Running in Wine & Dine 1/2 Marathon & staying at AKV Kidani. I have some ?s please...

[Donald's Fan in PHX!]

Hi there everyone, We are staying at the Animal Kingdom Villas Kidani House this Sept, and I decided to run in my first 1/2 marathon Oct. 1st.
Any ideas on the best way to get to the starting lines, and or to Wide World of Sports on Friday?
When is the best time to go to Wide World of Sports to get my runners packet? I didn't see AKV listed as a Host Resort for the marathon. So I'm wondering how will I get to and from the start and finish lines for both the marathon Sat evening, and the 5K that morning?

Any tips and tricks from people who have done this before will be appreciated

I'm doing the half marathon, and my wife is doing the 5K...getting sooooo excited now that it's approaching...must train more though lol

 

[MikeyNS]

When my wife runs any of the races and we're not staying at a host resort she'd just grab a taxi for the WWoS packet pickup and then reserve a taxi for the early morning. It's also happened a few times that she'd go down to the lobby at, say, 5:45am the morning of the race and find a few groups of runners waiting for taxis and they'd end up sharing the cab.

Runners are a great bunch!

 

[RobOnDisney]

Last year they had you park at Epcot and then had buses that took you to the starting point. I am sure they will do the same thing this year. Your pick up packet will have the info.

Other options is to just park at a host resort and hop on the buses there.

Hope this helps!

 

[SamSam]

Last year they had you park at Epcot and then had buses that took you to the starting point. I am sure they will do the same thing this year. Your pick up packet will have the info.

Other options is to just park at a host resort and hop on the buses there.

Hope this helps!

I did this last year and it worked very well. Just don't be intimidated by the number of buses or the huge line of runners waiting to get on, the line moves quickly and the buses leave constantly. Have fun!

 

[Donald's Fan in PHX!]

Awesome, Thanks for the tips...I'm thinking the EPCOT thing might work well for us. It sounds like a busy day, but will be so much fun. I was at WDW a few years ago during marathon weekend, and said if they happen to be doing a run when I'm there sometime I will do it...can't wait.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Hi there everyone, We are staying at the Animal Kingdom Villas Kidani House this Sept, and I decided to run in my first 1/2 marathon Oct. 1st.
Any ideas on the best way to get to the starting lines, and or to Wide World of Sports on Friday?
When is the best time to go to Wide World of Sports to get my runners packet? I didn't see AKV listed as a Host Resort for the marathon. So I'm wondering how will I get to and from the start and finish lines for both the marathon Sat evening, and the 5K that morning?

Any tips and tricks from people who have done this before will be appreciated

I'm doing the half marathon, and my wife is doing the 5K...getting sooooo excited now that it's approaching...must train more though lol

Hi! So glad you asked some of these questions. DH is a first time runner in the Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon also. One of the few things I know is that the last part of the course runs along the boardwalk in front of the Y&B, and I plan to be there to cheer him on. Also, anyone other than the runner who wants to get in to Epcot for the after-party, when they open F&W booths, has to buy a ticket for about $55. I haven't gotten round "tuit yet. I've heard that last year's after party was a disaster of crowds, but hopefully it's improved. Keep those tips coming please for us first-timers (or spouses of first-timers).

 

[Donald's Fan in PHX!]

Hi! So glad you asked some of these questions. DH is a first time runner in the Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon also. One of the few things I know is that the last part of the course runs along the boardwalk in front of the Y&B, and I plan to be there to cheer him on. Also, anyone other than the runner who wants to get in to Epcot for the after-party, when they open F&W booths, has to buy a ticket for about $55. I haven't gotten round "tuit yet. I've heard that last year's after party was a disaster of crowds, but hopefully it's improved. Keep those tips coming please for us first-timers (or spouses of first-timers).

Yeah, my wife hasn't gotten a ticket for the after party yet either, she is planning on seeing me at the start and then maybe somewhere along the course. We will have her parents and our 7 mnth old DD will be on vacation with us, so the after party may be a little too late depending on when I get to start and finish.

 

[Donald's Fan in PHX!]

I'm doing the CoolRunning.com 1/2 marathon training program...so far so good...I have a 7 miles today to look forward to

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Rent a car!

I did this race last year (and won't be doing it this year. Hopefully Disney learned, but....)

Anyway, they have very poor transport to the Expo

If you don't do the car...

