Official 2015 Disney Marathon Thread

[Ariel484]

I get that going through WWOS keeps us off of backroads/highways and I could understand that Disney would want to use it for the race since it's less road closures or whatever, but the WWOS portion of the course was BY FAR my least favorite part of the marathon. There wasn't a lot of entertainment, there were lots of turns and it felt like I'd never get out (you enter just before mile marker 17 and leave around mile marker 20). Good things about it - this is where we got the sponges (heavenly!) and there were a few real bathrooms around.

Here's the map from my Garmin. You do almost a complete loop around the track and around Champion Stadium...sort of nice to run on different (softer) surfaces for a bit. Champion Stadium is open to spectators, which is nice. Of course by the time I got there most of the spectators had left!

Here's the elevation chart from my Garmin...again, it's miles 17ish-20ish.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I have done the marathon in 2012 and 2014, and WWoS is so, so much better than highway miles, I can't even begin.

 

[Mickey'sfriend]

Twists and turns is what I recall, too. I hit the wall somewhere in WWoS in 2013. We got bananas in there somewhere, which were a huge pick me up . The sponges were a lifesaver, too. I tucked mine into my waistband to save for later on in the course, but I must have dropped it somewhere along the way. I remember I had big crocodile tears rolling down my face when I realized it was gone. Definitely an over reaction, but the last few miles were full of emotion!

 

[buckeyecinderella]

I have done the marathon in 2012 and 2014, and WWoS is so, so much better than highway miles, I can't even begin.

Ran marathon in 13 and 14 and I would much rather be in WWoS than open roads. But It does take a while to get through there. In the past, I think I erroneously thought it would take about the same time as it would take to run through the Magic Kingdom or any other park. But If you look at the actual mileage, runners are going to be in there for quite a while longer. Next time I won't be mentally rushing that part of the race and I think it will help me to pace that area better.

 

[PrincessV]

Are we lumping all of the 2015 Marathon weekend races into this thread? I have NO idea yet which ones I'll run this time, but I'm planning to be there for something, lol! Guess I'd best start figuring it out, eh?

 

[StarGirl11]

Thanks for the responses! Kind of on the fence on whether or not I will be running at the moment. With me double backing Wine and Dine with Avengers. I'm debating whether or not to hold off the jump to full by a couple months for the LA Marathon in March (drove the route yesterday, pretty nice, has some bad hills in a couple of places though) or stick to my original plan and run this. Still have time to decide though. I figure if it comes to it I can always register and then defer if I decide to wait until '16. Admittedly I would miss some of the Disney perks (non-porta pottie bathrooms in the parks). But again extra time.

 

[steves1019]

WWoS: I got a wet towel, not a sponge, is it semantics? Either way it really did hit the spot, wiping my face at that point felt SO good. It is cool to run through WWoS, I just wish it was less turns. Find a way to include the track and stadium, but less Miles and turns and I'll love it.

 

[RnbwSktles]

WWoS: I got a wet towel, not a sponge, is it semantics? Either way it really did hit the spot, wiping my face at that point felt SO good. It is cool to run through WWoS, I just wish it was less turns. Find a way to include the track and stadium, but less Miles and turns and I'll love it.

I got a towel too, but I think mine was from a WISHer and not an official volunteer. It's all a blur now, but I think I got mine from a lady handing them out by herself, I don't even remember seeing sponges.

 

[Ariel484]

I got a sponge...they had a kiddie pool filled with them and they were dumped water over them. It felt AMAZING to have that thing...I just wish I'd held onto it longer.

 

[faneuil]

I'm trying to decide if I want to do the 1/2 marathon in Jan, or do the Princess.

I've been told that the Princess is a little more relaxed, while the Disney 1/2 is sometimes more serious runners.

Since I'm new to all of this, I was thinking about the 10K in January. Any opinions?

I have the running bug so bad, but I know a 1/2 is all I can manage (if I'm lucky) at this time.

 

[xCourxCorex]

I'm trying to decide if I want to do the 1/2 marathon in Jan, or do the Princess. I've been told that the Princess is a little more relaxed, while the Disney 1/2 is sometimes more serious runners. Since I'm new to all of this, I was thinking about the 10K in January. Any opinions? I have the running bug so bad, but I know a 1/2 is all I can manage (if I'm lucky) at this time.

