WDW Marathon

[firen'ice]

Can anyone tell me how the marathon affects the crowds and getting around on the day of the short and long marathons (I'm there for both)

 

[DJBounce]

We were there a couple of years ago during the marathon. At that time, the half and full marathon were on the same day. We noticed that Saturday was busier than it was during the week (we went to MGM that day.) However, Sunday, during the marathon, everything at Epcot was a walk on. The only hard part was getting from one side of future world to the other. There are spots were CMs are to help you cross through the race route. It was fun to watch the race. There was a lot of energy and excitement. January is a great time to go - I wouldn't avoid that weekend because of the Marathon. Weather can be sketchy, though. Bring clothes for all the seasons (including gloves and a hat!!)

 

[HopperFan]

Note that the races are split into two days. Half and kid races on Saturday and the full on Sunday. This also increases the space available to potential racers (I'm sure that was a big incentive to split the races). I believe it was open to 10,000 each race last year (althought the half had only @9000 show up) but now this year there potentially would be room for 20,000 each = 40,000 runners and their families.......

 

[aunties]

We were there this year for the marathon. A friend of ours was running. We were in Epcot for the full marathon. Once in a while, you had to wait a minute or two to cross in the World showcase. In fact, we ended up staying and cheering for the runners for an hour instead of crossing. There are a lot of runners running for good causes (like the American cancer society) so we were glad to cheer them on and you could tell they really appreciated. We could pretty much walk on all rides. In fact, we did Splash Mountain one night that week and had the boat to ourselves. We were able to eat at all our first choice restaurants. Our weather was perfect. We never even needed a sweatshirt. However, when I was there the same time in 1996, the temperature at night was actullay near freezing.

 

[firen'ice]

I'm a seasoned WDWer but have never been there during the marathon..where is the race exactly (what parks, when, what areas etc.) I'm not woried about getting around just need to know what to avoid. I have no interest in a marathon and want to avoid it if at all possible

 

[HopperFan]

Start and finish at EPCOT this year. The Half goes to MK back into EPCOT and out to finish in parking lot. Full goes through all four parks and finishes in EPCOT parking lot. 5k is in EPCOT in WS before it opens, start & finish in parking lot.

Expect lots of traffic in early morning hours Sat & Sun with road closures. They bring in lots of private buses to move folks around. EPCOT parking lot will be reduced some in size due to finishing shoots, grand stands etc. Saturday you have no problems from late morning on. Sunday with full, we still saw runners/walkers at lunch time, but all roads were open by then. Being that EPCOT is the focus point and the finishing line you may want to avoid it during peak race hours. But, it may scare people off and therefore be the best park to be at

Splitting the race this year will probably split the park attendance too (although we potentially have twice as many racers so may be a wash). I know we will not tour a park the day prior to running. You may find your italian food locations more crowded Fri & Sat night as runners fill up on pasta.

Otherwise we thought the crowds were very manageable and we are going back for more !

PS You can go online to marathon info and includes a course map !