Marathon Weekend 2025

[DisneyMountainWoman]

SAFD:
So I have gone has far as 22 miles... this weekend I am doing my last Dopey simulation weekend at 24 miles. I am also leading my sons scout troop in a parade that night. I might have bitten off too much this week.

During Thanksgiving we went to wdw and through now I have not been as good with my training.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I do like my Endorphin speed 3s but don't trust taking those on a long run, I'm on my feet too long.

Now you're giving me shoe anxiety! lol. I have a pair of speed 3 and 4s and was probably going to where those all weekend, I think.

 

[FFigawi]

Now you're giving me shoe anxiety! lol. I have a pair of speed 3 and 4s and was probably going to where those all weekend, I think.

You’ll be fine. I’ve worn my Speed 3s for runs up to 30k without any problems at all. I’ll be wearing them for the 10k and the full. They feel better when walking or standing for things like photo and beer stops than the Pro 4, which I’ll use for the 5k and half.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

You’ll be fine. I’ve worn my Speed 3s for runs up to 30k without any problems at all. I’ll be wearing them for the 10k and the full. They feel better when walking or standing for things like photo and beer stops than the Pro 4, which I’ll use for the 5k and half.

Thanks for that, appreciate it. I find the Speed 3 and 4 super comfy and have been using them for my long runs, but have been slightly unsure about the marathon distance wondering if I should be using a more supportive shoe.

 

[Dopey 2020]

Thanks for that, appreciate it. I find the Speed 3 and 4 super comfy and have been using them for my long runs, but have been slightly unsure about the marathon distance wondering if I should be using a more supportive shoe.

I’ll second that you will be fine. I’ve had no trouble with long runs in either and I have very picky feet when it comes to shoes. I’ll be using speed 3 for the half and pro 4 for the full. I’m amazed that such a lightweight shoe can provide so much cushion over that many miles.

 

[PrincessV]

A source I have inside of rundisney has confirmed that the corrals within corrals are planned for Marathon Weekend. They were still looking for Track Shack feedback, but as far as inside rundisney, that is the plan.

Ugh. Unless they change it up to release each corral within a corral on its own, this is not a good situation for me, but I do appreciate the heads up. I almost didn’t start at all, it was so bad at W&D, so IDK what I’ll do this time.

I actually like this system. Shouldn't feel as crazy when they open the barrier to walk us to the starting line

It shouldn’t… but it did. Because they only broke the corrals into smaller corrals for the waiting: they walked all of the biggest corral out at once - just merged them all into one - so it was the same old craziness. And then either the mini wave releases were bigger than in the past or they released them more frequently, because that congestion from D never let up the entire race. My understanding is that the new corrals within corrals system has nothing to do with making things any better for runners and is entirely about making it easier for medics to access emergencies within corrals while people are waiting. Which is good… but then they need to so something different for the walk out and start, IMO.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Ok. Just looking for additional clarification about this corral system newness.
(I marked up the pic that was included earlier)


-Did they fill D corral starting with the one I marked with 1, or did they start with the one on the left side?

-Did they pull all of the D corral walk-out barriers (where I marked a red line) or did they open them up one at a time, in the order they were filled?


And because I’m wondering…
Do we think they will put F and G on the left side of A corral?

 

[kps7795]

Because they only broke the corrals into smaller corrals for the waiting: they walked all of the biggest corral out at once - just merged them all into one - so it was the same old craziness. And then either the mini wave releases were bigger than in the past or they released them more frequently, because that congestion from D never let up the entire race. My understanding is that the new corrals within corrals system has nothing to do with making things any better for runners and is entirely about making it easier for medics to access emergencies within corrals while people are waiting.

I wasn't at W&D, so I can't really comment about the actual implementation of the mini-corrals. However, one of my biggest annoyances pre-race is when you've been sitting and waiting patiently to have your desired position within the corral and someone tries to push past you to get closer to the start. That can obviously still happen within the mini-corral, but I believe that the majority of those runners come late and selfishly try to push past all of us who have been waiting for an hour or longer.

