Official 2015 Disney Marathon Thread

[FFigawi]

Question regarding the expo. We get to Disney late Wednesday and plan on going to the expo on Thursday afternoon after a morning at Animal Kingdom. The expo is open until 7 pm I expect to get to the expo between 3 and 4 pm. How long should I expect to spend there on Thursday afternoon and does anyone have info regarding the shoes? I know they had like a scheduling thing for the shoes and my mom really wants me to get her a pair so I was wondering how that worked.

You can spend as long as you want. It really depends on how much shopping you're going to do. You can be in and out in well under an hour if all you want to do is grab your bib and go. Looking around and buying shirts and shoes and other goodies will add time.

 

[DOOM1001]

Goes to show you how much I was paying attention in January...the 1/2 course goes by the GF and TTC?* (maps of WDW are not my forte)


So the spectators can get into MK to watch the 1/2 without Chear Squad or park tickets?


*OK, the TTC, yes. I still think of it as MK parking lot, and I know we were in that region. And now I'm having flashes of memory of going through the area other than just the parking lot. But we ran by the GF? Huh.

Yes the spectators get into MK free without cheer squad or park tickets.Another good place to see the runners is from outside the Poly,just exit the Poly from the lobby turn right and follow the signs,in my opinion one of the better places to see the runners without huge mobs that actually gives you a good clear view.I saw the runners in the half from there and my family saw me running the full from there,they tried MK but it was just so crowded they opted to go to the Poly.

 

[bumbershoot]

Yes the spectators get into MK free without cheer squad or park tickets.Another good place to see the runners is from outside the Poly,just exit the Poly from the lobby turn right and follow the signs,in my opinion one of the better places to see the runners without huge mobs that actually gives you a good clear view.I saw the runners in the half from there and my family saw me running the full from there,they tried MK but it was just so crowded they opted to go to the Poly.

Thanks for all of that great info!

 

[AladdinToMy4YO]

I'm trying to remember back to when I did the 2013 half but not sure... Our daughter and my father-in-law will be at either TTC or Main Street to cheer my DW (her first road race - yay!) and I. They will then "race" back to around the Poly to watch us go by. I know there is the fence and road between spectators and runners near the Poly. Is there any location near the GF or Poly where one can stop for a "selfie" with family spectators or are runners always across the snow fence/road?

 

[RnbwSktles]

So....what's the story on Coach? I haven't seen him around in a while and I pm'd him something ages ago and he hasn't responded....which isn't like him. Anybody know? Or maybe I just haven't been looking where he has been posting.

He pops occasionally on the Team#rundisney facebook page so he's still out there. I actually find that page more informative than the Dis for running related stuff, so I wouldn't blame him for spending less time here!

 

[PrincessV]

Hi all,
Hope the training is going well.
Anybody know when they tend to release the corral placements?
Must be sooner rather than later?
Cheers

The opposite, really - lately corral haven't been released until a week to 2 weeks prior to the race.

Goes to show you how much I was paying attention in January...the 1/2 course goes by the GF and TTC?*

But we ran by the GF? Huh.

Yep! Where its long entry drive hits Floridian Way on runners' left. Not sure if this will work, but here's a map (maybe). We come down Floridian Way from the MK.

Yes the spectators get into MK free without cheer squad or park tickets.Another good place to see the runners is from outside the Poly,just exit the Poly from the lobby turn right and follow the signs,in my opinion one of the better places to see the runners without huge mobs that actually gives you a good clear view.

Totally agree and will add that, as a runner, I really appreciated having my cheerers in that section that goes by the GF and Poly - I could find them easily and it was a great point of the race to get an extra boost!

Is there any location near the GF or Poly where one can stop for a "selfie" with family spectators or are runners always across the snow fence/road?

I don't recall any fencing the last couple halfs I've done (PHM and WDW) - if it was there, it was low and unobtrusive, because I had no problem getting right up to my cheerers for pics and high-5s.

 

[Fruto76]

I'm trying to remember back to when I did the 2013 half but not sure... Our daughter and my father-in-law will be at either TTC or Main Street to cheer my DW (her first road race - yay!) and I. They will then "race" back to around the Poly to watch us go by. I know there is the fence and road between spectators and runners near the Poly. Is there any location near the GF or Poly where one can stop for a "selfie" with family spectators or are runners always across the snow fence/road?

