Marathon Weekend 2025

[Erika10021]

I totally get what everyone is talking about! I only started running a year and a half ago. At first, I felt all obligated to follow training plans and that I wasn't a "real" runner unless I was running 4 times a week. It just was too hard and too much thought. I have now come to the realization that a run every three days is perfect training for me. I do a sequence of 5 miles, 5 miles and 10 miles. I also walk or hike 4-5 miles on the non-running days. My schedule just has the two hours a day of moving built into it (I know I am lucky to have that kind of time). I've done the challenges at Springtime and Wine & Dine and got through those pretty well.
I am signed up for the Dopey but honestly am unlikely to finish the marathon. Mostly I want to run through the castle and walk the rest of the way. I figure my 13 minute pace will not put me in front of the balloon ladies enough to finish but I am fine with that! Maybe next year (when I am 60), I will skip the half and just try to complete the marathon.

 

[jmasgat]

@sandam1 Totally get it. Running/racing is as much a mental game as a physical one. If you're head is not there, then it just won't happen--or it will be miserable if it does. I have ended doing marathons for a lot of the same reasons (along with a whole "what do I have to prove" thing). There are times that I feel somewhat disappointed in myself for "giving up", but honestly, at 66 I know that I need to find the things that will motivate me and keep me happy running. Chasing old glory is not one of those things. It is a never ending process.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I am signed up for the Dopey but honestly am unlikely to finish the marathon. Mostly I want to run through the castle and walk the rest of the way. I figure my 13 minute pace will not put me in front of the balloon ladies enough to finish but I am fine with that! Maybe next year (when I am 60), I will skip the half and just try to complete the marathon.

let me do some quick “runners math” for you, because finishing is TOTALLY doable imo.

Let’s round things off and say the castle is mile 10. Let’s also say you started WITH the balloon ladies.

At 13:00/mi, you would be 30 minutes ahead of them at the castle. That leaves 16mi of race. 16x2=32, let’s round down to 30. You could walk approximately 18:00/mi for the rest of the race and finish. If you want to know what that feels like, put a treadmill on 3.3. Want more time cushion? Run to AK (mile 17) and you’d have a whopping 51min lead on the balloon ladies. Or try to start further forward in your corral (if you put in 13:00 equivalent for your finish time you’d be starting probably 15-20min ahead of the balloon ladies. You finishing is completely doable “just” running to the castle and then walking with a little strategy.

 

[Naomeri]

Just a heads up, they had changed the announcements at Wine and Dine. Biggest change was switching runners to athletes, but the intonation also changed. It totally threw my 7 year old off, who's used to saying "Caution runners, speed bump ahead" whenever we run up to a speed bump during training.

Yeah, it's been "athletes" for a while. I liked "runners" better, but I guess inclusivity is a good thing

 

[Lemon Head]

SAFD - This has been a LONG training cycle for me. I walked the Jimmy Fund Walk (which follows the Boston marathon course) back at the beginning of October so I've been maintaining that fitness for the past couple of months. Looking back, while I was able to fit my training and I'm going into Dopey strong and ready (thanks to Customized Training and Chris Twiggs), it definitely wasn't a great idea. But at this point, I'm in taper mode. I finished my last Dopey simulation today (6-13-26) and only have one long run over 5 miles between now and race day.

All of that said, I'm pretty sure that this is going to be my last marathon - if not forever, then at least for a while. I know that a lot of people say this at this point in marathon training, but I've thought it through and decided that I just don't like the marathon distance. I don't like the training. I don't like going the distance in races. I don't like how I feel afterward. And today I realized that I don't like giving up the other parts of my life that I have to when I'm training for a marathon. So going forward, I'm looking at half marathons or less. I'm already thinking about Marathon Weekend 2026, but I'm looking forward to cheering on Marathon Sunday.

I’ve said this so many times. Logically, you’re right; Half is the perfect distance for racing. Full is just too much training and just slightly too far for the body.
That being said, I just can’t bring myself to step down to Halfs full time. They just feel too easy after you’ve done 15 miles alone in the park at 5am. They just feel too easy after a marathon.
Like after I climbed Everest I went into a bit of a depression for a few months because nothing else in life seemed as challenging or rewarding. I seem unable to ‘step down’ and always have to go bigger.


I really wish I could help @Erika10021 but 13 min/mile is a tad slow for me (but fast enough to beat the balloon ladies!).
If anyone’s in the last coral and wants some encouragement for a bit at a 11 min/mile pace then I’m anyones.