 

[kps7795]

I’ll second that you will be fine. I’ve had no trouble with long runs in either and I have very picky feet when it comes to shoes. I’ll be using speed 3 for the half and pro 4 for the full. I’m amazed that such a lightweight shoe can provide so much cushion over that many miles.

I'll add a third to the Endorphin Speed 3 being a great shoe for long runs. The foam that they use (which is the same foam for the Speed Pro 3, but not the Speed 4) is really great especially for a long run. I'm using the Speed 3 for all of the races at MW unless there's the possibility of rain in which case I'll use my Speed 2 for the 5K. I have the luxury of driving so I can bring as many shoes as I want.

 

[DHSsenior007]

Random question about post-marathon recovery. I'm 'just' doing the marathon but will have the rest of the week at Disney with my family. My running coach recommended I bring some additional comfortable shoes to change into so they can get a break from my traditional running shoes. I have some recovery sandals that I use at home, but rarely wear them out. What have people had good luck with for walking around the parks? Thanks!

 

[disneyrunnergrl]

Ugh. Unless they change it up to release each corral within a corral on its own, this is not a good situation for me, but I do appreciate the heads up. I almost didn’t start at all, it was so bad at W&D, so IDK what I’ll do this time.

It shouldn’t… but it did. Because they only broke the corrals into smaller corrals for the waiting: they walked all of the biggest corral out at once - just merged them all into one - so it was the same old craziness. And then either the mini wave releases were bigger than in the past or they released them more frequently, because that congestion from D never let up the entire race. My understanding is that the new corrals within corrals system has nothing to do with making things any better for runners and is entirely about making it easier for medics to access emergencies within corrals while people are waiting. Which is good… but then they need to so something different for the walk out and start, IMO.

Oh this makes more sense. Was it last year there were medical emergencies two days in a row in corral C? And we were all screaming for a medic and no one could hear us and cell service was not great. It was 2023 or 2024, I can’t remember. But it was scary.

 

[kps7795]

Oh this makes more sense. Was it last year there were medical emergencies two days in a row in corral C? And we were all screaming for a medic and no one could hear us and cell service was not great. It was 2023 or 2024, I can’t remember. But it was scary.

It was possibly both years, but I remember that there were two emergencies requiring medics while waiting for the HM in Corral C in January.

 

[Naomeri]

Random question about post-marathon recovery. I'm 'just' doing the marathon but will have the rest of the week at Disney with my family. My running coach recommended I bring some additional comfortable shoes to change into so they can get a break from my traditional running shoes. I have some recovery sandals that I use at home, but rarely wear them out. What have people had good luck with for walking around the parks? Thanks!

All my park shoes are retired running shoes, but various brands and styles, so my feet get a break from my race shoes, and I switch shoes every day (sometimes twice, if I go back to the room for a break)

My biggest suggestion is to have a change of shoes in your gear bag so you can get your race shoes off your feet as soon as possible, it feels so amazing. I use Sanuk yoga sling sandals, so it's as close to not wearing shoes as I can get while still having something between my feet and the ground.

 

[PrincessV]

Ok. Just looking for additional clarification about this corral system newness.
(I marked up the pic that was included earlier)
View attachment 919364

-Did they fill D corral starting with the one I marked with 1, or did they start with the one on the left side?

-Did they pull all of the D corral walk-out barriers (where I marked a red line) or did they open them up one at a time, in the order they were filled?


And because I’m wondering…
Do we think they will put F and G on the left side of A corral?

They filled the left-most D corral, then the one to the right of it, and so on. Once a corral hit capacity, it was closed and the next one opened. I wasn’t far enough up to see exactly how they merged them, but they walked out the entirety of D at once. By the time I was making the left turn past the stage, a friend who’d been a corral within a corral behind me was next to me.

