it again. Prayers please.

I just wanted to wish you a successful surgery and recovery. I totally get the angst of wondering how bad it actually is, will the surgery work and can you recover and return to running without a reoccurrence. In 2019 I blew out my paroneal tendon. My first doctor tried to heal it by putting me in a boot, 6 months later I had surgery (second doctor who was a runner was all the difference). Surgery was a success, PT took time but really worked. I ended up missing the 2019 MW, but in 2020 was able to run Dopey.

All this to say, be patient, follow your doctors orders, be diligent with PT and you will run again. Being worried about injury reoccurrence is legit. I had a few incidents where I was positive that I had messed my ankle up again. But each time a talk with my PT and following their guidance led me right back to running. I started with just slow walking, then faster walking, then some running and eventually embraced the run/walk method and have been running consistently since then.

They say there are two types of runners those who have been injured and those who will be. Welcome to the former club…. But you got this!

 

[The Expert]

Thanks for this. Surgery is scheduled for Tue afternoon next week.
I've been worried about whether too much time has expired since the injury, and how badly I've injured myself (pulled my hamstring right off the top attach point, apparently), and if it is repairable. And I freely admit that even after I'm cleared I'll be worried about reinjuring myself, at least for a while. Glad it isn't just me.
Met with the surgeon this morning and he seemed fairly nonchalant (in a good way) about the surgery, recovery, and going back to being fully active. Sounds like it'll be just under an hour of operating time and appx 3-inch long incision and I'm back home in the afternoon. Then recovery and start PT in about a month. I'm lousy at being inactive, so I'll be going stir crazy with idleness, but easier to do when I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I'm still not looking forward to surgery, but I can now better see the path forward. Target now is MW 2026. Thanks for listening. BTW, rD did de-register me from MW and sent an electronic gift card that is a defacto partial refund and which will get consumed by an entry fee in the future....

You definitely got this! Glad to hear rD softened the blow a bit with at least a partial refund.

 

[Tall Todd]

Thoughts on what the pacing might be for the 4 hour Marathon group?

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

This gives me hope as I am currently following a training plan that uses this philosophy with a long run that will max out at around 3 hours. And I am very slow -- a back of the packer for sure! This will be my first full marathon and I am terrified!

Stay at it. I think my longest training run has been 12-13 miles using my lazy strategic training of a lot of shorter distances to build stamina. Check in my signature for a link for some light reading. It won't necessarily provide you a fast time, but it will get you to the finish line, which is the goal. I'm not saying to use my HARM method, just peruse it as additional data.
Definitely stick with your training plan and you'll finish. As someone who had the same concerns for my first half (and again for my first full) three things will help on race day: your training, the energy of the environment and your fellow runners, and the defacto rest breaks if/when you stop for character photos.
I won't see you at the finish line this year, but I'm sure other members of this forum will.
You got this.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

Thoughts on what the pacing might be for the 4 hour Marathon group?

Looking back at last year's pacer sheet that was published, the 4:00 group went out of Corral B and did a 2:00/:30 ratio.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I just wanted to wish you a successful surgery and recovery. I totally get the angst of wondering how bad it actually is, will the surgery work and can you recover and return to running without a reoccurrence. In 2019 I blew out my paroneal tendon. My first doctor tried to heal it by putting me in a boot, 6 months later I had surgery (second doctor who was a runner was all the difference). Surgery was a success, PT took time but really worked. I ended up missing the 2019 MW, but in 2020 was able to run Dopey.

All this to say, be patient, follow your doctors orders, be diligent with PT and you will run again. Being worried about injury reoccurrence is legit. I had a few incidents where I was positive that I had messed my ankle up again. But each time a talk with my PT and following their guidance led me right back to running. I started with just slow walking, then faster walking, then some running and eventually embraced the run/walk method and have been running consistently since then.

They say there are two types of runners those who have been injured and those who will be. Welcome to the former club…. But you got this!

Thank you to you and the others sharing your experiences with this. It does help to put my mind at ease, or as much as it's going to be. I truly appreciate it.

 

[The Expert]

This gives me hope as I am currently following a training plan that uses this philosophy with a long run that will max out at around 3 hours. And I am very slow -- a back of the packer for sure! This will be my first full marathon and I am terrified!

There are lots of us that will be back there with you! Feel free to join Team Not-So-Fast on this thread.

 

[bpr2002]

Thank you, @Mr_Incr3dible , for the encouragement. Good luck to you on your healing journey.

Thank you, @The Expert , I'm happy to join Team Not-So-Fast. I may be slow, but I'm stubborn and won't give up!

 

[Herding_Cats]

So. With the announcement about the new tower at the Poly....are we thinking this may impact some of the DVC availability for MW as people scramble to modify some or all of their stay from a different resort to the new tower? Or is this going to be a non-factor since it was already open for cash bookings back in June? Not sure how the availability works out for that, but I'm curious if it'll shake things up.

 

[MissLiss279]

So. With the announcement about the new tower at the Poly....are we thinking this may impact some of the DVC availability for MW as people scramble to modify some or all of their stay from a different resort to the new tower? Or is this going to be a non-factor since it was already open for cash bookings back in June? Not sure how the availability works out for that, but I'm curious if it'll shake things up.

It’s possible it might shake things up a little. I think I read that only 40 rooms have been declared right now, so could be some movement, but not much. I don’t think cash bookings would affect DVC availability except for people that have already booked with cash. The cash rooms would come from the pool of rooms that haven’t been declared.

