Marathon weekend crowds? Hedging my bets on reservations....

[YawningDodo]

I'm currently evaluating different options for a January 2020 Disney trip I intend to take. I have a Disney Cruise Line placeholder that would have to be used by the end of that month, and right now my plan is to go ahead and take the cruise. I've also wanted to do a RunDisney event, though, whenever I get into good enough shape to do road races, and I know that someday I want to run a marathon. I literally cannot jog even a single mile without slowing to a walk for part of it, though, so I'm pretty far off! I've started a couple couch-to-5K programs and never finished them, and this summer I'm going to try again. I'm hoping if I start doing morning runs instead of evenings it'll stick better; I often get home from work without any mental energy left with which to make myself go run.

I'd looked at what it would take to do the 5K or 10K followed by the cruise (and the Castaway Cay Challenge!), but it's too long of a trip for my needs since they're on Thursday and Friday; I'd be pretty strapped for vacation days the rest of the year and I want to avoid that in 2020. Then it occurred to me that if I were running the marathon (or maybe half-marathon) I could fly down on Friday and it would be a much more manageable length of trip. I'd just...have to train for a marathon in the next year and a half....

Right now, since I wouldn't need to register for the race until July 2019, I'm thinking about booking the cruise that embarks the Monday following marathon weekend, planning on being there for marathon weekend (Saturday and Sunday) whether I'm running or not, and making a decision re: the marathon around this time next year, when I'll know whether I was at least successful at the couch-to-5K plan. To get the best price I need to book the cruise when itineraries are released this fall, though, so I'd be committing to those dates whether or not I run.

So that's the really long, roundabout explanation of why I'd like to know if crowd levels are particularly high on marathon weekend in January. If I'm not running, I'd rather not subject myself to excessive crowding. If it's within the realm of normal, though, I figure it's a decent way to hedge my bets. Thoughts?

Also, general thoughts (and encouragement, if you can spare it) from anyone who's gone from literally zero running ability to being a "real" runner would be welcome. I feel a bit ridiculous even thinking of aiming for a marathon when, as I said, I can't run even one mile...but maybe having the goal would be the push I need. And it is a year and a half out....

 

[ZellyB]

I'm currently evaluating different options for a January 2020 Disney trip I intend to take. I have a Disney Cruise Line placeholder that would have to be used by the end of that month, and right now my plan is to go ahead and take the cruise. I've also wanted to do a RunDisney event, though, whenever I get into good enough shape to do road races, and I know that someday I want to run a marathon. I literally cannot jog even a single mile without slowing to a walk for part of it, though, so I'm pretty far off! I've started a couple couch-to-5K programs and never finished them, and this summer I'm going to try again. I'm hoping if I start doing morning runs instead of evenings it'll stick better; I often get home from work without any mental energy left with which to make myself go run.

I'd looked at what it would take to do the 5K or 10K followed by the cruise (and the Castaway Cay Challenge!), but it's too long of a trip for my needs since they're on Thursday and Friday; I'd be pretty strapped for vacation days the rest of the year and I want to avoid that in 2020. Then it occurred to me that if I were running the marathon (or maybe half-marathon) I could fly down on Friday and it would be a much more manageable length of trip. I'd just...have to train for a marathon in the next year and a half....

Right now, since I wouldn't need to register for the race until July 2019, I'm thinking about booking the cruise that embarks the Monday following marathon weekend, planning on being there for marathon weekend (Saturday and Sunday) whether I'm running or not, and making a decision re: the marathon around this time next year, when I'll know whether I was at least successful at the couch-to-5K plan. To get the best price I need to book the cruise when itineraries are released this fall, though, so I'd be committing to those dates whether or not I run.

So that's the really long, roundabout explanation of why I'd like to know if crowd levels are particularly high on marathon weekend in January. If I'm not running, I'd rather not subject myself to excessive crowding. If it's within the realm of normal, though, I figure it's a decent way to hedge my bets. Thoughts?

Also, general thoughts (and encouragement, if you can spare it) from anyone who's gone from literally zero running ability to being a "real" runner would be welcome. I feel a bit ridiculous even thinking of aiming for a marathon when, as I said, I can't run even one mile...but maybe having the goal would be the push I need. And it is a year and a half out....

Crowds on marathon weekend can be variable. Last year, marathon weekend fell right at the end of the Christmas/NYE time, so it was CRAZY crowded until a few days after the races ended. But, that hasn't been our typical experience. Most of our weekends I'd describe the crowds as moderate to slightly-busy. For 2019, the race falls well after the end of the holidays, so I'm hoping for better crowd levels. I haven't looked at the likely 2020 dates, but should still be better than 2018 was.

