Marathon Weekend 2027

[sandam1]

But it kinda stinks for the athletes. It was cool to have that last mile be a full loop, get a drink from wherever you wanted as long as it was open, etc.

I ran the marathon in 2023 (i.e. the "old way") and in 2025 (i.e. the "new way") and personally, I enjoyed the dash through Epcot to the finish more than the so-called victory lap. Knowing that there was less than a mile to the finish when I entered Epcot was a game-changer for me mentally.

It's also incredibly emotional. When I was spectating in the tunnel at Connections this January, I noticed a distinct shift as we got to the last hour or so of participants, from party pace to a huge range of BIG feelings. As they came around that corner they were palpable: joy, relief, pain, exhaustion, disbelief, and a thousand others. I switched out my funny signs for the one that said "Believe" and boy did that resonate with every single person who passed by. We shared high fives, screams, hugs, fist bumps and lots of tears through all of it. Yes, there were still those in party mode, but I was truly not prepared for that emotional shift. I know that race probably meant a lot to a lot of runners that day, but it sure seemed to mean more to many of those folks in the back.

This past year I spectated the marathon on Main Street (awesome experience, would highly recommend). I stayed until the bikes went past and experienced something very similar. At the very end were the people, who just by getting to Main Street, won that day. They weren't going to finish. I knew it and they probably knew it too, but at that moment, nobody cared one bit. It was all about them giving everything they had to get to that place. It is a testimony to the human spirit and something that I will never forget.

 

[BradleyCB]

Good morning, RunDisney All-Stars! The time is upon us! The real competition to determine our favorite Disney movie starts now! Today’s Sundays Are For Disney (SAFD) question is what are your movie choices in each of the match ups below? Let the games begin!

View attachment 1058155

Thank you for doing this @camaker!

Here are my votes:
- Lion King
- Encanto
- Incredibles!!
- Coco
- PotC
- Roger Rabbit
- Raiders
- Empire Strikes (my beloved Rogue One though! Such a tough match up)

 

[accm]

SAFD: Some tough choices having to be made here. I don't have much of an opinion on the live action movies (haven't even watched a few of them), so I'll refrain from casting a vote.

Lion King
Encanto (tough one to pick)
Toy Story
Up (I think. This is another tough one)

 

[3princesandaprincess]

There are some tough choices here!

• Lion King over Little Mermaid
• Beauty & the Beast over Encanto
• Toy Story over Incredibles
• Up over Coco

• Pirates over Enchanted
• Mary Poppins over Roger Rabbit
• Guardians over Raiders
• Empire Strikes Back over Rogue One

 

[Zutroy]

Running is a community and it’s a big enough tent for everyone.

Similarly, if you DNF, DNS, or took 8 hours, I applaud that effort. Not everyone is a born runner or an elite runner. It takes mental fortitude and strength of character to get out and try something daunting, knowing very well you might fail and people might be judging you. Regardless of whether they finish or finish by a certain time, they made themselves better by trying.

It’s a slippery slope when we start drawing lines in the sand and say, “You must be X, Y, or Z to even sign up.”

The problem is that for all the talk of “inclusivity,” people in the RD community have no problem trying to shame faster runners. I literally responded to a comment that stated that people who previously qualified for a world major only did so because they were “genetically gifted” and that they “had never experience failure before in their lives.” What an ignorant statement that discounts all the hard work of those runners. Yet no one here said a peep about that.

There’s such a thing as toxic positivity. Growth can only occur when you acknowledge and learn from your failures. Everyone has different abilities, and we measure our successes differently. But I’m not going to applaud a person who signs up for a marathon having never run, doesn’t train, shows up unprepared for race day, and predictably DNFs. But the RD community will predictably cheer that person on, while telling a fast runner that they’re wrong for racing the course and not “experiencing the magic.”

It’s perfectly acceptable to expect that a person running a marathon will prepare for it. That doesn’t mean they have to run a certain pace, but it does mean that if a person agrees to take a marathon spot from someone else, that they should do their best to tackle the distance.

 

[Novatrix]

The problem is that for all the talk of “inclusivity,” people in the RD community have no problem trying to shame faster runners. I literally responded to a comment that stated that people who previously qualified for a world major only did so because they were “genetically gifted” and that they “had never experience failure before in their lives.” What an ignorant statement that discounts all the hard work of those runners. Yet no one here said a peep about that.

There’s such a thing as toxic positivity. Growth can only occur when you acknowledge and learn from your failures. Everyone has different abilities, and we measure our successes differently. But I’m not going to applaud a person who signs up for a marathon having never run, doesn’t train, shows up unprepared for race day, and predictably DNFs. But the RD community will predictably cheer that person on, while telling a fast runner that they’re wrong for racing the course and not “experiencing the magic.”

It’s perfectly acceptable to expect that a person running a marathon will prepare for it. That doesn’t mean they have to run a certain pace, but it does mean that if a person agrees to take a marathon spot from someone else, that they should do their best to tackle the distance.

First off, I believe the failure comment was only in reference to failure to register for these races, not to the greater trials and tribulations in life. And goodness knows, registration had become significantly harder as races are far more popular than even a decade ago. Running is no longer a niche activity.

Look, rundisney races have never had POT requirements for registration. Everyone has just as much of a right to sign up as anyone else.
If preparation was the standard requirement, then the event would implement qualification or proof of training requirements.
But it doesn’t, by design, and it would be an insane invasion of privacy to require it.

So criticizing participants for not meeting a standard the event itself does not require is just imposing personal preferences on a public event.