I wasn't at W&D, so I can't really comment about the actual implementation of the mini-corrals. However, one of my biggest annoyances pre-race is when you've been sitting and waiting patiently to have your desired position within the corral and someone tries to push past you to get closer to the start. That can obviously still happen within the mini-corral, but I believe that the majority of those runners come late and selfishly try to push past all of us who have been waiting for an hour or longer.

Yeah, this system did not prevent that at all. There was still pushing to get to the front of the corrals within corrals, and lots of pushing once they were merged to get closer to the front.

Oh this makes more sense. Was it last year there were medical emergencies two days in a row in corral C? And we were all screaming for a medic and no one could hear us and cell service was not great. It was 2023 or 2024, I can’t remember. But it was scary.

Yep. I’ve been told from an insider that was exactly what drove the change.

 

[MissLiss279]

Random question about post-marathon recovery. I'm 'just' doing the marathon but will have the rest of the week at Disney with my family. My running coach recommended I bring some additional comfortable shoes to change into so they can get a break from my traditional running shoes. I have some recovery sandals that I use at home, but rarely wear them out. What have people had good luck with for walking around the parks? Thanks!

I don’t wear my running shoes for anything other than running. If your running shoes are very comfortable for walking around, you could probably have a separate pair for walking around in.
I have worn my Hoka slides, Oofos, Choco’s, and Sketchers tennis shoes. What I wear depends on the weather. I have mostly switched from Oofos to Hoka slides. Since I wear them all the time around my house, I was finding that the Oofos wore out pretty fast. However, last year at Springtime Surprise, I was wearing a newer pair of Hoka slides, and I’m not sure if it was because they were newer or what, but they started to cause some joint pain in my big toe. I immediately switched to wearing my Sketchers shoes. I guess they are a type of running shoe, but I have them for just walking around in and they are very comfortable.
I think you should find a shoe/sandal that is supportive and comfortable for you. And something that you know won’t rub your feet wrong.

 

[kps7795]

Now you're giving me shoe anxiety! lol. I have a pair of speed 3 and 4s and was probably going to where those all weekend, I think.

How do the Speed 4s compare to the Speed 3? I liked the Speed 2, but absolutely LOVE the Speed 3s.

 

[kps7795]

If your running shoes are very comfortable for walking around, you could probably have a separate pair for walking around in.

I basically did this with my Saucony Triumphs. They are extremely comfortable, so I turned them into walking shoes when I retired them from my running shoe rotation.

 

[MissLiss279]

I basically did this with my Saucony Triumphs. They are extremely comfortable, so I turned them into walking shoes when I retired them from my running shoe rotation.

I would say people should be careful with retired running shoes. If they are retired, it’s possible they are worn out and could cause weird aches and pains to show up if you walk a lot in them. But if they are still comfortable and no aches and pains - great!

 

[fatmanatee]

I wasn't at W&D, so I can't really comment about the actual implementation of the mini-corrals. However, one of my biggest annoyances pre-race is when you've been sitting and waiting patiently to have your desired position within the corral and someone tries to push past you to get closer to the start. That can obviously still happen within the mini-corral, but I believe that the majority of those runners come late and selfishly try to push past all of us who have been waiting for an hour or longer.

Sounds like a different issue starts to happen with mini-corrals: someone leaves the first mini-corral, gets a password, the password gets out and now the people who wait as long as they can to enter are now cramming into the first mini-corral. It doesn't seem like this was a major issue at W&D but if more people start doing it it could create crowding issues in that corral and the volunteers might be forced to close it down, regardless if some people legitimately left for the bathroom.

 

[kps7795]

I would say people should be careful with retired running shoes. If they are retired, it’s possible they are worn out and could cause weird aches and pains to show up if you walk a lot in them. But if they are still comfortable and no aches and pains - great!

Perhaps I retired them prematurely, but the Triumphs are super comfortable still.