 

[DHSsenior007]

Couple of random questions:
1) How dark is it along the marathon course? I saw some video clips along the course from a few years back and it looked pretty dark, but I don't know if that was a function of the video quality or not. Did anyone use flashlights, etc., or were you OK?

2) Can anyone share a copy of last year's marathon weekend guide/course? I would especially like to know the approximate timing of when each corral is released. Obviously all of those details could change but would like to see a preview of what it could be...

 

[camaker]

Couple of random questions:
1) How dark is it along the marathon course? I saw some video clips along the course from a few years back and it looked pretty dark, but I don't know if that was a function of the video quality or not. Did anyone use flashlights, etc., or were you OK?

There are definitely some darker portions of the course, primarily at the beginning, but I've run the marathon 8 times and have never felt the need to carry lighting myself.

 

[jrsharp21]

Couple of random questions:
1) How dark is it along the marathon course? I saw some video clips along the course from a few years back and it looked pretty dark, but I don't know if that was a function of the video quality or not. Did anyone use flashlights, etc., or were you OK?

2) Can anyone share a copy of last year's marathon weekend guide/course? I would especially like to know the approximate timing of when each corral is released. Obviously all of those details could change but would like to see a preview of what it could be...

Even though it is dark at the beginning of the race, between the portable lights on the course, the lights from the DJ's on the course, and just the every day lighting from the parks and permanent road lights, it never really gets so dark that you need to carry a flashlight. You can see well ahead of you on the course.

I don't recall the guide book having the estimates of when the corrals were released. Since there are waves within corrals, would just depend on how many waves get created in each corral. I think you may get a better feel of start times from the people who were in the corrals last year.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Couple of random questions:
1) How dark is it along the marathon course? I saw some video clips along the course from a few years back and it looked pretty dark, but I don't know if that was a function of the video quality or not. Did anyone use flashlights, etc., or were you OK?

2) Can anyone share a copy of last year's marathon weekend guide/course? I would especially like to know the approximate timing of when each corral is released. Obviously all of those details could change but would like to see a preview of what it could be...

There are definitely some darker portions of the course, primarily at the beginning, but I've run the marathon 8 times and have never felt the need to carry lighting myself.

there are a sometimes 1 or 2 places where you might want to pull out your phone and use the flashlight for 20 yards or so, but in general, it's well-lit and there is no need for supplemental personal lights unless you have very poor vision in the dark.


Per the big Dis'er spreadsheet that gets put together every MW (for those interested in participating), coupled with what actually happened, corrals release at approximately
A: 5am
B: 5:10am
C: 5:15ish--was huuuuuge in 2024 and may have taken more than 15min to release? it was a lot (this is often the largest corral, but we are unsure what the "new" POT window will do and if C will now be a POT/club corral, meaning D could be the new C)
D: 5:30ish
E: 5:40ish
The Balloon Ladies cross around 6am.

 

[DHSsenior007]

Thanks, @Herding_Cats! That is what I was hoping for.

And thanks for the info re: lighting from all of you as well; glad to know I shouldn't have to carry anything for those darker stretches.

 

[nancipants]

Thanks, @Herding_Cats! That is what I was hoping for.

And thanks for the info re: lighting from all of you as well; glad to know I shouldn't have to carry anything for those darker stretches.

The biggest places to watch out for are if you are going up/down a ramp and try to go around people, make sure you don't accidentally go off the road and hit a dip in the ground. They're a lot easier to see when it's light out. Not that I am speaking from experience or anything.

 

[fatmanatee]

Corral release is also dependent on weather. SHOULD be 6 am for the balloon ladies, but if it's expected to be hot that day they get people out significantly faster. I think it's been an issue for at least two of the past five marathons.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

The biggest places to watch out for are if you are going up/down a ramp and try to go around people, make sure you don't accidentally go off the road and hit a dip in the ground. They're a lot easier to see when it's light out. Not that I am speaking from experience or anything.

Ditto. I occasionally have to shield my eyes from a light stand so that I can see what is in front of me, but haven't ever given a thought to lack of lighting or carrying any sort of light. There seems to be enough. Once you are clear of the Epcot area, there is plenty of ground light providing illumination on the route to the MK. And if the moon is up, then running under a full moon with the monorail whooshing overhead is still one of my favorite memories.
FWIW, I'm typically a few corrals back and with my 10-11 min/mile pace, the sky is getting light while going down World Dr to MK and I get to enjoy watching the sun rise over Space Mountain.
YMMV

 

[Let's Get Kronk]

SAFD: I know I'm super late, but I did just spend the last hour or so catching up on this thread since Disneyland Halloween weekend. I've been swamped with work and managed to bring back some sort of virus, so it's been slow going.

I would have to say that my favorite distance to race is the half marathon. Like others have said, it takes training and effort to build up to a half, but not so much that long runs take over your entire weekends like for the full. I honestly don't even enjoy running full marathons; I just get swept up in the glitz of the Dopey challenge and usually because my running group friends talk me into it every time (which is how this runDisney season went from "I'm taking the year mostly off" to "I'm running a perfect runDisney season." Thanks, enablers).

I will also echo that I just don't enjoy 5Ks anymore. They tend to be crowded, especially at runDisney and they're just over too quickly. But I can't seem to skip them at a runDisney weekend and have to do all of the races, mainly for medal FOMO.

 

[marty3d]

Anyone have any luck booking into S&D for less than $850pn? I wasn't surprised this was the price in April but normally they've started dropping by now. I'm guessing there must be a large conference going on and there's a big block of rooms being held.