 

[GollyGadget]

Totally understand everyone’s sentiments shared in regards to marathon training being too much. My partner just asked over lunch if I was going to run again next year, and I’m really not sure. I’m not done with marathons but the timing this year was rough so I’m considering other options. Holiday travel, work travel, peak training weeks, and more holiday travel have made it extra stressful and tiring this year. At least I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! One more peak week and it’s taper time

ETA - winter weather also isn’t helping. I ran 21 of 47 miles on the treadmill this week due to ice. Thank goodness for Christmas movies

 

[pluto377]

I feel you guys on the not wanting to train/do marathons anymore. I pretty much came to that decision when I DNF the 2022 marathon as part of Dopey. I have not missed running it AT ALL! I've been tossing around the idea of trying Dopey again in 2026 when I'll be 48 (48 at 48!) However, yesterday I did 10 miles in prep for the half and I felt not great after. Just like stomach not feeling right, tired, a little sore. Can I really train/run much further? Do I want to find out? I am coming off pneumonia so maybe that's part of it but I don't know. I might just register for Dopey and make a decision later on.

 

[Lemon Head]

I feel you guys on the not wanting to train/do marathons anymore. I pretty much came to that decision when I DNF the 2022 marathon as part of Dopey. I have not missed running it AT ALL! I've been tossing around the idea of trying Dopey again in 2026 when I'll be 48 (48 at 48!) However, yesterday I did 10 miles in prep for the half and I felt not great after. Just like stomach not feeling right, tired, a little sore. Can I really train/run much further? Do I want to find out? I am coming off pneumonia so maybe that's part of it but I don't know. I might just register for Dopey and make a decision later on.

Do you mind me asking why you DNF dopey?
I’ve done plenty of marathons but never a Dopey so I’m after all the advice I can get.

 

[StarGirl11]

Just a heads up, they had changed the announcements at Wine and Dine. Biggest change was switching runners to athletes, but the intonation also changed. It totally threw my 7 year old off, who's used to saying "Caution runners, speed bump ahead" whenever we run up to a speed bump during training.

What? This is almost as disappointing as not running through World Showcase at the end of the marathon.

I know your joking but ftr the change was probably done for inclusiveness. Wheels aren’t what you would traditionally call runners. Heck some of us don’t use the term. So athletes covers everyone regardless of status

Also I think they changed it before W&D because I swear I heard it before. Maybe the DL Jan races or Princess

Rocket City was a half bust. Combo of factors but for a race who people tout as fairly flat I was sure going uphill a lot. I was signed up for the full. But by the time I hit the final 5k for the first half I knew that the pacers would catch me. So I checked and decided to stop halfway so I could at least get a medal out of the whole ordeal.

Now I’m going to be going into Dopey doing the thing I tell people not to do (not do a full before doing Dopey). But at least I tried.

I am not scared of Dopey mainly because this was way hillier than FL is. To the point my normal pace took a nosedive. (8-9 for long to 13-14)

For those of you who have been doing this long enough you’ll recognize this name: I saw Rudy this morning! He was MCing the start and the finish for the full/back half. Been a while since I had seen him so it took a second for me to realize it was him.

Yeah, it's been "athletes" for a while. I liked "runners" better, but I guess inclusivity is a good thing

It is. It might not mean a lot to you. But for the wheels it was huge when we first noticed the change. To the point it was talked about with excitement. TBC the term before wasn’t an intentional exclusion. But like I said most wheels don’t consider themselves runners because we don’t really run anymore.

Do you mind me asking why you DNF dopey?
I’ve done plenty of marathons but never a Dopey so I’m after all the advice I can get.

I DNFed in 2020 because of the heat and my medical stuff deciding to make their appearance all at once. You got to remember these are four races over four days bad weather in one might not be a big deal for someone doing one race. But it is if your doing all four

 

[Erika10021]

let me do some quick “runners math” for you, because finishing is TOTALLY doable imo.

Let’s round things off and say the castle is mile 10. Let’s also say you started WITH the balloon ladies.

At 13:00/mi, you would be 30 minutes ahead of them at the castle. That leaves 16mi of race. 16x2=32, let’s round down to 30. You could walk approximately 18:00/mi for the rest of the race and finish. If you want to know what that feels like, put a treadmill on 3.3. Want more time cushion? Run to AK (mile 17) and you’d have a whopping 51min lead on the balloon ladies. Or try to start further forward in your corral (if you put in 13:00 equivalent for your finish time you’d be starting probably 15-20min ahead of the balloon ladies. You finishing is completely doable “just” running to the castle and then walking with a little strategy.