You can go out on the side of poly across from the entrance to Shades of green. Not sure of the street name ... This is where I accidently saw my sister after she left from seeing me on Main Street. I pulled over and gave her a hug and I remember lots of people lined the streets from Grand Floridian to Shades of Green. (Mainly on the POLY GF side of the road)

 

[Nole95]

I am in the same boat. The wording on the website is vague. It says that packets will not be available at the race on race day. However, since the Expo is at the same location as the Mickey Mile, I wonder if they would still have the Friday race packets available for pickup at the normal pickup location.

Essentially, like the Half and Full, you cannot pick up your packet at the starting area, and it would not be there.

I have emailed RunDisney to see if the Friday packets would still be available at the normal pickup location at the Expo on Friday morning.

I wanted to follow up on this since I heard back from RunDisney.

I received a voicemail yesterday. The RunDisney rep said that their would be late packet pickup available for at least the Mickey Mile at the Expo.

Parts of the message were hard to understand so I called this morning. I spoke to another person, and he told me that you could pick up kids races packets on Friday morning. I was very specific that my kids were registered for the Friday Mickey Mile at 12:30, and wanted to make sure the packets would be there on Friday for Friday races. He assured me they would be.

 

[thill]

That's great to hear the course goes right by the Poly since that is where I'll be staying so there is a slight chance my wife and kids will be able to cheer me on. I say slight chance because it's mile 4 and 7 that goes by the Poly and I'll likely get through those early enough that they will still be sleeping or at a minimum not ready to get outside and cheer. I'll keep my fingers crossed though because it's great to have people cheer you on that you know.

Also related to the Poly. On race day I see people talking about leaving their resort at 3:30am but I think that is due to driving or taking the buses. Since I'm at the Poly and can take the monorail do I need to plan on leaving that early? I'm hoping that I can get there quicker using the monorail and be able to steal a few more zzz's

 

[bumbershoot]

I wanted to follow up on this since I heard back from RunDisney.

I received a voicemail yesterday. The RunDisney rep said that their would be late packet pickup available for at least the Mickey Mile at the Expo.

Parts of the message were hard to understand so I called this morning. I spoke to another person, and he told me that you could pick up kids races packets on Friday morning. I was very specific that my kids were registered for the Friday Mickey Mile at 12:30, and wanted to make sure the packets would be there on Friday for Friday races. He assured me they would be.

IMO it really makes sense that you could pick up a kid's package that morning.

 

[SunDial]

I will tell you what I did when I was chasing my friends around the course shooting pics of their run. Now I run with them.

I would start over at the runner viewing area at the starting line. When they wanted the pics I would ask them to start on the left side of their corral. It makes it a lot easier to spot them just after the starting line. Plus you can get nice pics from there.





As soon as your runner passes you at the starting line walk to the monorail and head to the TTC. If it is not to crowded you can get pics from both sides if you are standing.






When you get to the TTC you will have to decide do you want to see your runner twice or once on the course in this area.

One viewing, hop on the monorail and get to the MK. If you get a good spot you can catch pics of them coming down main street and then coming out of the castle

Two viewings, there is a good viewing area at the TTC, when they pass you there walk over to the Poly and wait for them to pass you again.

How much time you have to get to each viewing area depends on how fast your runner is.





Now you will have quite a bit of time to get back to Epcot for the finish. Now if you have quite a few family members you can spread out to the other parks. Each person can get the pics of the park they are in. You will not be able to get to all of the parks yourself.

If your runner is doing the Dopey or Goofy pick one day to hit the MK and the other day to hit the TTC and Poly. I was by myself so I did not even try to hit the other parks for the full marathon. Seeing the traffic delays all around my focus points were the start, MK, and the finish.

One note if you are shooting for the half, when in the monorail head back to Epcot sit or stand on the right side of forward motion. Better side for pics





As said before during the half you can catch them coming into Epcot and them over at the finish line. I would post those pics but they are on my other laptop and would have to find them to reload here.


One of these runs if I know for a fact the weather will be good I plan on bringing my Nikon with a good night shooting lens on course with me.

