Official WDW Marathon Weekend 2013 Thread-Part 2

[SAHDad]

Bleh. ran 10 yesterday, but had to cut today's long run short at the halfway point because one knee was acting p & getting all twingy. Did 9 and 16 last week, so I am not worried about finishing, but I wanted to get in a decent run this week as well. Oh well - have one more shot before I start my taper.

 

[Mickeyfan74]

Normal commute is about 20 minutes to Epcot. Plan on 35-40 minutes on race morning. You will want to be in the parking lot no later than 0400; earlier if you can to avoid traffic snafus. I would leave in the 0315 range to assure an 0400 stop in the lot.

Remember traffic patterns are goofed up. You will need to follow Buena Vista Dr (the road in front of DTD) past Epcot Dr, past Boardwalk and DHS and turn towards Magic Kingdom on World Dr. Once on World Dr, stay in the right lanes and then follow the signs to Epcot.

Yes definitely at least 0315. Last year a bunch of us were waiting for the bus at POR by 0320. This particular bus was not a WDW bus but an outside coach bus. The driver had no clue where he was going and we winded up getting to the parking lot by 0450!!! Seriously. Almost a riot on board for the runners in corral A and B. It was getting pretty heated with frustration.

Hope RD coordinators and volunteers get things running smoother this year.

I did notice at TOT this year that things seemed to run fairly smoothly and plenty of portolets inside the corrals too.

 

[DisneyRunnerGirl]

Hi neighbor! I'm up in Lewis Center. I do most of my long runs on the Olentangy trail. My 22 miler Friday was from Hills market (315-270 interchange) to the stadium and back. What pace are you shooting for? I just finished last year (my first) right at a 16 minute mile. This year I wanted to hit 12 min or better, but my last long run was right at 13:30 min/mile. I'll be happy if I shave an hour off last year.

I do most of my long runs on the Olentangy Trail too! I live in the subdivision just above the section of the park with the skateboard area, so I park in the lot near that and always got north to Hills Market, make the loop and then come back south as far as I need to make the turnaround so the skatepark hits the end of my mileage for the day.

This is my first full - I am shooting for a 13:30 pace but am nursing a gastroc strain. I have a PT session at OSU on Thursday so I will have a better idea after that appt if that is doable or if I will need to slow it down. Thank goodness Disney is mostly flat

 

[Mickeyfan74]

Did she, in fact, mistakenly register for the full? (Did she check her confirmation email that she received way back when she registered?) I'm just curious as to whether runDisney made the mistake here.

Also, speaking of runDisney mysteries, has anyone actually received an email announcing that waivers are available or some such thing? I still have not received any communication whatsoever from runDisney, zero emails since I registered for the race. (I am registered, though, so no worries there). I contacted runDisney twice asking about this and never received any responses.

I received an email dated Nov. 30th "More info about your WDW Marathon Weekend" No info in that as far as bib #'s

But going directly to this link: http://www.rundisney.com/disneyworld-marathon/

Then click on "Runner Info" and scroll all the way to the bottom for "WAIVER" open that up and put in your last name and DOB and you should get your bib#. Going back to Runner Info page you should also see info about corral placement as well.

 

[Jusacuz]

I've got a reservation at CBR that I'm not going to be using. I plan on canceling it this week, so maybe there's a way for you to pick that up from me.

Not sure what you budget is but there are rooms in the Marriott Village. The Fairfield has a $99 rate. The Village has bus transportation to the parks, but not the expo or race... Though you can make a couple transfers to get to the expo. On race morning, a taxi will get you to the race and you can take the Village bus back. All this predicated on not having a car.

There are rooms from Holiday Inn and others on Hotel Plaza just on the outside of DTD. Walkable from the hotel to Saratoga Springs where you could grab a marathon bus.

Thanks. I was, by some miracle, able to get booked back at POP. Yay!

