Marathon Weekend 2026

[Herding_Cats]

We get off a cruise on Jan 8 and are considering a few days at WDW.

Do the races really interfere with the parks, and/or getting to them? Or should they have minimal to no effect on our days?

The largest interference will occur on Sunday with the full marathon running. This means some road closures (mainly in the MK and Epcot areas) but also some considerations for HS, AK, and Epcot as the race goes through these parks during operating hours. Getting to/from MK will take extra time unless you are staying at a resort with non-bus MK transportation. The races are completed before parks open on all other days and should have little to no impact on you.

 

[mcd2745]

The largest interference will occur on Sunday with the full marathon running. This means some road closures (mainly in the MK and Epcot areas) but also some considerations for HS, AK, and Epcot as the race goes through these parks during operating hours. Getting to/from MK will take extra time unless you are staying at a resort with non-bus MK transportation. The races are completed before parks open on all other days and should have little to no impact on you.

Thanks!

We probably would not even be going to a park Sunday and would be going home that day (from MCO). So I suppose may need to allow for a little extra time to get off property on way to MCO, depending on what time flight we end up with.

 

[Naomeri]

some people will actually attached it in advance

That is because some people have enough trouble getting a bib on straight and secure while they're fully awake that they don't want to attempt it while half asleep

Last marathon they gave out some biscuits, not chocolate. I forgot the name of the brand, but they usually give out samples at the expo. I stock up because my kid loves them.

Those were tasty, but SUPER DRY, so only eat them if you've got something to drink.

Then there was the random guy outside HS handing out Twizzlers--that was a good treat

 

[BigEeyore]

SAFD: Body Glide failed me, as did the Gold Bond anti-chafe stick. Someone on these boards a few years ago recommended Squirrels Nut Butter and that has been a lifesaver - it goes in all the usual spots that others have mentioned. You only have to get bad chafing once to learn that lesson!

 

[GollyGadget]

Thank you for reminding me that I need to practice running with stuff in my sports bra pocket! I've never used it because my short T-rex arms find it hard to reach my phone, but I can stuff other things I won't need as often in there.

(For reference, it's the Janji long bra.)

Next time you’re looking for a new bra, check out the Ascend. I rarely wear my long bra because I can’t reach the pocket but have no issues with Janji’s original back pocket bra.

 

[The Expert]

Cards, tap to pay, etc.

I wouldn’t worry about your spouse handing you something - people literally do it all the time on Main Street. They just don’t want people handing out stuff to lots of people, like an unofficial aid station. But grabbing gels from friends/SO is fine - as long as you don’t try to cross the road.

Great to know!!! I think after what happened last year, they might have their eye on @The Expert though!

The year before this incident, I spectated the marathon from Bay Lake and Epcot. I took items from fellow DISers, had extra snacks on-hand and a big box of Kleenex. No issues whatsoever. In fact, at Epcot, I was standing near Norway with the tissue box fully held out to runners going by and more than one CM complimented the idea! So yeah, ymmv.

I will be spectating the full this year again (probably TTC and Boardwalk) and absolutely plan to have my box of Kleenex for all and probably a little stash of baby Cokes for my DIS friends.

 

[Barca33Runner]

We get off a cruise on Jan 8 and are considering a few days at WDW.

Do the races really interfere with the parks, and/or getting to them? Or should they have minimal to no effect on our days?

As was previously laid out by @Herding_Cats, purely from a logistical standpoint MW should have very little impact getting to and from the Parks in the morning and should not affect their functionality except for a small window on Sunday.

As someone who has attended Marathon Weekend every January since 2012, I think it is a really cool time to be at WDW and in the Parks and Resorts. In my experience, there is a level of camaraderie that is uncommon from other times at WDW and really enhances the overall experience. I am not sure how this experience might differ for those who are attending at the same time and not participating in MW (particularly those who are completely unaware of its existence going in).