As far as being able to successfully become a "real" runner (and don't even go there with this group)... If you run, you are a runner. End of conversation.

I started running (I do the Galloway run/walk/run intervals) back in 2012 when I was 48 after having never run (other than when forced to in school) and I've now run 7 marathons and around 20 half-marathons. So, you can absolutely do this. It does take determination and it does take the necessity of getting a good training plan and the willpower to stick to it, but assuming you can find a plan that works for you and stick with it, you can, of course, run a half or a full marathon or even a Goofy or Dopey challenge.

There's a wealth of information and support in this forum by runners of all types and levels. It's a great community here. I hope you decide to hang around and check out The Running Thread to start to meet all the great people who post in here.

 

[rteetz]

So that's the really long, roundabout explanation of why I'd like to know if crowd levels are particularly high on marathon weekend in January. If I'm not running, I'd rather not subject myself to excessive crowding. If it's within the realm of normal, though, I figure it's a decent way to hedge my bets. Thoughts?

Crowds really depend on how the holidays fall. This year and the previous were high crowd levels due to New Years and the marathon dates. This year things move back so should be a little better by really Disney is never not crowded these days.

 

[GrandAdmiralStrife]

Crowd levels are high. We went race weekend in 2016 and MK was PACKED at 4pm on a Thursday. Of course now Pandora is open at AK, and during the timeframe you're looking at, the Star Wars section of HS will be open, so that should help spread attendance out quite a bit. Also, you should do it anyways because Christmas deco is still up until after race weekend is over, so you'll get to enjoy a late Christmas at WDW without the peak pricing.

General thought on going from zero to hero? I went from never having run in my life in Jan 2015 when I decided I wanted to start losing weight to my first 10k the first week of April 2015, 1st Half Marathon to weeks later (my run trainer thought I was insane) with a sub 3 hour time that I used for corral placement for Dopey (very important - better corral = more time for pics/stay ahead of the balloon ladies) and my next race was Dopey 2016 (kept minimal training thru the hot Texas summer months). I did it, I survived, and I did not get swept (at least not officially - the balloon ladies did pass me about 5 minutes after the last sweep point) and had a blast! Surely if I can do it anyone can.

 

[YawningDodo]

Thank you for the replies! I couldn't find expected 2020 dates, but dug through dates from the last decade or so in order to make an educated guess, which is what I'd be basing the cruise reservation on unless there's official info I missed. My guess has it happening the second weekend of January, same as 2019, which is encouraging re: holiday crowds. Unless I'm wrong, of course. Crowds were higher than I expected when I visited in late January earlier this year, but even then I still had a good time--it's fairly easy to hit the highlights as a solo traveler. I do want to see the new Star Wars and Toy Story lands while I'm there, which will also mean crowds. It's a bit earlier in the month than I would probably choose to go if I weren't planning around the event, just because it does follow so closely on the heels of Christmas and New Year.

I'm kind of leaning toward just going for it! I still have a couple months before cruise itineraries come out, but I've been excited about the possibility of this trip basically since I got home from the last cruise.

 

[GrandAdmiralStrife]

well, if Harry Potter and Pandora are any indication, Star Wars will be packed for the next 5-10 years

 

[YawningDodo]

Crowds on marathon weekend can be variable. Last year, marathon weekend fell right at the end of the Christmas/NYE time, so it was CRAZY crowded until a few days after the races ended. But, that hasn't been our typical experience. Most of our weekends I'd describe the crowds as moderate to slightly-busy. For 2019, the race falls well after the end of the holidays, so I'm hoping for better crowd levels. I haven't looked at the likely 2020 dates, but should still be better than 2018 was.

As far as being able to successfully become a "real" runner (and don't even go there with this group)... If you run, you are a runner. End of conversation.

I started running (I do the Galloway run/walk/run intervals) back in 2012 when I was 48 after having never run (other than when forced to in school) and I've now run 7 marathons and around 20 half-marathons. So, you can absolutely do this. It does take determination and it does take the necessity of getting a good training plan and the willpower to stick to it, but assuming you can find a plan that works for you and stick with it, you can, of course, run a half or a full marathon or even a Goofy or Dopey challenge.

There's a wealth of information and support in this forum by runners of all types and levels. It's a great community here. I hope you decide to hang around and check out The Running Thread to start to meet all the great people who post in here.

I'm turning 31 this month, and like I said, I've never managed to run a full mile. Two summers back I made it about halfway through a couch-to-5K and felt really good about my progress and my abilities at the time--but there were a lot of things changing in my life back then (many for the better!) that unfortunately contributed to me not sticking to the plan. Too many excuses for not sticking with it, too many times giving in to those excuses. I think I really need a rock-solid schedule so the time is always set aside for it when I need it, and fortunately I'm at a point in my personal life where that's possible for me to set up.