 

[Psymonds]

Day 1 of week 1 for my training plan for my non Disney July Marathon. I added the dopey training plan to the spreadsheet and it backs up to that, so... other than a few weeks of rest after that marathon looks like I'm dopey training now.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

The problem is that for all the talk of “inclusivity,” people in the RD community have no problem trying to shame faster runners. I literally responded to a comment that stated that people who previously qualified for a world major only did so because they were “genetically gifted” and that they “had never experience failure before in their lives.” What an ignorant statement that discounts all the hard work of those runners. Yet no one here said a peep about that.

There’s such a thing as toxic positivity. Growth can only occur when you acknowledge and learn from your failures. Everyone has different abilities, and we measure our successes differently. But I’m not going to applaud a person who signs up for a marathon having never run, doesn’t train, shows up unprepared for race day, and predictably DNFs. But the RD community will predictably cheer that person on, while telling a fast runner that they’re wrong for racing the course and not “experiencing the magic.”

It’s perfectly acceptable to expect that a person running a marathon will prepare for it. That doesn’t mean they have to run a certain pace, but it does mean that if a person agrees to take a marathon spot from someone else, that they should do their best to tackle the distance.

I agree, and we have some very fast runners posting right here in this thread who might have been offended. Also consider that it was in response to a post about people who were making elitist remarks about others running in these races. Sometimes what we mean to say gets lost in the writing. Maybe that is happening all the way around. Or maybe good people are having bad days/moments.

A little empathy goes a long way.

 

[The Expert]

This past year I spectated the marathon on Main Street (awesome experience, would highly recommend). I stayed until the bikes went past and experienced something very similar. At the very end were the people, who just by getting to Main Street, won that day. They weren't going to finish. I knew it and they probably knew it too, but at that moment, nobody cared one bit. It was all about them giving everything they had to get to that place. It is a testimony to the human spirit and something that I will never forget.

I started at TTC and then moved to my spot at Epcot after the last racers went by. I keep thinking I should go all the way up to get the Main Street experience, but my assumption was that there are SO MANY spectators there, and it's so early in the race that they don't really need me there. This gives me a different perspective I hadn't considered. I'll have to really think about this.

 

[WDW 4 ME]

made themselves better by trying.

I LOVE this! Wrote it on my gym chalkboard…”I made myself better today for trying.”

 

[WDW 4 ME]

• Lion King over Little Mermaid
• Beauty & the Beast over Encanto
• Toy Story over Incredibles
• Up over Coco

• Pirates of the Caribbean over Enchanted
• Mary Poppins over Who Framed Roger Rabbit
• Raiders over Guardians of the Galaxy
• Empire Strikes Back over Rogue One

 

[KCO5988]

I agree, and we have some very fast runners posting right here in this thread who might have been offended. Also consider that it was in response to a post about people who were making elitist remarks about others running in these races. Sometimes what we mean to say gets lost in the writing. Maybe that is happening all the way around. Or maybe good people are having bad days/moments.

I will say that I get frustrated reading in other forums (which is why I only actually participate in discussions here) with people shaming those who want to run "fast" at Disney. I like to run fast (not PR level) at Disney but also take all the pictures I can. But on the flip side I've seen people shaming those who walk right out of the start line (not to start any sort of discussion on course etiquette - simply people that are shaming others for no other reason than "why are they signed up for a race just to walk"). I hate the "elitist" attitude, that ironically is not typical among true elite runners. I think the shaming all around needs to stop, and I really appreciate that it doesn't occur here in either way. Everyone has different goals and can view these races however they want.

 

[nancipants]

I will say that I get frustrated reading in other forums (which is why I only actually participate in discussions here) with people shaming those who want to run "fast" at Disney. I like to run fast (not PR level) at Disney but also take all the pictures I can. But on the flip side I've seen people shaming those who walk right out of the start line (not to start any sort of discussion on course etiquette - simply people that are shaming others for no other reason than "why are they signed up for a race just to walk"). I hate the "elitist" attitude, that ironically is not typical among true elite runners. I think the shaming all around needs to stop, and I really appreciate that it doesn't occur here in either way. Everyone has different goals and can view these races however they want.

This is so true. I understand why people say you shouldn't try to run fast/PR at Disney, but I think that the message gets mixed up - it should be "there's a lot of crowding, so be aware of that if you want to PR." Or "there's a lot of photo ops, so don't let going fast get in the way of having fun." But everyone should run a race the way they want to, even if it's walking.

 

[Dopey 2020]

This is so true. I understand why people say you shouldn't try to run fast/PR at Disney, but I think that the message gets mixed up - it should be "there's a lot of crowding, so be aware of that if you want to PR." Or "there's a lot of photo ops, so don't let going fast get in the way of having fun." But everyone should run a race the way they want to, even if it's walking.

Yes, exactly this. My half and full PRs are at Disney. I always push the full as hard as I can and Wine and Dine is my “A” race for a new POT every year. I’ve fortunately not heard anyone comment about me racing on course but if I did I’d tell them some things that aren’t appropriate here. I have a great deal of respect for anyone finishing these races at any pace but I expect that in return.

 

[Baloo in MI]

For me running is a personal endeavor. I recognize that my fast is slow for a lot of people and my slow is fast for some. Meaning that I need to be aware of people around me as I pursue my goals in a race. RunDisney is a community designed around creating space for newer runners and I hope that never changes. Part of the magic of this community is the invitation it creates for people getting healthier and having fun. There is a lot of positivity that comes from that.

The runner coming in first, crushing the course at a blistering pace and the runner sliding in just in front of the balloon ladies, and everyone in between, have the right to run the race they want. But all of them also have the obligation to be positive members of the event. I try to keep in mind while I am running that some folks I will have to go around and others I need to get out of their way. Their race is theirs and mine is mine, but we can all have a good experience if we respect others and focus on ourselves.

Stepping off soapbox.