 

[SunDial]

And your friendly reminder that there is only 52 days until marathon weekend

 

[ksueboo]

And your friendly reminder that there is only 52 days until marathon weekend

Thanks for posting the pictures! It's getting really exciting now!

 

[clc22]

I wanted to follow up on this since I heard back from RunDisney. I received a voicemail yesterday. The RunDisney rep said that their would be late packet pickup available for at least the Mickey Mile at the Expo. Parts of the message were hard to understand so I called this morning. I spoke to another person, and he told me that you could pick up kids races packets on Friday morning. I was very specific that my kids were registered for the Friday Mickey Mile at 12:30, and wanted to make sure the packets would be there on Friday for Friday races. He assured me they would be.

thanks!!

 

[Ariel484]

SunDial - great pictures!! What an awesome friend you are!

 

[PrincessV]

On race day I see people talking about leaving their resort at 3:30am but I think that is due to driving or taking the buses. Since I'm at the Poly and can take the monorail do I need to plan on leaving that early? I'm hoping that I can get there quicker using the monorail and be able to steal a few more zzz's

Caveat: I have not stayed at a monorail resort for a race weekend. But I'm friends with folks who have... and they reported that there were lots and lots of folks wanting to use the monorail race mornings, so yes, leaving early is still a good idea. The later you wait, the longer lines will be, and the greater the likelihood of arriving late. Keep in mind that you also have a pretty long trek to corrals once you arrive at the pre-race staging area - that can easily suck up 30 mins. And they want us in corrals pretty early; I want to say it was at least 30mins before race start, but it might have been 45, even.

I will tell you what I did when I was chasing my friends around the course shooting pics of their run.

THANK YOU for sharing these pics! As an amateur photog, I spend a lot of my WDW race time wondering what the scene looks like from various spectator views - now I know, and it's awesome!

 

[croach]

That's great to hear the course goes right by the Poly since that is where I'll be staying so there is a slight chance my wife and kids will be able to cheer me on. I say slight chance because it's mile 4 and 7 that goes by the Poly and I'll likely get through those early enough that they will still be sleeping or at a minimum not ready to get outside and cheer. I'll keep my fingers crossed though because it's great to have people cheer you on that you know.

Also related to the Poly. On race day I see people talking about leaving their resort at 3:30am but I think that is due to driving or taking the buses. Since I'm at the Poly and can take the monorail do I need to plan on leaving that early? I'm hoping that I can get there quicker using the monorail and be able to steal a few more zzz's

Just my opinion but I don't think you need to be on the monorail at 3:30. I stayed at Poly in 2013 and was at the monorail on Saturday at 3:30 and they were still cleaning it. Had to wait a few minutes to board. Once I got to the staging area at Epcot I sat around quite a while before we were able to walk to the corrals. It's a personal decision based but on what your comfortable with but I wouldn't get there at 3:30 if I stayed at the Poly again.

One thing to remember about taking the monorail, to get back to your resort you have to go through security at Epcot. Had to wait forever on Sunday when all I wanted to do was get back to my room.

 

[Ariel484]

That's great to hear the course goes right by the Poly since that is where I'll be staying so there is a slight chance my wife and kids will be able to cheer me on. I say slight chance because it's mile 4 and 7 that goes by the Poly and I'll likely get through those early enough that they will still be sleeping or at a minimum not ready to get outside and cheer. I'll keep my fingers crossed though because it's great to have people cheer you on that you know.

Also related to the Poly. On race day I see people talking about leaving their resort at 3:30am but I think that is due to driving or taking the buses. Since I'm at the Poly and can take the monorail do I need to plan on leaving that early? I'm hoping that I can get there quicker using the monorail and be able to steal a few more zzz's

I stayed at the Grand Floridian for Goofy in 2013 and took detailed notes on my phone the morning of the half, so that I would know what to do the next day for the marathon...

I arrived at the monorail station at 3:28AM. A monorail was there waiting.
We arrived at the TTC at 3:36AM.
I was on a monorail to Epcot by 3:39AM.
I was at the Epcot monorail station by 3:50AM.