In very practical terms, I think this hits a midpoint between setting a goal (running the half or full marathon in 2020) but also making it possible to have a good trip if things just don't work out that way.

Crowd levels are high. We went race weekend in 2016 and MK was PACKED at 4pm on a Thursday. Of course now Pandora is open at AK, and during the timeframe you're looking at, the Star Wars section of HS will be open, so that should help spread attendance out quite a bit. Also, you should do it anyways because Christmas deco is still up until after race weekend is over, so you'll get to enjoy a late Christmas at WDW without the peak pricing.

General thought on going from zero to hero? I went from never having run in my life in Jan 2015 when I decided I wanted to start losing weight to my first 10k the first week of April 2015, 1st Half Marathon to weeks later (my run trainer thought I was insane) with a sub 3 hour time that I used for corral placement for Dopey (very important - better corral = more time for pics/stay ahead of the balloon ladies) and my next race was Dopey 2016 (kept minimal training thru the hot Texas summer months). I did it, I survived, and I did not get swept (at least not officially - the balloon ladies did pass me about 5 minutes after the last sweep point) and had a blast! Surely if I can do it anyone can.

I don't think I want to do it quite that quickly...but happily it doesn't look like I'll have to if I set myself up right. I've got the opposite issue of hot Texas summer months; one of the reasons I'm suddenly thinking of pushing myself to get in the habit of running now is that I'll need a lot of commitment to run on winter mornings when the weather doesn't make it impossible, and to do treadmill runs when it's dangerously cold and icy. I live in Montana, and it's not uncommon to see mornings at -10* F several months of the year, and that's after the sun has come up. And, too, this last year we had the same snow for a solid month at one point because it never got warm enough for it to totally melt--it was like a giant, uneven sheet of ice six inches deep or more on all the roads and sidewalks.

 

[opusone]

I couldn't find expected 2020 dates

2020 Marathon Weekend should be January 9-12.

 

[YawningDodo]

2020 Marathon Weekend should be January 9-12.

That was what I'd guessed, since historically it hadn't started before the 6th (according to Wikipedia). Glad to know I'm not totally off base.

 

[opusone]

That was what I'd guessed, since historically it hadn't started before the 6th (according to Wikipedia). Glad to know I'm not totally off base.

Historically (a least recent history), it has been the weekend before the MLK Jr. weekend.

 

[BikeFan]

There are a ton of mental and physical benefits from running. Don't miss out on those by worrying about whether you're a "real" runner. If you run, you're a runner - it's as simple as that. People who judge you based on your speed probably aren't worth knowing anyway. Around here, we just respect the effort. RunDisney events are great fun, not just because you get to run through the parks, but also because of the great people you'll meet. Good luck, have fun, and happy running!

 

[MissLiss279]

Hey! Welcome! So... I started running in the spring of 2014. I started with a couch to 5k app. I struggled when the run intervals increased, and walk intervals decreased. I’m not sure if I ever completely finished that program, but I did run a 5k at the beginning of May that spring with some run/walking. Several people at Disney follow Galloway’s run/walk program for the races, so if that’s what you want to do and what works for you, Great!!

What really helped me in my running journey was realizing that I was trying to run too fast for what I was capable of for endurance running at that time. I found an app called Gipis (I’m sure there are other apps like it) that had programs for different distances, but it would give me paces to aim for and would tell me to Slow Down!! Or speed up. This app really helped me understand that I was trying to run too fast, and I couldn’t keep that speed up for very long. Once I learned to slow down, I started to enjoy running.

At this point I decided that I wanted to try and run the local half marathon in the fall of 2014. I joined a local running store’s training program. It gave me a time and place to meet to get my long runs in, so it helped me stay motivated. Around the time of that half marathon, my thoughts were that there was no way I could ever run a marathon. After that race and before new year’s, the local race series announced a back to back challenge (spring half to fall half or full). I pulled the trigger and registered for the full in the fall of 2015! My local training group also changed their format a little, and we had pace groups. So for my first marathon training program, I ran with people of my pace, which helped with having people that were experienced and of the same pace and with accountability.

Long story to say that YES if you want to, you can be trained and ready to go for a marathon in a year and a half.

Side note - Jan 2015 was my first Disney half. I didn’t follow my training quite as well as I had for the fall 2014 half, and with the cambered roads at Disney, my knees started to hurt, and I walked a lot at the end. This was also a lesson learned for me to keep with my training.

On another note. What helps me with running after work is to do it right away. Don’t sit down and relax, just get right to it, so I can’t talk myself out of it.