I have not run the Donald January 1/2 but my mom ran it, and we both did princess. She says princess was crazier, but I think in more of a "this race is 98% females" kind of way. I found the crowds to be nuts, she swears January, while busy, was not as chaotic.

 

[PrincessV]

I'm trying to decide if I want to do the 1/2 marathon in Jan, or do the Princess.

I've been told that the Princess is a little more relaxed, while the Disney 1/2 is sometimes more serious runners.

Since I'm new to all of this, I was thinking about the 10K in January. Any opinions?

I have the running bug so bad, but I know a 1/2 is all I can manage (if I'm lucky) at this time.

I've run both - PHM in 2013 and 2014, and the 2014 WDW Half... both are a good mix of runners and walkers of all paces and levels! I found the WDW Half to be less girly (naturally) and more athletics-focused, though I realize that sounds bizarre - PHM had more of a festive, party atmosphere, if that makes sense.

Of the two, I prefer the WDW Half mostly because I'm not that big on the whole Princess theme to start. But I can't say that either race was better or more serious than the other. I say pick the one with a theme that appeals to you most and that works for your travel plans!

 

[faneuil]

I've run both - PHM in 2013 and 2014, and the 2014 WDW Half... both are a good mic of runners and walkers of all paces and levels! I found the WDW Half to be less girly (naturally) and more athletics-focused, though I realize that sounds bizarre - PHM had more of a festive, party atmosphere, if that makes sense.

Of the two, I prefer the WDW Half mostly because I'm not that big on the whole Princess theme to start. But I can't say that either ace was better or more serious than the other. I say pick the one with a theme that appeals to you most and that works for your travel plans!

That's me too, not big on the princess theme. Which is why wanted to do the WDW Half more, so now I'm going back to my original plan of that one.

I'm local, so no worries on travel - it's convincing myself I can wake up at 4am!

 

[ANIM8R]

The other thing to keep in mind is the change of surfaces in WWoS.

You come in on the paved road then I remember a lot of gravel (not a gravel road) before hitting the concrete sidewalk.

As others said, there are a lot of turns and it's very narrow. Then you go on to the cushioned track (very welcomed at that point). The short path from the track to the concrete sidewalk is grass if I remember correctly...then more aslphalt....then the dirt around the baseball stadium....then concrete....then asphalt. Nothing too bad but just be aware.

 

[PrincessV]

I'm local, so no worries on travel ...

Oh shoot - forget it, you'll end up doing both as a local... we have NO resistance to the pull, living nearby, lol!

- it's convincing myself I can wake up at 4am!

Is this a bad time to point out that you'll want to be on a bus by 3:30am?

 

[Ariel484]

I've run both - PHM in 2013 and 2014, and the 2014 WDW Half... both are a good mix of runners and walkers of all paces and levels! I found the WDW Half to be less girly (naturally) and more athletics-focused, though I realize that sounds bizarre - PHM had more of a festive, party atmosphere, if that makes sense.

Of the two, I prefer the WDW Half mostly because I'm not that big on the whole Princess theme to start. But I can't say that either race was better or more serious than the other. I say pick the one with a theme that appeals to you most and that works for your travel plans!

Agree with this.

The courses are exactly the same, the wake-up times are exactly the same, the weather is similar, I THINK the corralling and size of the race is pretty much the same...

The WDW Half is the Saturday of the weekend vs. the Princess Half being on the Sunday
The themes are different as PrincessV says above...Donald medal/shirt vs. tiara medal/shirt
Character sets are different
The WDW Half will have a good number of Goofy and Dopey runners, where the Princess Half has a good majority that are there for the half only + those running the Glass Slipper Challenge...which I think was touched on when faneuil mentioned "more serious runners."

The other thing to keep in mind is the change of surfaces in WWoS.

You come in on the paved road then I remember a lot of gravel (not a gravel road) before hitting the concrete sidewalk.

As others said, there are a lot of turns and it's very narrow. Then you go on to the cushioned track (very welcomed at that point). The short path from the track to the concrete sidewalk is grass if I remember correctly...then more aslphalt....then the dirt around the baseball stadium....then concrete....then asphalt. Nothing too bad but just be aware.

I think you're right about the portion after the track being grass. I remember being briefly worried that I was going to twist an ankle.

Is this a bad time to point out that you'll want to be on a bus by 3:30am?

Too true!

 

[pixarmom]

Of the two, I prefer the WDW Half mostly because I'm not that big on the whole Princess theme to start. But I can't say that either race was better or more serious than the other. I say pick the one with a theme that appeals to you most and that works for your travel plans!