 

[cewait]

Yes definitely at least 0315. Last year a bunch of us were waiting for the bus at POR by 0320. This particular bus was not a WDW bus but an outside coach bus. The driver had no clue where he was going and we winded up getting to the parking lot by 0450!!! Seriously. Almost a riot on board for the runners in corral A and B. It was getting pretty heated with frustration.

Hope RD coordinators and volunteers get things running smoother this year.

I did notice at TOT this year that things seemed to run fairly smoothly and plenty of portolets inside the corrals too.

In general, the race transportation is good to great. However, EVERY year Mears has a snafu or two. Frankly, I am shocked that there are not more. Roads are closed, GPS units then give incorrect instructions and runners are notorious for waiting til the very last moment. Usually one resort will be picked on as the resort of the year. 2012 seems to have been POR, 2011 was SSR, 2010 was most resorts due to the cold. I was nearly left at the Yacht Club in 04 when I was meeting a running buddy who was running a little late. That really did not matter as the buses did not stop between 3:40and 4:20. Mears has a roving dispatcher who arrived and within a few moments 10-12 buses followed. In 2003 (I think) the race was delayed 30 minutes due to a huge traffic issue.

When driving, the traffic will usually seem normal until one approaches the intersection of World and Epcot. That is generally where one spends the extra time on race morning. Normally, the traffic is not all that bad, but on occasion there will be a snag. With the new marathon course, the road closure on the inbound road from World to Epcot Parking should not need closed, so some of the pressure may be off.

I would suggest with all seriousness that one should attempt to be on the bus or in the car (when on property) no later than 0330, a little earlier is better. The 0300-0400 traffic window was set up when the race started at 0600. The window has not changed, but the race numbers are greater and the start time 30 minutes earlier. You never know when your resort will be the resort that has its time in the barrel. The only resorts that I would go later are the monorail resorts. I think in 2010 I left at 0420 from the Contemporary. I had little to no time in the staging area. Generally, hopped of the rail, walked to the tents, shed my keeper warm ups and then walked to the corral as the National Anthem was beginning. Not a lot of time to spare.

Last year had the added issue of a new return route for buses during the half. Since both sides of Epcot are closed during most of the half, there is no ‘normal’ path into the parking lot. They attempted to run buses in on the Cast Member side of the parking lot via Overpass Road and Woodpecker Lane. Surprise, it failed to work well. I am betting that will be much improved in 2013.

Inevitably, the traffic leaving Epcot parking seems to back up on the even years. We have waited for 45 minutes just to get out of the parking grid. Since this is an odd year coming up, it should not occur…

Good luck. I am sure that there are numerous stories of those who wait to the last minute with no issue.

 

[cewait]

Thanks. I was, by some miracle, able to get booked back at POP. Yay!

I meant to say call CRO a couple times a day. This is the time when folks who are facing the reality of injury or other issue tend to bail.

 

[Mickeyfan74]

In general, the race transportation is good to great. However, EVERY year Mears has a snafu or two. Frankly, I am shocked that there are not more. Roads are closed, GPS units then give incorrect instructions and runners are notorious for waiting til the very last moment. Usually one resort will be picked on as the resort of the year. 2012 seems to have been POR, 2011 was SSR, 2010 was most resorts due to the cold. I was nearly left at the Yacht Club in 04 when I was meeting a running buddy who was running a little late. That really did not matter as the buses did not stop between 3:40and 4:20. Mears has a roving dispatcher who arrived and within a few moments 10-12 buses followed. In 2003 (I think) the race was delayed 30 minutes due to a huge traffic issue.

When driving, the traffic will usually seem normal until one approaches the intersection of World and Epcot. That is generally where one spends the extra time on race morning. Normally, the traffic is not all that bad, but on occasion there will be a snag. With the new marathon course, the road closure on the inbound road from World to Epcot Parking should not need closed, so some of the pressure may be off.