From here I made a stop at the bathroom near the monorail station (one of the last opportunities for a real bathroom before the race began) and made the walk to the staging area. I think the bathroom/walking took about 20 minutes.

So that gives you an idea of the timing. The above scenario was with no monorail stops or whatever.


We all know that the wake-ups are a part of these races. They suck and I totally understand wanting more sleep but you never know what'll happen. Maybe it's the rule-follower in me but I wouldn't risk being late to get a bit of extra sleep.

 

[thill]

Thanks for all of the replies. I really appreciate any and all advice as I've never done a Disney race before so it's all new to me. I'm a big mix of nervous and excited at this point so questions are running through my head almost every day. Being able to get any answers at all is very welcomed!

Caveat: I have not stayed at a monorail resort for a race weekend. But I'm friends with folks who have... and they reported that there were lots and lots of folks wanting to use the monorail race mornings, so yes, leaving early is still a good idea. The later you wait, the longer lines will be, and the greater the likelihood of arriving late. Keep in mind that you also have a pretty long trek to corrals once you arrive at the pre-race staging area - that can easily suck up 30 mins. And they want us in corrals pretty early; I want to say it was at least 30mins before race start, but it might have been 45, even.

That's good to know that it can get crowded potentially. I should clarify that when I'd like to head out a little later that I don't necessarily mean by too much longer. Even 30 minutes would be nice.

One thing to remember about taking the monorail, to get back to your resort you have to go through security at Epcot. Had to wait forever on Sunday when all I wanted to do was get back to my room.

Hmm, I didn't think about that and it does sound quite unfortunate. I guess I'll just judge that day based on how crowds look going to the buses and how much time I have before I have anywhere to be.

I stayed at the Grand Floridian for Goofy in 2013 and took detailed notes on my phone the morning of the half, so that I would know what to do the next day for the marathon...

I arrived at the monorail station at 3:28AM. A monorail was there waiting.
We arrived at the TTC at 3:36AM.
I was on a monorail to Epcot by 3:39AM.
I was at the Epcot monorail station by 3:50AM.

From here I made a stop at the bathroom near the monorail station (one of the last opportunities for a real bathroom before the race began) and made the walk to the staging area. I think the bathroom/walking took about 20 minutes.

So that gives you an idea of the timing. The above scenario was with no monorail stops or whatever.


We all know that the wake-ups are a part of these races. They suck and I totally understand wanting more sleep but you never know what'll happen. Maybe it's the rule-follower in me but I wouldn't risk being late to get a bit of extra sleep.

Thanks for the timeline that you experienced as that does give me an idea of what to expect. I'm typically someone that is early for everything and goes nutso if I'm running late at all so in all likelihood I won't be able to sleep in anyway. I'm just trying to see if I can find a good balance between sleeping in a little, having plenty of time to get there, and not waiting for 1+ hours before it's time to run.

I think from everyone's responses I have a better idea of what to expect and what I can do on race day. Getting to see those pictures of the race has me excited and I get this feeling that running these races (I'm doing Goofy) will be more exciting and more emotional than the 1/2 marathon I ran previously. Just running through the parks, the sheer volume of other runners, and all the other excitement that go into a Disney event almost gives me goose bumps right now. I don't know if my DW thinks I'm crazy for doing this or not but I think it will be an experience to remember.

 

[PrincessV]

I'm just trying to see if I can find a good balance between sleeping in a little, having plenty of time to get there, and not waiting for 1+ hours before it's time to run.

I hear ya - I am NOT a morning person, so these morning races are rough on me. But in my experiences, Disney races are also major time suckers! By the time you add together a wait for a bus/monorail, a wait to get through security, a wait to drop off a checked bag, a wait for a porta-potty, a wait to get a pre-race pic taken... BAM! It's time to get into your corral. And then it's a long, slow walk to the corral, followed by a wait for another porta-potty stop, followed by a wait in your corral to start. It never seems like it should take so much time to go from hotel room to start line, but it does, lol! And the kicker is that it feels like it goes by in a flash.

FWIW, I've always gotten on a bus or in my car to drive at the time they first start running - 3am, I believe, for the halfs. I, too, hate to feel rushed and would rather be early than late... and I always feel like I just have enough time to get done what I need to and have a few moments to breathe and take it all in.