Marathon Weekend 2025

[nancipants]

Now that October is here, I've finally let myself start thinking about ADRs since the booking window opens next month. After all, what’s the point of running long distances if not for the food? As this will be my first marathon at Walt Disney World, I’m curious about what dining experiences others have enjoyed or avoided, especially before the race.

For context, we’ll be staying at BWV and arriving on Friday afternoon. I’m only participating in the marathon, but I want to keep my meals light and not greasy on Friday and Saturday. However, I would love to have something carb-heavy on Friday in particular. I understand that everyone has different tolerances for food, but I would appreciate any suggestions so I can review the menus myself.

Additionally, have people found it more enjoyable to plan a fun dinner on marathon day or opt for brunch/lunch instead? From my previous marathon experience, I remember not feeling hungry until much later in the day. I also want to avoid feeling rushed to shower and get ready after the race just to make an ADR.

This will be my first marathon, so I'm also curious about this! The marathon is also my birthday so I want to have a nice meal, but I have no idea how I feel. I'm leaning towards a reservation for Trattoria Al Forno on Friday and ordering takeout from a local hibachi restaurant near our house after the marathon, because that always feels so good after a workout/long day in the parks. And maybe also order pizza for a late dinner.

 

[SheHulk]

Personally I am so physically devastated the day I run a marathon that I can't enjoy eating a meal as much as I'd expect. I can destroy a milkshake but real food is hard for me. For anyone that has gone through childbirth I think the same principle applies: You can't predict how you are going to feel, or what you are going to want, in order to feel better, until you go through it at least once! Maybe that means you should go ahead and make reservations both Sunday and Monday, and then see how you feel?

For me this also means: I don't know if I'm going to need to nap, or want to go to the parks. I'm still not good at predicting that from year to year.

 

[Disneyhanna]

I always enjoy a big dinner after a marathon but not necessarily a fancy/long dinner if that makes sense. My first marathon I was wiped, but I had my favorite takeout for dinner and ate like 2x as much as I normally would and wasn't even that full

I forget what I did after my first Dopey but I know I didn't have lunch after, I was too busy washing up and laying sideways on the bed lol. After Dopey #2 I had dinner at Shiki-Sai which was delicious. My only advice is nothing TOO late as the exhaustion definitely sets in after the marathon. I think we had dinner at 6 or 7 and that was fine. At least with the two hour cancellation window you can always cancel if you don't feel well. But it was nice having a meal to look forward too, even if it's just something casual like Blaze Pizza. I always have my eyes on the prize (food) after long runs/races though

 

[Novatrix]

SAFD: Just ran my big race of the fall on Sunday (Berlin Marathon) so now the only training I'm doing for the next week is last minute liver prep for Oktoberfest.

After that, onto Goofy training. Berlin went much better than expected for a variety of reasons, and I even managed to negative split the 2nd half of the race, so I feel I have pacing down. Now it's just a matter of staying uninjured between now and January.

 

[jmasgat]

Additionally, have people found it more enjoyable to plan a fun dinner on marathon day or opt for brunch/lunch instead?

In order for one to enjoy lunch on marathon day, one must finish said marathon by lunch time.
Seriously, depending on what corral you're in, how fast you are, how long it takes to get back to your resort and shower.....I would never plan lunch--even when I ran 4hr marathons starting out of B (i.e. done by 10). Also, I generally feel wrecked after a marathon and prioritize recovery over meals. Recovery always involves walking around, and sometimes noshing as I go.

I have sometimes done dinner, and other times gone for my post-race milkshake at B&C or Ghirardelli and done light QS dinner. Given that I go solo, I never bother with a reservation. DS has options for me to show up and sit at the bar.

 

[Dopey 2020]

Now that October is here, I've finally let myself start thinking about ADRs since the booking window opens next month. After all, what’s the point of running long distances if not for the food? As this will be my first marathon at Walt Disney World, I’m curious about what dining experiences others have enjoyed or avoided, especially before the race.

For context, we’ll be staying at BWV and arriving on Friday afternoon. I’m only participating in the marathon, but I want to keep my meals light and not greasy on Friday and Saturday. However, I would love to have something carb-heavy on Friday in particular. I understand that everyone has different tolerances for food, but I would appreciate any suggestions so I can review the menus myself.

Additionally, have people found it more enjoyable to plan a fun dinner on marathon day or opt for brunch/lunch instead? From my previous marathon experience, I remember not feeling hungry until much later in the day. I also want to avoid feeling rushed to shower and get ready after the race just to make an ADR.

This will be my first marathon, so I'm also curious about this! The marathon is also my birthday so I want to have a nice meal, but I have no idea how I feel. I'm leaning towards a reservation for Trattoria Al Forno on Friday and ordering takeout from a local hibachi restaurant near our house after the marathon, because that always feels so good after a workout/long day in the parks. And maybe also order pizza for a late dinner.

