Walk to marathon start from POR

[UGAHokies]

Hey everyone,

I have heard several times that there is a way to walk from POR to the marathon start. Can anyone confirm this? We have been looking at aerial maps of the resort and it looks like there is a river that runs between the resort and the Epcot parking lot.

Thanks!

Ben

 

[cewait]

It's not all that safe to walk from POR to the start. You will be walking on a dark morning IN a four lane street (or along a wet grassy area just off the roadway) that will be carrying folks trying to work around blocked roads as well as locals dropping off runners. Obviously there are a few folks who will insist on walking and it can be done. I just hate to recommend an unsafe act.

 

[Ronda93]

For sure you can get from there to there, but Disney isn't set up for walking those areas. There are no sidewalks. The St Augustine grass you'll find by the roadways is thick and cut tall. If it's an irrigated area it could be wet, too. I've not been out at 3:00 before, but I don't think the lighting is walk worthy either.

I tried walking across the Disney Institute years ago and it became a march.

I'm sure some have done it. I hope they post here. We're staying at POR and I'll take the bus.

Ronda

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Did you know there is a free bus service on race morning to take you directly to where you need to be to start the race? The buses will pull up in front of the main entrance of the resort. You just get in line and hop on. Very easy, and very safe!

We stayed at POR two years ago, and didn't have any issues. The buses just kept coming, if you weren't there for the first one, another one pulled up right behind it. I know sometimes Disney bus service can be spotty, but can honestly say we've had absolutely no issues with marathon weekend bus service before the race.

There will also be buses to return you to your resort after the race, so Disney does make it as easy as possible to get around.

We're back at POR this year -- I'll be out at 4 AM to catch the bus for the Half start!

Maria

 

[bunnyfoo]

Even if you are walking in the grass, you still have to be careful. I stepped onto a piece of thin piece of metal last year that left in the grass and ended up with a big scratch down my calf. This was in between the corals where it was pretty well lit so who knows what else is sitting on the sides of the road.

 

[UGAHokies]

Yeah, we knew the buses would be there but my wife and I read posts from a couple of people (I thought it was on here, but may have been on the runner's world forums) about how they were able to sleep in a little longer because it was a quick walk to the starting line from the POR. We are just trying to squeeze in a little more sleep if possible, but it sounds like the risks may out weigh the benefits. Thanks everyone for the responses!!

 

[Duanerice]

I can understand you wanting to sleep in a bit but sleeping is so overrated You have trained how many hours to get here? One more hour of sleep is not going to make a difference.

If you walk over you'd miss the reunion area and all the excitement of the bands, hanging with friends' etc. It is just so cool and part of the experience when the bus drops you off at 4 am or 4:30 am and you see all the bright lights, thousands of people, etc. That is all part of the experience.

Even though I have been there a few times now, I'm not sure I'd want to miss all that.

enjoy,
Duane