I have seen/heard bloggers/podcasters/influencers discuss race weekends as though a plague has descended upon the parks and who list race weekends as one of the worst times to attend. Anecdotally, the changes RunDisney has made to the race times and courses in recent years makes me believe there are more than a few complaints received about race weekends affecting expensive vacations negatively and that those complaints are finding a sympathetic ear.

Personally, I think the parks tend to be rather busy during race weekends but that the parks also tend to be rather busy almost all the time. There is nothing uniquely inherent to a race weekend that should prevent anyone from having a good time at WDW; that said, I can easily imagine them being a convenient scapegoat when things don’t go 100% to plan for someone.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I'm just going to tack on my usual reminder that, when planning what to wear for a marathon, consider all of the logistics of a bathroom stop. If you have *extremely* full pockets with gels and whatnot, what will happen when you have to pull your shorts down?

 

[nancipants]

Next time you’re looking for a new bra, check out the Ascend. I rarely wear my long bra because I can’t reach the pocket but have no issues with Janji’s original back pocket bra.

Good to know - it's on my Christmas list! I'm just mad it's out of stock in blue because I wanted it for my marathon costume.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

SAFD: Body Glide failed me, as did the Gold Bond anti-chafe stick. Someone on these boards a few years ago recommended Squirrels Nut Butter and that has been a lifesaver - it goes in all the usual spots that others have mentioned. You only have to get bad chafing once to learn that lesson!

Word!
My experience has been that the anti-chafe sticks help, but none of them are good for a full marathon, nor for the last few miles of a half. For that reason, I prefer physical barriers in the critical areas, meaning tights for chub-rub on the thighs and moleskin and toe socks to mitigate the blisters on the toes.

 

[PrincessV]

I'm just going to tack on my usual reminder that, when planning what to wear for a marathon, consider all of the logistics of a bathroom stop. If you have *extremely* full pockets with gels and whatnot, what will happen when you have to pull your shorts down?

I’ll tack on that this is exactly the sort of thing to test in training! I have exactly zero stuff falling out of pockets when pulling down shorts/tights, but I only know that because I tested it.

 

[LSUlakes]

For the marathon we are staying at CBR now. With the race starting at 4:30 AM I have a goal that would have me completing the race for 8:00-8:15 AM. With my family staying at CBR, will they be able to take the skyliner to the international gateway and walk through Epcot to the finish, or will they have to take a bus? The other plan is if the skyliner is running but the park isnt, then they will go to the boardwalk area to cheer me on and then just meet me back at the room or post race at Epcot.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I’ll tack on that this is exactly the sort of thing to test in training! I have exactly zero stuff falling out of pockets when pulling down shorts/tights, but I only know that because I tested it.

Exactly. You don't want to learn this lesson when you're in a porta on the side of the highway at 5am.

 

[nancipants]

For the marathon we are staying at CBR now. With the race starting at 4:30 AM I have a goal that would have me completing the race for 8:00-8:15 AM. With my family staying at CBR, will they be able to take the skyliner to the international gateway and walk through Epcot to the finish, or will they have to take a bus? The other plan is if the skyliner is running but the park isnt, then they will go to the boardwalk area to cheer me on and then just meet me back at the room or post race at Epcot.

Epcot doesn't open until 10 am on marathon day (9:30 for early entry), so unfortunately they wouldn't be able to get into the park.

 

[Herding_Cats]

For the marathon we are staying at CBR now. With the race starting at 4:30 AM I have a goal that would have me completing the race for 8:00-8:15 AM. With my family staying at CBR, will they be able to take the skyliner to the international gateway and walk through Epcot to the finish, or will they have to take a bus? The other plan is if the skyliner is running but the park isnt, then they will go to the boardwalk area to cheer me on and then just meet me back at the room or post race at Epcot.