For the Expo, go to Studios. There is a bus to WWof Sports

For the start of the race, take a bus to Epcot. They bus you from Epcot to the start.

For the finish... not a clue. You might go read the WISH board. Probably lots of posters on there doing this. I have "carpooled" or "taxi shared" with other runners in the past!

(IMHO Last year's party and race rank as a disaster! For what Disney charged and the fact that they have a lot of expereience with big races.... I was shocked. Decided not to waste my cash again until I hear they figured out HOW to run this race!)

 

[RobOnDisney]

I was supposed to run, but I haven't been able to run in nearly two months with a knee issue. Doubt I'll be back to running anytime soon. Hopefully next year.

 

[Donald's Fan in PHX!]

Rent a car!

I did this race last year (and won't be doing it this year. Hopefully Disney learned, but....)

Anyway, they have very poor transport to the Expo

If you don't do the car...

For the Expo, go to Studios. There is a bus to WWof Sports

For the start of the race, take a bus to Epcot. They bus you from Epcot to the start.

For the finish... not a clue. You might go read the WISH board. Probably lots of posters on there doing this. I have "carpooled" or "taxi shared" with other runners in the past!

(IMHO Last year's party and race rank as a disaster! For what Disney charged and the fact that they have a lot of expereience with big races.... I was shocked. Decided not to waste my cash again until I hear they figured out HOW to run this race!)

Ok very interesting...Thanks for the tip about the catching a bus to the Studios and Epcot...i think I will need to just find some people heading back to the Animal Kingdom Villas at EPCOT that evening after the race and ride share with them. It will only be me at the finish line, so shouldn't be to big of a deal. I hope the run goes well, I wouldn't expect any less from Disney, especially considering the cost.

 

[nolanboys]

We did the 1/2 last year and stayed at AKV Kidani. We were able to get a bus to register, but took a cab back to the resort. We were also able to get a bus to the start of the race. It was great. My only word of advice is to do a night run. We are morning runners, so the night run was harder for us. We finished up and enjoyed our time at Epcot, but I got very cold. This was the first race I had ever run and I didn't realize you could ask for the heat blankets. Even after changing, I just couldn't get warm. We found the easiest way to get back to AKV after the resort was to walk over to BCV and get a taxi. The best $20 spent! Showered and was in bed by 3:00. Could not sleep!We were up by 7:00 the next day. Too many endorphines. It was a great time though. Good luck and have a great time. Make sure to sound some time the expo. There was a lot of cool running stuff there.

 

[Donald's Fan in PHX!]

Nice, i'm much less nervous now...night running will be no prob for me...I do a majority of my training in the evening because its way to hot in the daytime here.

 

[El&Asmom]

No more advise, just wanted to say good luck and have fun! I did the Princess half last year as my first half and loved it. I'm totally hooked. I've done another half since then, have 2-3 more planned this fall, and am going to register for the full at Marathon weekend this year.

Just remember to enjoy every minute. Disney puts on great races.

 

[DizBub]

My son-in-law is running the race too. We will have our car and he was planning on driving over to pick up his packet and we thought we would be able to drive him to the start. Is the traffic horrible?

We will also be cheering on from the YC/BC area. Since we are staying at BCV he will be able to walk back after the race.

BTW, he really is interested in getting a massage at the Dolphin earlier in the day before the race. Anybody else done this? Any other suggestions?

 

[SamSam]

My son-in-law is running the race too. We will have our car and he was planning on driving over to pick up his packet and we thought we would be able to drive him to the start. Is the traffic horrible?

We will also be cheering on from the YC/BC area. Since we are staying at BCV he will be able to walk back after the race.

BTW, he really is interested in getting a massage at the Dolphin earlier in the day before the race. Anybody else done this? Any other suggestions?

Dh drove me over to Epcot so I could catch the bus over to the start, IMHO driving over to the start could be very hectic...not even sure it's allowed. Others will weigh in I'm sure. Wonderful that you're staying at BCV, makes after the race very easy.

 

[Donald's Fan in PHX!]

No more advise, just wanted to say good luck and have fun! I did the Princess half last year as my first half and loved it. I'm totally hooked. I've done another half since then, have 2-3 more planned this fall, and am going to register for the full at Marathon weekend this year.

Just remember to enjoy every minute. Disney puts on great races.

Thanks, I'm super excited