Can’t go wrong with Trattoria especially if you’re at BW. Or if you’ve got passes walk into EPCOT and hit Italy for carb heaven. This year I will be at the Boathouse enjoying bread, steak, mac and cheese, and hops in a can.
Post marathon I am famished, love a good meal immediately and for the next few days. Most marathons are celebrated with dinner at Jiko that night.

 

[sandam1]

I can destroy a milkshake but real food is hard for me.

I have a fun milkshake story. On my second runDisney race weekend and first challenge, every day leading up to the race, I kept eyeing the milkshakes at our hotel's food court, promising myself that I would have one after I finished. On Sunday, I got back to the hotel, exhausted and sweaty, and they were still on their breakfast menu and the milk shakes aren't available. It took everything that I had left in me not to collapse in a sobbing heap at that point. Now, every time I pass that area, I think about the milk shake that I was denied.

 

[PrincessV]

Additionally, have people found it more enjoyable to plan a fun dinner on marathon day or opt for brunch/lunch instead? From my previous marathon experience, I remember not feeling hungry until much later in the day. I also want to avoid feeling rushed to shower and get ready after the race just to make an ADR.

All of that is exactly why I stopped making any dining plans for marathon day. I need to eat ASAP after finishing, so I kept a chocolate milk and a Clif bar in my car. That bought me enough time to get back to my resort, where I had Second Breakfast, even though it was easily 1pm - something simple like a bagel with cream cheese and some berries, or a sandwich. I’d be good until about 4pm, when I was ravenous and totally uninterested in table service or anything fancy. Best post-marathon dinner I had was takeout from a Celebration burger joint that friends brought to me at my resort!

 

[GuinnessRunner]

Additionally, have people found it more enjoyable to plan a fun dinner on marathon day or opt for brunch/lunch instead? From my previous marathon experience, I remember not feeling hungry until much later in the day. I also want to avoid feeling rushed to shower and get ready after the race just to make an ADR.

I always plan a nice dinner after finishing the marathon. I've found that it's really hit or miss how I'm going to feel right after finishing so I don't plan anything for lunch and see how it goes. But by the time evening rolls around, I am ready to celebrate the accomplsihment (knock on wood). As others have said, dinner is on the earlier side (6-7) since I know I will crash especially with a celebratory beverage or two included at dinner.

 

[nancipants]

Can’t go wrong with Trattoria especially if you’re at BW. Or if you’ve got passes walk into EPCOT and hit Italy for carb heaven. This year I will be at the Boathouse enjoying bread, steak, mac and cheese, and hops in a can.
Post marathon I am famished, love a good meal immediately and for the next few days. Most marathons are celebrated with dinner at Jiko that night.

Oooh, I love Boathouse.

 

[Naomeri]

Additionally, have people found it more enjoyable to plan a fun dinner on marathon day or opt for brunch/lunch instead? From my previous marathon experience, I remember not feeling hungry until much later in the day. I also want to avoid feeling rushed to shower and get ready after the race just to make an ADR.

Can't speak to the marathon, since this will be my first, but I always do Beaches & Cream after the longest race of a weekend. Since I expect to be a fairly late finisher, I'm aiming for an ADR sometime in the 5 o'clock hour to allow for finishing, return to resort, clean-up, rest, and getting from SSR to BC.

 

[camaker]

SAFD: Just ran my big race of the fall on Sunday (Berlin Marathon) so now the only training I'm doing for the next week is last minute liver prep for Oktoberfest.

After that, onto Goofy training. Berlin went much better than expected for a variety of reasons, and I even managed to negative split the 2nd half of the race, so I feel I have pacing down. Now it's just a matter of staying uninjured between now and January.

You're too late, Oktoberfest is in September. Just ask Flula.

 

[GollyGadget]

Additionally, have people found it more enjoyable to plan a fun dinner on marathon day or opt for brunch/lunch instead? From my previous marathon experience, I remember not feeling hungry until much later in the day. I also want to avoid feeling rushed to shower and get ready after the race just to make an ADR.

The tricky part about lunch/brunch is figuring out the timing. What time do you expect to finish? What if the wheels fall off or you hit the wall? How likely is it that you run into traffic? Plus guessing how long it will take you to exit, get to your resort, shower, etc.

I'm always starving after my long runs and want to immediately eat ALL THE THINGS. I did successfully book brunch at Whispering Canyon last year but mostly because of the generous reservation cancellation policy. Based on a suggestion here, I had one ressie for if things went to plan and another ressie for worst case scenario. There was still some buffer time built into ressie A and we ended up arriving a bit early for it but they were able to seat us and I was able to eat my weight in biscuits & gravy.

This year I was planning on Hoop Dee Doo for dinner but your question reminded me how much I enjoyed that post race brunch. Plus, after such an early wake up, it's always a struggle for me to keep my eyes open past 5pm. Decisions, decisions....

 

[Herding_Cats]

For anyone that has gone through childbirth I think the same principle applies: You can't predict how you are going to feel, or what you are going to want, in order to feel better, until you go through it at least once!

