Surprise hubbie with WDW marathon 2012 trip???

[PirateMom]

My hubbie has always wanted to do the WDW marathon, but it never has worked out with timing, budget, etc. Mostly he's doing tris and half-marathons these days. His b-day is in May and I am thinking I will surprise him with registration/an adults-only trip for the WDW marathon...good idea or bad idea???

My in-laws and parents have already agreed to watch our three kids and the timing should work with our work schedules...not to mention I'm super-excited about the possibility of an adults-only trip...I might even be convinced to run the 5k fun run (that's more my speed). However, I'm a bit uneasy about just signing him up and making the decisions about vacation time/money. Thoughts?

Also, if we go for it, is there anything else I should be doing/planning/reserving in the next month or two?

Thanks!

 

[stitchfan18]

I would be apprehensive about signing my DH up for something that was non-refundable without asking him first. Especially something as pricey as the marathon. Maybe you could call disney and book a room for that weekend. For his birthday you can give him the room reservation form, and a coupon good for the race of his choice. That way he can decide which race he would want to do, and if it really isn't something he wants to do you can cancel the room at no cost.

 

[Saylan]

I was going to suggest the same thing. Make a card inside of which you can say that it's good for one race registration. Then it's his choice but it's still a surprise/gift.

As for what else to reserve, remember the more desired restaurants fill up fast at the 180 day mark so if there's a place you want to go to celebrate the race or just an adult-only trip experience, keep an eye on the ADR window.

 

[verticalchaos]

I would be apprehensive about signing my DH up for something that was non-refundable without asking him first. Especially something as pricey as the marathon. Maybe you could call disney and book a room for that weekend. For his birthday you can give him the room reservation form, and a coupon good for the race of his choice. That way he can decide which race he would want to do, and if it really isn't something he wants to do you can cancel the room at no cost.

THIS! Remember, you can't just run a marathon on the spur of the moment. Training - and therefore time - is involved. A lot of it.

 

[Hockeychic]

I guess I am in the minority I would just do it. If he is already doing tri's and halfs and his birthday is in May he has more then enough time to train for a full.

My only hesitation would be if he wasn't a disney fan but you already posted that he has always wanted to do it so I say go for it, have a great time and will see you there

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

If you could agree to train for a local Marathon - just pretend you enrolled in it obviously-that was around the same time, I think a surprise would be perfect. January is a pretty popular month for Marathons so hopefully you can convince him to train for one of those with you! Now, if you were going to surprise him with the Goofy, that would be an entirely different story!

 

[PirateMom]

Thanks so much for everyone for their help! Does the marathon usually sell out? If so, when would that likely happen? His bday is mid-May, so I like the idea of letting him choose and then signing him up. I can hardly keep it a secret for a few weeks, much less 7 months.

 

[fashionista311]

The marathon does sell out, but not for a while. Just keep an eye on the site...they'll start posting when it gets close to being full

Agree with others than running a marathon has to be 100 percent his choice. I think you really, really, REALLY need to want it to go through the whole training process. But whatever event he agrees to choose - what a nice, thoughtful gift!

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I agree with everyone who thinks this is a bad idea. Unless you have thoroughly discussed the fact that he wants to run his first marathon at Disney in January, you shouldn't spend money that you can't get back if and when he tells you he has other intentions.

 

[FFigawi]

If you could agree to train for a local Marathon - just pretend you enrolled in it obviously-that was around the same time, I think a surprise would be perfect. January is a pretty popular month for Marathons so hopefully you can convince him to train for one of those with you! Now, if you were going to surprise him with the Goofy, that would be an entirely different story!

I like this idea. A friend of mine is doing this for her son this year. They've run the Houston marathon together the past two years, and now that he's over 18, he's able to join in all the Disney fun. She's going to tell him they're training for Houston again and surprise him at Christmas by letting him know they're running Disney instead. What a great mom!

 

[stampingoddess]

Another one, somewhat in the minority. If your husband has expressed an interest in doing the Disney full marathon, then is sounds like maybe he's on the edge of the cliff and just looking for someone to give him a gentle nudge.

At a Christmas party in 2009 I was talking with a friend and her husband and she was thinking about doing a half marathon but just wasn't sure if she could. Knowing that she had a good base and knowing what fans they are of Disney I suggested the 2010 Princess (in late March that year) Well she still wasn't convinced, but hubby surprised her by signing her up as a Christmas gift and it was the nudge that she needed. We started training right after Christmas with her goal being to finish within the 3 1/2 hr time limit. Sje did great and we finished in just over 3 hrs and stopped for lots of pictures along the way.

In your situation my only hesitation would be the finance if the trip is one that might stretch your budget, rather than being something that you are 100% comfortable/certain that you can easily afford without jeopardizing your family vacation or other items.

 

[fashionista311]

If someone "surprised" me with Goofy, I think I would cry. And these would not be tears of joy

 

[verticalchaos]

My reasoning behind saying "Probably not" even when he's said he'd like to do it one day is this: There is a big difference between saying "one day" and actually making the plan to train and do it. He could have a Half or a Tri that's scheduled too close for him to be comfortable with it. He may feel that there's not enough time for him to adequately prepare as he would like.

I would agree with the "this coupon good for a race of your choice...and btw, we've got reservations at Disney over Marathon Weekend" idea. That way if he's not comfortable with it he can choose another race or perhaps even request putting it off to 2013.

Even though I've done two HMs so far and have another one paid for and will hopefully have one paid for soon, and I'm training regularly, I really wouldn't want someone else making the decision for me. The decision to run a Full Marathon (really any race) is a personal one, and I wouldn't want to feel backed into a corner by someone saying "Oh I registered you for this race" - which in this case cannot be refunded OR deferred.

 

[cynomologus]

I agree with some of the other postings....

"surprising" someone with a marathon registration might not be the best idea.

I like the idea of surprising him with an "adults only" weekend that just happens to fall on the weekend of the Marathon. That way he doesn't feel pressure to run if for some reason he doesn't.

That way if he didn't want to run it, you could always cancel the Disney trip and go where he wants to...

Just my thoughts

JOHN

 

[johde]

I like the "gift certificate" idea. That way he can decide which race (half or full). I would go on rundisney.com every so often to make sure the %full doesn't get too high. If there a special resort you want to stay at, you could make a room only reservation that you could cancel if need be.

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

I love you! What a thoughtful thing to do.

I like the make a room ressie and let him choose via your coupon. I don't think waiting until May will rule out his choice. If it does, well, make it for the following year.

The other thing to consider, how many days for your adult get away? If possible I would recommend any extra day(s) after the event so he is not tired prior.

 

[PirateMom]

Thanks again to everyone for all the helpful advice and info! His birthday is in just a couple weeks, so I'll keep everyone posted on the final outcome of the surprise (and his decision). Worst case, we'll have "just" an adults-only trip to Disney World. No complaints here!