Marathon Weekend 2025

[StarGirl11]

I hope that I'm not the only one who fixates on race strategy and the courses. Regardless, my original plan was to take the 10K and the HM easy in order to focus on the marathon. I'm still uncertain about how I want to approach the 5K because I want to take pictures and I don't want to wait in 30+ minute lines. However, I don't want to stress my body too much in order to save myself for the marathon. BUT....how much stress would I really place on myself for 3.1 miles. Could I ask from experienced Dopey runners what it was like running the 5K and how it affected you for the later races?

Nonetheless, the impetus for my query was the inevitable bottleneck leading from GT to MK. As I stated earlier, my original plan was to take the HM easy. But, I'm considering going at my long run pace (MP + 45 seconds) until I get past the bottleneck. Any thoughts or other plans that people are considering?

Also probably should note with you probably being in A you’ll probably clear the course with photos before they restart or come very close to it. Since both the 5 and 10 restart at 6:30

As far as trying to clear the bottleneck. With you in A you’ll probably not run into it too much as long as your mindful of the time at stops. Like I got to the castle during Princess around 6:15 according to my timestamps. With only two stops in between (Herc and Meg along with Mirabel and & Isabela. So probably 10-15 minutes of time in line? But I also bypassed everything besides those two to make Contemporary)

And this is what it looked like. Pretty clear running room didn’t have to yell at anyone to make sure no one tried to stop in front of me when I have nowhere to ditch


2016 still wins the award for the worst oncourse congestion. Like this was equivalent of Mile 3 this last year at the DL half before they moved it.

Cannot figure out why it got so bad. Best guess is too many people stopping right in front of photopass. They actually had to open up both ramps to let people through which they don’t usually do:

(This was about two hours ish after I started. Which was close to 6 am according to my timestamps stamps. Which wow I got distracted that year apparently)

Chocolate.....after DHS. So is it like Dove squares? All milk chocolate? Any dark chocolate? Trying to figure out if I should practice fueling at home w/ chocolate or just run on thru.

I'm getting nervous. This week & next are my peak training weeks and I think my performance already peaked 2 weeks ago and it's going to go downhill from here.

Last night I tried to clip my toenails after applying body lotion so my hands were slippery and it didn't go well. The clippers half flying out of my hand, trying to re-grip, clamping down, crooked toenails...uggg! At least there are 5.5 weeks for nail growth before the marathon.

As far as mantras go.....
"You don't have to be fast, you just have to be quick" This is to remind me to keep a quick turnover for my feet.
I also use whatever other positive self talk comes to mind. "Only X intervals, miles, minutes, left.
After a 10k..."okay, now just do that 3 more times and you'll be done!"

Someone who has done this more recently can correct me but I feel like it’s some kind of Hersheys brand? Which makes sense since they have Mars candy in the park and that’s part of Hershey.
(About the bottleneck) Also wasn’t helped I think by having the Frozen characters right there. Like I can only imagine what those three were thinking seeing that crowd

 

[StarGirl11]

Okay so correction based on photos I found during looking through a FB group. While the above is the worst I’ve ever encountered. The castle bottleneck can absolutely still happen.

Back corrals proceed with caution

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Chocolate.....after DHS. So is it like Dove squares? All milk chocolate? Any dark chocolate? Trying to figure out if I should practice fueling at home w/ chocolate or just run on thru.

I think it's Dove? Maybe someone who's done more than one WDW marathon can remember whether it's milk or dark. I wouldn't worry too much about practicing, though - if at mile 18 or 20 or whatever it is, you feel like chocolate would be good, then eat it, and if not, don't. Hard to replicate that one in training. I ate mine and was very happy, but I know other people go "absolutely not." It's one of those tiny squares, so I think it's less about fueling and more about the mental boost.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I still don’t know what I think about this narrow bridge when leaving GF. Mile 4.5ish for the Half and 8.25ish for the Full.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Can someone remind me, are those certified course maps that come out posted anywhere? Or not yet?

 

[StarGirl11]

Can someone remind me, are those certified course maps that come out posted anywhere? Or not yet?

There in the race guide on the website

 

[nancipants]

I still don’t know what I think about this narrow bridge when leaving GF. Mile 4.5ish for the Half and 8.25ish for the Full.

View attachment 918137

Trying to imagine the pace groups going through here…

 

[StarGirl11]

On the topic of the chocolate I went googling because I figure someone probably posted pics. Anyway along with remembering the hershies rice chocolate bars (whatever there called), apparently they've given out M&Ms at least one year.

If I had to guess its the same kind of snack thing they probably pull for the Halloween parties. So if its chocolate and in that bunch then there's a high chance it will show up at the chocolate stop

 

[StarGirl11]

I still don’t know what I think about this narrow bridge when leaving GF. Mile 4.5ish for the Half and 8.25ish for the Full.

View attachment 918137

....really hoping that pole is removable.

Can I go around it on wheels. Yes. Do I want to with a bunch of people around. NO

 

[StarGirl11]

I was looking at the guide and noticed that in grand runDisney tradition. Someone forgot to proofread the corral start times. (look at the last corral.)