I've only done the PHM so far and LOVED it. And I'm not really into the princess theme at all, and it was super humid, and foggy, and I felt sluggish after chasing my three boys around the parks for three day pre-race, but I LOVED it. Really hard to get back to training after all the fun and hype of the PHM. Really wish I could register for the 2015 marathon today!!

OK, one of the reasons I'm doing the marathon weekend instead next year (besides the fact I want to run a full marathon) is that it's in value season at WDW. That means resort rates are more reasonable and I won't feel so bad booking GF RPC and BWI CL for the trip. Another reason is that I prefer Mickey over princesses. (Although I did like how they sprinkled us with pixie dust after the race - didn't think that would matter - but I really liked it.) And I'm hoping that heat/humidity won't be so much of a factor in January as it was in February.

My only concerns about marathon weekend vs. PHM - I was in corral C for PHM, which was the under 2 hour group. It was so incredibly uncrowded - wow. I ran through the castle literally by myself. No congestion at any point. Clearly, I'll be further back for marathon weekend - my proof of time from the PHM will result in an estimated finish of 4:07 for the marathon, so I'm guessing that whole "uncrowded" thing will be different.

I would definitely do another PHM. After my first marathon, I'm going back to half marathons (yeah, I say that now - why is it that nobody believes me?) And if I'm going to do half marathons, I need to stick with weekends where the half is the big event. Otherwise, I would have full marathon regret. So in 2016, for example, I'm likely to return to PHM or try the wine and dine.

 

[faneuil]

Oh shoot - forget it, you'll end up doing both as a local... we have NO resistance to the pull, living nearby, lol!


Is this a bad time to point out that you'll want to be on a bus by 3:30am?

Yeah, that's the problem isn't it? Living so close, it's just impossible to resist.

Nah, I'd rather know now. That actually helps, because the WDW 10K is on a Friday, where I really can't miss a full day's work. (Day before classes start - crazy for registration). I was thinking of running and then going in. But I'll be useless if I'm up at 3am. Which means the WDW 1/2, instead of the 10K would be better for me. Maybe I will book a hotel room for that after all. 15 minutes of extra sleep is 15 minutes!

Then maybe in February I can go real crazy and do the Glass Slipper!

 

[Nole95]

I've only done the PHM so far and LOVED it. And I'm not really into the princess theme at all, and it was super humid, and foggy, and I felt sluggish after chasing my three boys around the parks for three day pre-race, but I LOVED it. Really hard to get back to training after all the fun and hype of the PHM. Really wish I could register for the 2015 marathon today!!

OK, one of the reasons I'm doing the marathon weekend instead next year (besides the fact I want to run a full marathon) is that it's in value season at WDW. That means resort rates are more reasonable and I won't feel so bad booking GF RPC and BWI CL for the trip. Another reason is that I prefer Mickey over princesses. (Although I did like how they sprinkled us with pixie dust after the race - didn't think that would matter - but I really liked it.) And I'm hoping that heat/humidity won't be so much of a factor in January as it was in February.

My only concerns about marathon weekend vs. PHM - I was in corral C for PHM, which was the under 2 hour group. It was so incredibly uncrowded - wow. I ran through the castle literally by myself. No congestion at any point. Clearly, I'll be further back for marathon weekend - my proof of time from the PHM will result in an estimated finish of 4:07 for the marathon, so I'm guessing that whole "uncrowded" thing will be different.

I would definitely do another PHM. After my first marathon, I'm going back to half marathons (yeah, I say that now - why is it that nobody believes me?) And if I'm going to do half marathons, I need to stick with weekends where the half is the big event. Otherwise, I would have full marathon regret. So in 2016, for example, I'm likely to return to PHM or try the wine and dine.

You should get a decent corral with that time. For the marathon this year I submitted a half marathon time of 2:15, which put me in corral H, and we started right around 6am. The congestion really was not that bad. It got crowded at a couple of points, but I was still moving at that pace I wanted to be moving at.

DW and I also easily got through the castle and got our picture taken with about a 30 second wait.

 

[xCourxCorex]

If you submit a proof of time when you register, you can still send a better/updated proof later as long as it's before the deadline right?

I only have one half time to submit by registration (this years princess half 2:46) but I'm doing a local half marathon in May I hope to get a better time so can I still email track shack with that one?