This is spot on! And this is also where really paying attention to your long runs in training can give you clues. My body has been extremely predictable when it comes to this.

For any distance that's over about 2.5hrs for me (so HM or longer) I have about a 30-40min window at the end of the run where I can eat all of the thing, and once that window passes, it's a no-go for 4-6 hours. I didn't realize how hard my body stuck to this until I had a very not-fun dining experience: one year for MW I had a Homecomin' brunch reservation after the HM because I was super excited for blueberry mimosas. I could barely eat anything, and DH had to finish my mimosa because my body was NOT interested. And I just wanted to cry because I had been looking forward to that meal SO MUCH and I didn't even want to look at food.

However, once that 4-6 (usually more like 6) hour window of no food, thanks passes, I can eat all of the things.

My solution to this super-fun time is to:
-pack food in my gearcheck bag that I eat in the parking lot while sprawled out on a poncho or mylar (usually a PBJ since it holds up well regardless of the outside temperatures) and drink half a pineapple cider because YUM
-eat just about everything in the snack box on the ride back to the resort--really just getting as many carbs into my body as possible and as much water/powerade/liquid IV as I can stand
-shower/epsom salt/theragun/foam roll basically whatever seems like my body needs
-NAP
and that usually gets me pretty close to being ready to eat. Which is like 7pm. And I'm still exhausted and DH is an angel who fetches dinner for me.

 

[fatmanatee]

Are we forgetting the true prize after the marathon?

 

[sandam1]

Are we forgetting the true prize after the marathon?

View attachment 899926

I may be slightly crazy, but I am walking a marathon this week and was tempted to pick up this and some tortilla chips when I saw them at Dollar Tree.

 

[Novatrix]

Additionally, have people found it more enjoyable to plan a fun dinner on marathon day or opt for brunch/lunch instead? From my previous marathon experience, I remember not feeling hungry until much later in the day. I also want to avoid feeling rushed to shower and get ready after the race just to make an ADR.

YMMV, but for me I don't do meal reservations after the marathon anymore.

I'm ravenous after the race ends, and need to eat within the one hour window which is more conducive to just getting some type of quick service. Then I'll be hungry again later, but only for small quantities at a time, which makes it a waste to go to a restaurant.

@camaker LOL, just watched the video. Now far be it for me to say a German is missing out on the nuance of the situation, BUT....

 

[The Expert]

Now that October is here, I've finally let myself start thinking about ADRs since the booking window opens next month. After all, what’s the point of running long distances if not for the food? As this will be my first marathon at Walt Disney World, I’m curious about what dining experiences others have enjoyed or avoided, especially before the race.

For context, we’ll be staying at BWV and arriving on Friday afternoon. I’m only participating in the marathon, but I want to keep my meals light and not greasy on Friday and Saturday. However, I would love to have something carb-heavy on Friday in particular. I understand that everyone has different tolerances for food, but I would appreciate any suggestions so I can review the menus myself.

Additionally, have people found it more enjoyable to plan a fun dinner on marathon day or opt for brunch/lunch instead? From my previous marathon experience, I remember not feeling hungry until much later in the day. I also want to avoid feeling rushed to shower and get ready after the race just to make an ADR.

I've stayed at BWV for several races and Flying Fish is my go-to. I usually hit it for an early dinner before the marathon, but have also done it as a celebratory meal the day AFTER the marathon. I'm not-so-fast, and usually the Chiefs are playing football, so I stock up on food I can make in the room and just eat what I feel like eating as often as I feel like after the race. I've been known to send DH to the pizza window more than once, too.

Berlin went much better than expected for a variety of reasons, and I even managed to negative split the 2nd half of the race, so I feel I have pacing down.

Congrats!!

 

[jrsharp21]

Additionally, have people found it more enjoyable to plan a fun dinner on marathon day or opt for brunch/lunch instead? From my previous marathon experience, I remember not feeling hungry until much later in the day. I also want to avoid feeling rushed to shower and get ready after the race just to make an ADR.

I am always starving as soon as I get done with the marathon. I will demolish the snack box sitting on the ground while I cool off. Then I will hit the breakfast/pizza cone truck and get a celebratory beer. Last year, after getting back to the resort and getting cleaned up, I headed back to Epcot and went to Regal Eagle Smokehouse. I ate the heck out of some ribs, chicken, and mac n cheese. All that sodium is just what I needed. Probably one of my favorite after marathon meals to date.

 

[RuntheMouse]

Additionally, have people found it more enjoyable to plan a fun dinner on marathon day or opt for brunch/lunch instead? From my previous marathon experience, I remember not feeling hungry until much later in the day. I also want to avoid feeling rushed to shower and get ready after the race just to make an ADR.

After the full this year, we made an ADR for lunch at Steakhouse 71. That burger was exactly what I needed, well that and a Twisted Fig

The year before we had dinner at Hoop Dee Doo Revue and waiting to have a big meal made my stomach a bit queasy so that was a bummer.

When we do the half, brunch is our go to.