I would suggest with all seriousness that one should attempt to be on the bus or in the car (when on property) no later than 0330, a little earlier is better. The 0200-0300 traffic window was set up when the race started at 0600. The window has not changed, but the race numbers are greater and the start time 30 minutes earlier. You never know when your resort will be the resort that has its time in the barrel. The only resorts that I would go later are the monorail resorts. I think in 2010 I left at 0420 from the Contemporary. I had little to no time in the staging area. Generally, hopped of the rail, walked to the tents, shed my keeper warm ups and then walked to the corral as the National Anthem was beginning. Not a lot of time to spare.

Last year had the added issue of a new return route for buses during the half. Since both sides of Epcot are closed during most of the half, there is no ‘normal’ path into the parking lot. They attempted to run buses in on the Cast Member side of the parking lot via Overpass Road and Woodpecker Lane. Surprise, it failed to work well. I am betting that will be much improved in 2013.

Inevitably, the traffic leaving Epcot parking seems to back up on the even years. We have waited for 45 minutes just to get out of the parking grid. Since this is an odd year coming up, it should not occur…

Good luck. I am sure that there are numerous stories of those who wait to the last minute with no issue.

Thank you Coach. Just sharing my one and first experience and that I will head to your advice as well as my own to get out earlier than 3am. Having never done a race event to that size was truly an eye opener.

 

[joan4mickey]

yeah! Just finished my 20 mile run/walk. I knew I would struggle as I had pulled an old DVD out yesterday and did an hour of core so I was a bit sore in some areas. Then I decided not to go to my LR location, a flat greenway, but run in my neighborhood, rolling hills. It was a beautiful day so it was nice and I finished. I have known for sometime that I would have to long run today or tomorrow as we leave later this week to meet the family to ski. And Utah is getting some great snow!
good luck to all those finishing those LR!

 

[cewait]

Thank you Coach. Just sharing my one and first experience and that I will head to your advice as well as my own to get out earlier than 3am. Having never done a race event to that size was truly an eye opener.

OOps, the traffic window SHOULD have said 0300-0400, you do get an extra hour there.

 

[JeffW]

The only resorts that I would go later are the monorail resorts. I think in 2010 I left at 0420 from the Contemporary. I had little to no time in the staging area. Generally, hopped of the rail, walked to the tents, shed my keeper warm ups and then walked to the corral as the National Anthem was beginning. Not a lot of time to spare.

Coach, or anyone else that has stayed at a monorail resort, how much time is spent waiting to get on the Epcot monorail at TTC, when switching from the resort rail? Is there typically a line, or do the two routes bandwidth match pretty well?

I don't like much time in the race staging area, but my wife does not like to be rushed. So I need as much data as possible so we aren't leaving Contemporary at 3

 

[cewait]

yeah! Just finished my 20 mile run/walk. I knew I would struggle as I had pulled an old DVD out yesterday and did an hour of core so I was a bit sore in some areas. Then I decided not to go to my LR location, a flat greenway, but run in my neighborhood, rolling hills. It was a beautiful day so it was nice and I finished. I have known for sometime that I would have to long run today or tomorrow as we leave later this week to meet the family to ski. And Utah is getting some great snow!
good luck to all those finishing those LR!

The Greatest Snow on Earth!



Your post reminds me of a suggestion I normally give about now for runners who are taining on rolling courses. Try to scope out and find a flat course for your first taper run, if possible. I think long term and for overall general running fitness running in a rolling hill environment is great. It uses more of the leg muscles and creates a challenge on the ups and a slight recovery on the downs. Where a rolling hill runner may fall down is on a flat marathon course. In the latter stages of training, it is good for a rolling hill runner to run a long run or two on a flat course so the runner feels the fatigue of the smaller stabilizer muscles that are not getting the little breaks as the hills come and go. It’s not a bad issue; rather, one that a runner may not realize may happen and create a little race day stress.

 

[cewait]

Coach, or anyone else that has stayed at a monorail resort, how much time is spent waiting to get on the Epcot monorail at TTC, when switching from the resort rail? Is there typically a line, or do the two routes bandwidth match pretty well?