Epcot doesn't open until 10am on Marathon day (9:30 for EE guests) and HS at 9am (8:30 for EE guests)

The skyliner starts running 60-90min before EE times. So that would be 7 or 730am (I'm not sure if they would "allow" people to be riding to Intl Gateway that early before park opening.) They would *not* be able to walk through Epcot to see you finish. I would also assume park busses wouldn't be running yet, so they would likely have to ride-share or drive over the Epcot since they can't take the rundisney bus to the finish area (because they'd need to go through security.)

If they wanted to cheer for you along the boardwalk they would need to be in line early for the skyliner, get off at HS, and then navigate from there....which may be a tricky/longer route than normal since ya know.....runners on the usual sidewalk.

 

[Naomeri]

I'm just going to tack on my usual reminder that, when planning what to wear for a marathon, consider all of the logistics of a bathroom stop. If you have *extremely* full pockets with gels and whatnot, what will happen when you have to pull your shorts down?

This is also relevant for costuming. I rarely need a bathroom stop during races, but I did at the marathon this year, and I foolishly didn’t stop at real bathrooms in MK, so I had to figure out what do with a knee-length skirt, crinoline, and pouches attached to the skirt in a port o potty.

I chose to just strip the skirt and crinoline off outside and leave it standing up, and trust that my fellow runners wouldn’t abscond with it (my phone with ID and whatnot was in my shorts pocket with me)

 

[Stitch&Co.]

A few thoughts from personal experience…

1. Race Brain is a thing. You may have experienced it a bit running halfs, but I’m here to say the Marathon Race Brain is another beast altogether. I imagine not everyone experiences it, but enough people I know have that I feel safe saying it’s common. Race Brain can make high (or even basic) mental functioning in the late miles very difficult… plans/contingency plans/extra contingency plans you had locked in your brain for weeks can just go POOF! as your body diverts all energy toward keeping you moving. I find the less thinking I need to do in the last 1/4 of a marathon, the better. This x1,000 if it’s also hot - and this marathon has a history of sometimes being very hot.

Another consideration is what may work for a warm day may not work for a cold day. As others have already mentioned, MW has a terrible record for weather consistency. You need to consider what you will need for hot weather vs. cold weather and how you will carry it. There will be plenty of talk come mid-December about weather, but know that there can be everything from hot to freezing temps within the course of the weekend.

 

[nancipants]

There will be plenty of talk come mid-December about weather, but know that there can be everything from hot to freezing temps within the course of the weekend.

And depending how not-so-fast you are, within the course of the marathon itself! I started out with leggings, arm sleeves, and gloves. I took off the leggings in MK, rolled down the arm sleeves somewhere between MK and AK, and tossed my gloves in AK. In my castle picture my legs and arms are totally covered; my photopass pics in Epcot look like it's summer.

 

[Stitch&Co.]

And depending how not-so-fast you are, within the course of the marathon itself! I started out with leggings, arm sleeves, and gloves. I took off the leggings in MK, rolled down the arm sleeves somewhere between MK and AK, and tossed my gloves in AK. In my castle picture my legs and arms are totally covered; my photopass pics in Epcot look like it's summer.

I wasn't too far ahead of you. I took off my outer hoodie and put it around my waist before MK, but it went back on after I came out. It's always colder there. I finally ditched that one somewhere shortly before AK.
There would definitely be protests if I took off my leggings though!!

 

[Fenway1970]

I can easily imagine them being a convenient scapegoat when things don’t go 100% to plan for someone.

My thing with that though is: it's not like Marathon Weekend is a secret. Non-runners who visit that weekend should be aware of what they're getting. To say nothing of that it's really only one day out of the four that has any meaningful impact on park goers. Events like F&W arguably have a more adverse effect on navigating Epcot (and for more days) than the marathon does.

Like you said, it's likely a convenient scapegoat but there's always going to be someone unhappy. I'd be skeptical if Disney told me that the level of complaints during MW is significantly higher than it is on any other given weekend. I say let the runners have their one day of the year.