Marathon Weekend 2027

[KCO5988]

This was my first MW in a very long time, but I will say that the course felt way more crowded even coming out of the back of the first wave of A than in the other weekends I've done. I skipped the first character stop in every race (except Jack and Sally- or were they second?) because the line was already longer than I was used to. But maybe that's normal for MW.

 

[accm]

I feel like I was in a different race than everyone commenting here! The difference between C & D for me was night and day! In D I could never get in a groove and was beyond frustrated throughout the entire race. In C this year I had so much room, picture lines were short and I even got great on course pics which never happens.

If my experience was a fluke, I don’t know how I feel about this going forward. This was the race that got me excited about rD again.

I think if you have a POT and run at your POT pace, you're less likely to encounter major crowding.

I also think there's a certain level of luck, where it's really dependent on what everyone else is doing. I started in G, was with the balloon ladies at around mile 3, then ran between a 10 and 11 minute mile, and encountered very little course crowding that impacted my race. The two bad spots for me was the walkway to MK and then World Dr out of MK.

 

[fatmanatee]

This was my first MW in a very long time, but I will say that the course felt way more crowded even coming out of the back of the first wave of A than in the other weekends I've done. I skipped the first character stop in every race (except Jack and Sally- or were they second?) because the line was already longer than I was used to. But maybe that's normal for MW.

I almost always skip the first, it's definitely been longer than the next few in my experience and I worry about those eventually getting backed up if I take the extra time on the first. Unfortunate because a LOT of times it's someone I'd want to see.

 

[MissLiss279]

This was my first MW in a very long time, but I will say that the course felt way more crowded even coming out of the back of the first wave of A than in the other weekends I've done. I skipped the first character stop in every race (except Jack and Sally- or were they second?) because the line was already longer than I was used to. But maybe that's normal for MW.

I usually don’t stop for characters unless the line is 5 people or less. Usually that means I never stop at the first one or two characters. For the marathon I’ve been starting in B for the last few years. This year, I was running a little slower than normal (6 weeks off running, followed by 6 weeks to ramp back up after surgery). The lines seemed longer this year than they have before. I’m not sure if that was because I was running slower and all the faster people behind me passed me, or if it was just different this year.
I also thought the half start wasn’t great because we were on a one lane ramp pretty soon after the start (and I happened to be surrounded by a pace group at that time), so it was very congested for quite a while until we could get to World Dr.

 

[DodgerGirlMissy]

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.

I know this would never, ever, ever happen... but my suggestion to RunDisney would be that all runners must submit POT for a non-rD race that they have completed. This would prove that they are able to complete the race distance within the required time, and (hopefully) they are aware of proper course etiquette.
I've participated in several non-rD half and full marathons, and course etiquette is never perfect, but it's usually better than at rD races. RunDisney races are definitely a fun experience, and I want to continue to run in them, but I wish that runners were more aware of their surroundings.
One of my friends was swept recently at the Disneyland half due to an injury. We were talking about her experience being swept, and we both agreed that if a runner trains really hard and does their best and still gets swept, it could be a devastating experience. Showing proof of completing an equivalent race distance might prevent that negative experience.

 

[lukemorenus]

I know this would never, ever, ever happen... but my suggestion to RunDisney would be that all runners must submit POT for a non-rD race that they have completed. This would prove that they are able to complete the race distance within the required time, and (hopefully) they are aware of proper course etiquette.
I've participated in several non-rD half and full marathons, and course etiquette is never perfect, but it's usually better than at rD races. RunDisney races are definitely a fun experience, and I want to continue to run in them, but I wish that runners were more aware of their surroundings.
One of my friends was swept recently at the Disneyland half due to an injury. We were talking about her experience being swept, and we both agreed that if a runner trains really hard and does their best and still gets swept, it could be a devastating experience. Showing proof of completing an equivalent race distance might prevent that negative experience.

Not allowing first-timers at RunDisney events would be a huge bummer for me. Many of my family members have been introduced to racing by the lure of Disney pixie-dust.

 

[The Expert]

Not allowing first-timers at RunDisney events would be a huge bummer for me. Many of my family members have been introduced to racing by the lure of Disney pixie-dust.

Agreed. If that were the case, I wouldn't be running today. rD's welcome attitude to beginners is the only reason I ever signed up for that first 5K a decade ago.