That is so awesome, thank you for the maths!

Edited to add: I think it's also going to be the cumulative fatigue that makes it a challenge to walk an additional 16 miles!

 

[accm]

Yeah, it's been "athletes" for a while. I liked "runners" better, but I guess inclusivity is a good thing

Has it? Last race I did was Marathon Weekend 2024, and it was definitely still runner then.

 

[accm]

I know your joking but ftr the change was probably done for inclusiveness. Wheels aren’t what you would traditionally call runners. Heck some of us don’t use the term. So athletes covers everyone regardless of status

I totally get, and think it's awesome they changed it from runner to athletes to be more inclusive. What threw me off was more the change in intonation than runners to athletes. I also didn't realize they had changed it prior to Wine and Dine.

 

[StarGirl11]

Has it? Last race I did was Marathon Weekend 2024, and it was definitely still runner then.

I think it was either DL Jan or Princess they made the change because I was there the first day the AWDs realized they had dropped runner

I totally get, and think it's awesome they changed it from runner to athletes to be more inclusive. What threw me off was more the change in intonation than runners to athletes. I also didn't realize they had changed it prior to Wine and Dine.

I get the intonation thing. I honestly didn’t notice it but I also wasn’t paying that close attention to how they were saying it

 

[Herding_Cats]

That is so awesome, thank you for the maths!

Edited to add: I think it's also going to be the cumulative fatigue that makes it a challenge to walk an additional 16 miles!

There should be a small group or 2 of us that will be straggling in (possibly together!) with somewhat similar pacing. Come to the meetups and say hi! That way we can latch on to you and drag you along to the finish line if you want!

Also, it helps to think about it like…
-walk to AK
-walk to BB
-walk to HS
And then you’re practically done!
-make it over the finish line

 

[superchime]

I've been tossing around the idea of trying Dopey again in 2026 when I'll be 48 (48 at 48!)

That was my whole reason for wanting to do Dopey this year (I'll be 48.6 years old in January)!

It's nice to see I'm not alone in the Marathon/Dopey training fatigue. I knew I wanted to do this and I am committed to doing what I need to do to (hopefully) get it done, but it is a lot. If I don't complete Dopey this year I really don't know if I'll have the time to try again next year. Maybe in a few years, but I'll be that much older and I'm already pushing my physical limits. Who knows. I'm going to try to enjoy myself as much as possible for this try, though.

I have a recording of the new "caution athletes" message because my son and I were standing in a character line next to a speaker at Sprintime Surprise. I wonder if I can figure out how to upload it. Let's see if this works.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/kqxj...ey=p48rx1tz6q1k6q6dvwwfkj28y&st=n3v68389&dl=0

 

[camaker]

Good afternoon RunDisney All-Stars! Welcome to this week's edition of Sundays are for Disney (SAFD). We've spent several weeks focusing on running and RunDisney, so let's get back to a "just" Disney question this week. Disney is a special place for most, if not all, of us. Do you have anything special or new planned for your Disney trip this Marathon Weekend?

SAFD: I don't really have anything new or special planned this year. A couple of years ago, I took advantage of traveling solo to build a lightsaber at Savvi's and it's still one of my favorite Disney experiences and souvenirs!

 

[The Expert]

SAFD: Nothing special planned this year for us, unless you count DH finally joining us for DATW!

 

[Barca33Runner]

SAFD: Although I am sure we will do some things that are new to me during our trip, we haven’t really gone out of the way to plan new things. We have a Shiki-Sai reservation at Epcot that we may or may not use (we’re waiting for a decent forecast to decide between that and Chefs de France). We’ve also booked 1900 Park Fare for dinner before heading to MK After Hours on Monday after MW. Not sure if we will keep either or both, but those are the possible new plans we have for now.

Sadly, a new experience for me will be going to Epcot and not riding Gran Fiesta Tour. I’m pretty gutted about that.

 

[The Expert]

ATTENTION MW ATHLETES! If you'd like to be included in the DIS packet and get timing hints for your races (when you'll hit certain landmarks, when the sun will come up, etc) be sure to post your info in the official DIS LIST FOR MW gathering thread.

 

[Lemon Head]

SAFD - Doing my first After Hours event at MK. Not sure if I think after hours is a good or bad idea, suppose I’ll find out.