Marathon weekend for non runners?

[RCharnay]

We planned a vacation for Marathon weekend so my boys could participate. We’ve enjoyed the atmosphere and comraderie of Marathon weekends in the past and “carbing up” and waving our signs as the runners go by. But circumstances have changed and my sons wont be running this year. So now we are changing to a big family get-away. We are at OKW with 6 adults and 2 kids. We are used to leaning into the marathon events. How do we avoid them and try to minimize those crowds?

 

[sponica]

How do we avoid them and try to minimize those crowds?

My only experience is princess weekend, and I learned the hard way for the half marathon, do not try to get to Epcot or MK via a resort that is bus only.

 

[CarolynFH]

I'm working from memory, so you might want to follow the Marathon Weekend 2025 thread for accurate details. For Marathon weekend in January, the 5K on Thursday and 10K on Friday aren't an issue. It's the half marathon on Saturday and the full on Sunday that can cause problems getting to parks, especially the full marathon because all the parks and almost all the roadways are involved. From OKW I'd plan to visit AK or DHS on Saturday morning; by afternoon I think all the roadways should be clear. On Sunday I personally would hang around OKW and not try to visit any park until mid-afternoon at the earliest.

 

[ciaoaloha31]

As a regular marathon weekend participant, I would also suggest considering doing brunch at Disney Springs on Sunday morning as you can boat there and not worry about any road closures.

 

[SkyGuy]

Trying to get to AK on Sunday is an absolute nightmare no matter what transport you try to use. MK is also a hassle until mid afternoon. HS is easier as long as you can manage to get there before the runners start getting closer. We’ve arrived early Sunday morning the past two years and stayed at GDT. We had no issues making it to the hotel by 9:30ish am, but I can’t say the same for doing anything else until late in the afternoon.