 

[fatmanatee]

I know this would never, ever, ever happen... but my suggestion to RunDisney would be that all runners must submit POT for a non-rD race that they have completed. This would prove that they are able to complete the race distance within the required time, and (hopefully) they are aware of proper course etiquette.
I've participated in several non-rD half and full marathons, and course etiquette is never perfect, but it's usually better than at rD races. RunDisney races are definitely a fun experience, and I want to continue to run in them, but I wish that runners were more aware of their surroundings.
One of my friends was swept recently at the Disneyland half due to an injury. We were talking about her experience being swept, and we both agreed that if a runner trains really hard and does their best and still gets swept, it could be a devastating experience. Showing proof of completing an equivalent race distance might prevent that negative experience.

FWIW DNF historically hasn't been that large of a group for RD races. It stinks when it happens but might be overstated a bit due to panic over the balloon ladies.

Would guess that a lot of these folks return and finish in future races.

 

[RuntheMouse]

This was my first MW in a very long time, but I will say that the course felt way more crowded even coming out of the back of the first wave of A than in the other weekends I've done. I skipped the first character stop in every race (except Jack and Sally- or were they second?) because the line was already longer than I was used to. But maybe that's normal for MW.

Yikes! I hate that you were already running into that starting in A!

 

[DodgerGirlMissy]

Agreed. If that were the case, I wouldn't be running today. rD's welcome attitude to beginners is the only reason I ever signed up for that first 5K a decade ago.

Totally understandable! The welcome energy at rD races as amazing!
There are so many other non-rD races that have the same welcome energy for beginners. I'm local to Los Angeles, so my first big race was the Rose Bowl Half Marathon. Putting in the work and crossing the finish line (no matter how long it takes) is an amazing feeling that all runners should experience. I still see many new runners at the Rose Bowl Half Marathon and LA Marathon. These races don't sweep runners (unless they are injured) and allow all participants to cross the finish line and earn their medal, even if they fall behind the pace requirement. One of our LA Marathon ambassadors (Rizzo.Runs on Instagram) highlights these final finishers and makes sure there is someone there to cheer for them when they finish their race.
Although rD does a great job of welcoming new runners, they are really not doing them justice unless they allow them to cross the finish line, even at slower paces. Part of my thinking in suggesting that all runners need to show POT is to ensure that everyone has a chance at crossing the finish line at a rD race. Again, I know this would never, ever, ever be a requirement, but it would be a way to avoid the terrible feeling of being swept.

 

[The Expert]

I can appreciate the perspective of your friend, @DodgerGirlMissy but not everyone's experience is negative. I've never been swept, but I was behind the course cut during my first marathon (Disney World 2020) and while disappointing and largely due to the dangerous heat, it motivated me to try again. Had I not been behind that cut, I may very well have stuck with my "one and done" plan instead of doing three more and three Dopeys.

And yes, there are other races that are welcoming to beginners, but those were never on my radar because I wasn't interested in running. I was interested in a unique Disney experience I had never done before. I did it in SPITE of the fact that it was a race, and completely by accident stumbled into this world and community. What business did I -- a then 45-year-old who did some weights at the gym once a week but hadn't participated in a sport since college -- have starting to run?! Ridiculous! Until it wasn't. No other entity on the planet could have convinced me of that like runDisney did.

 

[accm]

I agree with @The Expert . My first half marathon was the Disneyland Paris half. There's no chance I ever would've signed up to run a half if it wasn't for the fact that I'd be running through Disney.

I also don't see how exactly this helps anyone. Having finished a half previously doesn't guarantee you wont DNF at Disney, the same way that having never finished one before doesn't mean you won't finish.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

A 16 minute mile pace is generous, and gives newbies something to aim for. As we’ve seen, rD has to balance between the race experience with the park experience. The park experience is what brings new runners in, and they know the expectations going into each race. As much as it would be a great feel-good story for every runner to finish, the logistics would be extremely difficult.

 

[Disneyhanna]

I usually don’t stop for characters unless the line is 5 people or less. Usually that means I never stop at the first one or two characters. For the marathon I’ve been starting in B for the last few years. This year, I was running a little slower than normal (6 weeks off running, followed by 6 weeks to ramp back up after surgery). The lines seemed longer this year than they have before. I’m not sure if that was because I was running slower and all the faster people behind me passed me, or if it was just different this year.

In my extremely scientific and absolutely non-anecdotal experience ( ) I do think more people are stopping for pictures than ever. It's crazy how much social media surrounding rD has grown even in the past year. I have friends interested that were never interested before, because it's in their algorithms now! One really interesting thing I noticed is the lines for the 2024 Half o' Half (the half that got cut to 7 miles) were wayyyyy longer than usual. It made sense in hindsight, since the course was cut in advance no one had any hopes to PR, and people in the front of the pack were all stopping for photos when normally they might run through or skip most of them. Because what else were you going to do!

Unfortunately, I am contributing to the problem because I've gotten a lot of friends that never used to stop for photos to start stopping for photos. Oops!