I don't like much time in the race staging area, but my wife does not like to be rushed. So I need as much data as possible so we aren't leaving Contemporary at 3

I have stayed at the BLT for two races and found that leaving between 0400 and 0415 worked well. Not rushed, but no time to waste, either. What I observed but do not know as fact is that the GF and CR have trains enter their resorts and fill concurrently. When one or the other fills then trains rotate. So what I found was that an empty or nearly empty monorail pulling into the CR station both mornings I used it. From there, the TTC was a non-issue. One morning the Epcot train pulled away as we were approaching, so we had a couple minute wait while the waiting train came into the station. The other morning, I walked from one train to the other and we waited for all on my train to load then departed.
Not sure if that makes sense, I like you, was a little worried about the transfer time and found it to be easy.

For the Poly folks, I would simple walk to the TTC to avoid the first train all together

 

[irishtwins1112]

Back to the gym today for the first time since the stomach virus on Sunday. I felt fine and have not had symptoms since Sunday. I was going to walk/run but was so completely exhausted that all I could crank out was a 15 minute walk. I then forced myself to lay across the elliptical for about 20 minutes. I guess I need to give my body a little more rest before I expect it to be all happy about running again.

 

[cewait]

Back to the gym today for the first time since the stomach virus on Sunday. I felt fine and have not had symptoms since Sunday. I was going to walk/run but was so completely exhausted that all I could crank out was a 15 minute walk. I then forced myself to lay across the elliptical for about 20 minutes. I guess I need to give my body a little more rest before I expect it to be all happy about running again.

Make sure you hydrate well between now and then. I am sure you have, but just in case

 

[Cruz91]

I do most of my long runs on the Olentangy Trail too! I live in the subdivision just above the section of the park with the skateboard area, so I park in the lot near that and always got north to Hills Market, make the loop and then come back south as far as I need to make the turnaround so the skatepark hits the end of my mileage for the day.

This is my first full - I am shooting for a 13:30 pace but am nursing a gastroc strain. I have a PT session at OSU on Thursday so I will have a better idea after that appt if that is doable or if I will need to slow it down. Thank goodness Disney is mostly flat

Way cool! Small world! You didn't happen to pass (or get passed by) a guy in a WDW marathon shirt a couple of weekends ago and chat for a minute? I had 2 ladies stop me on my 20 mile run day. One was getting married the weekend before the race, Disneymooning, and she and her new DH are running the full on their last day there.

Not long left. Keep at it. If you want a run buddy anytime, let me know. I'm not planning anything over a 12-14 mile run, but I could run part of your route with ya.

 

[mufasa0505]

We're staying at Coronado for the weekend. Do I have to go to the main bus stop for race transportation or do they stop at all of the bus stops?

 

[DisneyRunnerGirl]

Way cool! Small world! You didn't happen to pass (or get passed by) a guy in a WDW marathon shirt a couple of weekends ago and chat for a minute? I had 2 ladies stop me on my 20 mile run day. One was getting married the weekend before the race, Disneymooning, and she and her new DH are running the full on their last day there.

Not long left. Keep at it. If you want a run buddy anytime, let me know. I'm not planning anything over a 12-14 mile run, but I could run part of your route with ya.

I did chat for a minute with a guy wearing an I Did It shirt from the 2012 a few weeks ago....was that you?!? Wow!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Cruz91]

I did chat for a minute with a guy wearing an I Did It shirt from the 2012 a few weeks ago....was that you?!? Wow!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Yep - that was me! I was on my 20 mile run that day! After I passed you, I ran into the other lady who is getting married (assuming that's not you - because that girl pretty much blew by me, stopped and came back and chatted for a minute, the continued on smoking me). You did seem a bit worried. Don't be! You can do it! Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot.......

 

[cobbler]

I'm pretty excited. I did 5.5 miles today. ALthough it sucked in the sense because it was partially on an indoor track and treadmill, I did it and I'm feeling more mentally ready to tackle the 20 this weekend. Hopefully the rest of the week and weekend goes this well!