 

[MissLiss279]

I live in Montana, and it's not uncommon to see mornings at -10* F several months of the year, and that's after the sun has come up. And, too, this last year we had the same snow for a solid month at one point because it never got warm enough for it to totally melt--it was like a giant, uneven sheet of ice six inches deep or more on all the roads and sidewalks.

My sister lives in Montana. It’s always nice to run there at the end of summer when there are cool mornings, when I have been used to the heat and humidity!

 

[TCB in FLA]

Welcome! If you really want to run a RD race, make it happen! So much fun!

Just because registration for 2019 marathon weekend is in July this year, don’t assume it will be for 2020. Traditionally registration has already occurred by this point, with some events sold out. @rteetz keeps up a post in this forum about registration dates, so check it out sometime after the 2019 events.

 

[YawningDodo]

Welcome! If you really want to run a RD race, make it happen! So much fun!

Just because registration for 2019 marathon weekend is in July this year, don’t assume it will be for 2020. Traditionally registration has already occurred by this point, with some events sold out. @rteetz keeps up a post in this forum about registration dates, so check it out sometime after the 2019 events.

Thank you for pointing this out!! I'll have to adjust the timeline I'd built for registration and reservations to be sure I don't miss it. How hard is it to get into marathon weekend? If one submits registration the day it opens, does one generally get in? I've seen that you can get guaranteed entry by running for a charity, but I'm not confident in my ability to raise the minimums.

 

[YawningDodo]

From what little I've read, I do think the Galloway method sounds like it's going to be a good approach for me. I was encouraged yesterday when I was reading about it and how taking walking breaks isn't "giving up" and that one can run a marathon that way and still make what sounds like decent time. It all sounds much more doable than literally running the entire distance. I'm not looking to compete against other people so much as to compete against myself and to be able to finish the distances.

I started a training journal on the forum this morning, and I already had what I see as a very successful first morning. Baby steps!

 

[TCB in FLA]

Thank you for pointing this out!! I'll have to adjust the timeline I'd built for registration and reservations to be sure I don't miss it. How hard is it to get into marathon weekend? If one submits registration the day it opens, does one generally get in? I've seen that you can get guaranteed entry by running for a charity, but I'm not confident in my ability to raise the minimums.

I’m not the expert by any means, but if you sign up the day it opens (noon EST), you can get in. The marathon hasn’t sold out recently, I don’t believe. Dopey was an anniversary year this time, so it went quick. Usually the order of sell out is Dopey, 10k, 5k, and half pretty quickly, then the full and Goofy hang around. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong!

Also, you can get guaranteed bibs for the same price through some TAs that have a bib/room/ticket deal. Much easier than fundraising.

 

[YawningDodo]

I’m not the expert by any means, but if you sign up the day it opens (noon EST), you can get in. The marathon hasn’t sold out recently, I don’t believe. Dopey was an anniversary year this time, so it went quick. Usually the order of sell out is Dopey, 10k, 5k, and half pretty quickly, then the full and Goofy hang around. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong!

Also, you can get guaranteed bibs for the same price through some TAs that have a bib/room/ticket deal. Much easier than fundraising.

Makes sense--I'd been originally considering the 5K on the basis that I could always walk it if all else failed and I didn't train at all, so I shouldn't be surprised it's popular/sells out quickly to people with the same idea. I'm surprised TAs are able to get rooms that early, since I haven't been able to look at room reservations for 2019 yet--but I haven't checked in a week or two and race registration hasn't happened yet, so Idk. I'm used to booking my own WDW trips and have a TA involved with the cruise to get OBC, so I'm hoping I can just book the rest of it by myself instead of involving anyone else. Good to know, though, about other options for guaranteed bibs.

 

[camaker]

Makes sense--I'd been originally considering the 5K on the basis that I could always walk it if all else failed and I didn't train at all, so I shouldn't be surprised it's popular/sells out quickly to people with the same idea. I'm surprised TAs are able to get rooms that early, since I haven't been able to look at room reservations for 2019 yet--but I haven't checked in a week or two and race registration hasn't happened yet, so Idk. I'm used to booking my own WDW trips and have a TA involved with the cruise to get OBC, so I'm hoping I can just book the rest of it by myself instead of involving anyone else. Good to know, though, about other options for guaranteed bibs.

The 10k and 5k tend to sell out very quickly. I don't think that's so much due to the popularity of the individual races, though. Both are much smaller capacity races than the half/full and you have Dopey participants taking up a very significant percentage of the field, leaving even fewer for individual event runners.

 

[Keels]

I would be prepared for the 10K to sell out in about 10-15 minutes and the 5K shortly there after. Marathon Weekend is a very popular race weekend, and those are two of the most popular distances.