Marathon Weekend 2027

[PrincessV]

I know I’m a broken record, but… rD DID at one time require PoT for more times. And guess what? Course congestion/etiquette/walkers where runners want to be/runners where walkers want to be was no different. At various times I’ve had PoT and not had PoT: neither made any difference in my race experience. After doing these races for 14 years, I do not believe there is anything that will resolve the essential things that make rD races weird in terms of racers of many different paces sharing a section of course other than eliminating photo stops - and I don’t imagine anyone wants that. The best thing I’ve done for my own sanity is let go of any notion of being able to run/walk my own pace for the entirety of any rD race and accept that I’m at the mercy of the crowd around me and its prevailing pace.

 

[lukemorenus]

I know I’m a broken record, but… rD DID at one time require PoT for more times. And guess what? Course congestion/etiquette/walkers where runners want to be/runners where walkers want to be was no different. At various times I’ve had PoT and not had PoT: neither made any difference in my race experience. After doing these races for 14 years, I do not believe there is anything that will resolve the essential things that make rD races weird in terms of racers of many different paces sharing a section of course other than eliminating photo stops - and I don’t imagine anyone wants that. The best thing I’ve done for my own sanity is let go of any notion of being able to run/walk my own pace for the entirety of any rD race and accept that I’m at the mercy of the crowd around me and its prevailing pace.

Agreed - over the decades I've just accepted that Disney races have their own quirks and just to embrace it, because it's really cool overall

 

[RuntheMouse]

I know I’m a broken record, but… rD DID at one time require PoT for more times. And guess what? Course congestion/etiquette/walkers where runners want to be/runners where walkers want to be was no different. At various times I’ve had PoT and not had PoT: neither made any difference in my race experience.

I have to disagree with the bold. This past MW was the first time I’ve run the marathon with a POT and it made a HUGE difference in my experience. I had hardly any congestion and had a great experience, my best rD race yet. I said before I was done with rD if I didn’t have a POT and this locked in that decision.

 

[PrincessV]

I have to disagree with the bold. This past MW was the first time I’ve run the marathon with a POT and it made a HUGE difference in my experience. I had hardly any congestion and had a great experience, my best rD race yet. I said before I was done with rD if I didn’t have a POT and this locked in that decision.

I’m sure it does help some people - I imagine especially those at the faster end of things. But as a middle of the packer, having a PoT that put me in a middle of the pack corral made no difference in my experience compared to no PoT and starting in a middle of the pack, or even back of the pack, corral. There have been a couple races in which I was inexplicably placed in A and started in the back of it, and yes - that was an entirely different experience from a D-P start! But when folks start talking about PoT for slower paces, BT/DT and it didn’t magically fix anything.

 

[accm]

SAFD: I have a localish half the first weekend of May that I'll be going for a PR and a new POT when my current one expires. Then at the end of May I'll be running a local 5k with my son. It'll be his first timed 5k, so he's looking forward to that.

SAFD: My goal for spring races is to improve my current POT for Marathon/ Dopey/Goofy as I'm only within 30 seconds of the current B cutoff. I'm also in the lottery for Broad Street - my plans really revolve about whether or not I get in as it's my best chance to improve my POT. I'm also registered for the Ottawa 5k, 10k and Half at the end of May. The Half is my backup race for POT if I don't get in to Broad Street but I've never managed to crack 2:08 in a half before and not confident I can do it this year. That will be it for races for me until Chicago in the fall.

I'm not sure exactly where you're located, but the race I'm doing in May is only a few hours from Ottawa, and should be a pretty good choice for POT:
https://raceroster.com/events/2026/105731/georgina-spring-fling-2026

They really should. For a race that really seems to preach inclusivity they're basically saying if you can't run faster than a 2:22 half or a 5 hour marathon, we don't care if you're seeded correctly or not. I'm sure it's beyond frustrating to be on that bubble and capable of running very close to those times only to get pushed into a later corral because of the rampant lying.

The other way to look at it is that they're inclusive to new runners, and it would be frustrating to be put in the last corral just because you don't have a POT. I think with the way Disney races are setup, with people frequently stopping for pictures, you're going to have a really hard time keeping people properly seeded throughout the race.