I do find it amusing that they still can never get everything quiet right after all these years. Wasn't their a guide one year that had the same distance listed twice or something?

 

[StarGirl11]

Also @fatmanatee you listed the projected start times. Heres the infographic will all of the start times.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

There in the race guide on the website

I’m talking about the ones that are certified by whatever running body does the official measurements (sorry, name is escaping me). They are different and more technical than the runD course maps.

 

[StarGirl11]

I’m talking about the ones that are certified by whatever running body does the official measurements (sorry, name is escaping me). They are different and more technical than the runD course maps.

Ah whoops my bad. Yeah I'm not sure where people find those. I know its true USATF but do not ask me how to get them

 

[StarGirl11]

Type in Lake Buena Vista, Florida and it will give you all the Disney races @GADisneyDad14 https://www.certifiedroadraces.com/search/

 

[fatmanatee]

Can someone remind me, are those certified course maps that come out posted anywhere? Or not yet?

I think 5k and 10k had been posted awhile ago (bc they’re expected to be used all season starting with W&D) and linked back recently, but don’t think the half or full were posted.

 

[StarGirl11]

Also can't remember who I was talking about whether we're going through the toll booths or not but at least for the half...:



It looks like it is supposed to be through the toll booth (see the grey line on the northbound side)

Also I'm not seeing the full on the certification website so they might not have certified the new course yet. Which they do have up until a couple weeks before to do that I think?

 

[cburnett11]

This is why I drive to the 5k and 10k - so I can leave before the buses start running and not sit around and get cold. I have also Ubered after a 5k, so I didn’t have to wait around.

I might try the uber this year. I never even thought of that.

 

[sandam1]

Chocolate.....after DHS. So is it like Dove squares? All milk chocolate? Any dark chocolate?

In 2023, it was Dove dark chocolate.

I know other people go "absolutely not."

That would be me. I took chocolate handed to me, ate one, and it was like old chewing gum. But admittedly, I was having a meltdown at the time (I was on the phone with my best friend, crying that I wanted to be done) so I thought that might have been part of the problem. However, I tried chocolate at another, shorter race with the same results.

It's one of those tiny squares, so I think it's less about fueling and more about the mental boost

They were actually giving 4 squares out - at least to the back of the pack. I remember, when I got to the reunion area and was going through my running pack, I handed the rest to my friend and said "take these. I don't want to see them." She didn't understand.

As much as I hated everything about the chocolate, it probably did me some good. About 10-15 minutes later, I was feeling substantially better. My meltdown was partially from underfueling and the sugar did help. I also changed my run-walk strategy at the same time so that helped pull me out of it as well.

 

[StarGirl11]

In 2023, it was Dove dark chocolate.



That would be me. I took chocolate handed to me, ate one, and it was like old chewing gum. But admittedly, I was having a meltdown at the time (I was on the phone with my best friend, crying that I wanted to be done) so I thought that might have been part of the problem. However, I tried chocolate at another, shorter race with the same results.



They were actually giving 4 squares out - at least to the back of the pack. I remember, when I got to the reunion area and was going through my running pack, I handed the rest to my friend and said "take these. I don't want to see them." She didn't understand.

As much as I hated everything about the chocolate, it probably did me some good. About 10-15 minutes later, I was feeling substantially better. My meltdown was partially from underfueling and the sugar did help. I also changed my run-walk strategy at the same time so that helped pull me out of it as well.

This got me curious to look something up but apparently exercising can increase taste sensitivity. Which actually explains a number of things. Including my dislike of taking fluids in the last mile or two of a half or full unless I am in desperate situation. Or why I can only tolerate Gatorade/and regular Powerade during and after races.

Anyways point is if you already have a sensitive taste palet then being that high in mileage probably isn't helping.

And yeah its probably more about the sugar. I've gotten out of more then a couple of 'crashes' during late race by eating. Like I intook some food right before mile 8 (forgot the sports bean station was coming up) during the Halloween Half and by about five minutes later I was feeling a lot better.

It might be too late now, but I would probably experiment on longer runs with more sugar-heavy food in the late stages to see what won't make your taste buds full-on revolt.

 

[sandam1]

This got me curious to look something up but apparently exercising can increase taste sensitivity. Which actually explains a number of things. Including my dislike of taking fluids in the last mile or two of a half or full unless I am in desperate situation. Or why I can only tolerate Gatorade/and regular Powerade during and after races.

That is an interesting observation and reminds me that I want to try some naked Tailwind during my last (26 mile) long run next weekend. I usually add flavoring to my Tailwind, but I do get flavor fatigue at the end of long runs and I'm wondering if something unflavored would help me to keep pushing it.

I also found that I don't like to chew things after a certain point. Unfortunately, that caused me the underfueling at Disney (I never recognized that I was moving away from the solid foods at a certain point in my long training runs). Now, I've strategically switched to maple syrup (Endurance Tap) and Coke as fuel for the very end of long runs because they are high sugar liquids that still taste good.