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Disney World Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Disney World Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.3 
Spectators 4.0
Number of comments: 818 [displaying comments 141 to 151]
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P. G. from Iowa
(1/13/2011)
 "OK, but not for everyone" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 If you want a cheap, convenient marathon with easy logistics, this is not the one for you. You have to pay a high fee, get up early, wait around in the dark for a long time before the start, and go through lots of turns with lots of people. However, if you like Disney and want a big marathon and don't care about having to get up at 3:00 a.m., then this is the marathon for you. | |
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C. F. from Margaritaville
(1/13/2011)
"Flat, Fast & Fun" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Disney World Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is my 6th Disney Marathon and 23rd overall. The course is flat, fast and fun. Of course you have to get up early, but in my opinion, that's a plus. For those who complain about the early start time and walk to the corrals, you know what you are getting into when you register. It's not as if Disney springs this on you on race morning, so you need to get over it. Positives include the organization (Disney knows how to move mass quantities of people), the enthusiastic and pleasant volunteers, abundant water stops, the early start time and the high school bands on the course. Negatives include the very lame post-race food, as well as an over-the-top corporate sell while standing in the start corral. Runners want to hear some tunes (or nothing at all), not the VP of Marketing from X Corporation [fill in the blank] telling us how happy X Corp is to sponsor the race. Fans get a 3 because the ranks are pretty thin, but that's more a factor of Disney running us through the back feeder roads away from civilization. Oh yeah - a little more time in Animal Kingdom would be nice. It's a pretty long (read: boring) way from the 14-mile mark at Grand Floridian to the 22+ mile mark entering Hollywood Studios. The fans that are on the course can pump up the volume, though. Always a good time at Disney; 2011 did not disappoint. | |
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S. H. from Chantilly, VA, USA
(1/13/2011)
"Expensive but a once-in-a-lifetime experience" (about: 2011)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my fourth marathon and my second in a large crowd. (I also have run several half marathons in large crowds.) I do think this race is expensive, but with Marathon Monday, which was offered for the first time this year, I feel it was worth it. I got to the start line early. You have to walk about 20 minutes from the parking lot to the actual starting corral. There are plenty of porta-potties by the start area. I was a little surprised that quite a lot of the race was run in the back of the theme parks. My favorite part was running on Main Street and through the castle in Magic Kingdom. Running in Animal Kingdom, there were three spectators with live sheep, which was funny. Lots of Disney characters on the course to take your picture with, and lots of official race photographers on the course. The organization for this race was superior; there were plenty of water stops for everyone. I can't imagine running the same race twice, but maybe I will run this one again if they offer Marathon Monday again. And next time I would consider the Goofy Challenge. We had a blast and I think it should be run at least once. | |
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K. p. from NC
(1/13/2011)
"Great place for a fun run." (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Disney World Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Very organized... Disney always is. I did the Goofy... so I was not worried about my time. This is the place for relaxed runners, not diehards, looking to best their PR's. Great place for your first-time marathoners. I love the medals and shirts. I don't like the 2:30 wake up... and the long walk and wait at the start. I do understand that they have to start early, and with so many people, they don't really have a choice. Great, fun run; yes, I would do Disney again, for the third time! | |
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H. A. from Princeton, NJ
(1/13/2011)
"Better than 3 years ago" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Disney World Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 My 3rd Disney Marathon and 10th overall. The first was in Disney in 2003 and that was the best; 2008 was a letdown organizationally, in general; and this year was better than 2008, and probably nearly as good as 2003. The wave starts were handled extremely well, and this is one thing that is much much better than in the past. However, what was not handled well was the loading into the corrals. The path set up was narrow and created enormous traffic jams. Also, because of the amount of time standing in the corrals (if you followed their timeline and were in by 5 a.m.) there should be porto-lets on the far side of the first corrals and then so many people wouldn't be darting out to relieve themselves... and then trying to figure out which corral they came from. Even so, I had to sacrifice a minute immediately after crossing the starting line to relieve myself. All other aspects of organization were flawless, from packet pickup to the early morning buses to the start. Water tables were well staffed and very well organized - it was fabulous having so many along the course. You never had the feeling that you had to take water because of not knowing if you could make it to the next area. I was happy to see more activities happening on the course throughout - especially in some of the historically boring locations. I did notice some slight course changes since the prior times I ran, and in general I wasn't happy with them as they go through parking areas before entering MK instead of the road in front of the Contemporary. I think that the medal is getting a little out of hand as it is now way too big and gaudy. I was too embarrassed to be wearing it during the day on Marathon Monday; I just had it around my neck to get the park pass, and took it off immediately after. | |
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C. T. from Suwanee, GA
(1/12/2011)
 "Great first marathon" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Disney World Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 With six half marathons in the bag, this was my first full attempt. It was a long walk to the start but there were a lot of porta-potties at the entrance and start line. The course is boring at times but you know theme parks are coming and they are great. The weather was perfect and water and fuel stops were better than I have ever seen. Thanks to the high school bands for coming out when we needed them most. My next race will be a big-city race with better crowd support, but I will always consider Disney in the future. | |
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K. B. from Concord, NC
(1/11/2011)
 "I love Disney and I love this race!" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Disney World Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Yes, it's expensive, but you get what you pay for. Great, well organized expo, free transportation to and from the race (I had NO problems or delays getting to/from the race via Disney transportation), beautiful fireworks before the race start, unbelievably supportive crowd (including Disney employees who cheered from their posts throughout the parks), encouraging volunteers staffing water and first aid stations, bands, cheerleading squads, pep bands and entertaining signs along the course when you weren't inside of a park to keep you pumped up. And when you're inside the parks.... how cool? Just awesome. Running down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom and high-fiving the crowd that braved the cold to cheer us on like we were rock stars was more fun than I can say. Running through Epcot before the sun rises and seeing the park lights before sunrise was beautiful. And finishing there was even better. The crowd would not let you cave or quit pushing all the way to the finish line. The finish line volunteers who give you a big smile and a hug as they place the medal around your neck could not be nicer or more welcoming. Yes, you have to get up early... really early. I've done the marathon one year, the Goofy one year, and the half only for a couple of years. Each year when the alarm goes off at 3:00 a.m., I ask myself, "Now why are you doing this again?? This is really early!" I get to the start and say, "Oh yea; because it's entirely worth it!" It's early, but the good news is that you can spend the rest of the day in a park with your family. And did I mention what a great event this is for families?? I meet family and friends here each year - some run the and some just cheer, but it's a perfect venue to gather where there's something for everyone. The kids can do the kiddie races on Friday, the adults can choose between 5K, half or full marathon OR BOTH, and just about everyone ends up with a medal to wear proudly by the end of the weekend. Previous comments are probably correct that this is not the place for a PR. Go to NY, Chicago or Houston for that (I got my best times at those races, but I should note that Disney races were certainly not my worst times!); come to Disney for a great series of well-organized, inspiring events where the whole family has fun together. See you in 2012, Disney! | |
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T. M. from Florida
(1/11/2011)
"Disney: top-notch as usual" (about: 2011)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Disney World Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I love the Disney Marathon. I did the Goofy this year. I will definitely keep coming back. Everything is organized like clockwork; the crowd/volunteers were great and encouraging; and there was lots to see and do on the course. I definitely didn't need my iPod... I didn't put it on once. Love this race! | |
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Sid Busch from Charleston SC
(1/11/2011)
"MAGICAL" (about: 2011)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Disney World Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 17th Disney World Marathon and 6th Goofy. This is a marathon you run for fun. For those who want to set a PR, and are not fast enough to be seeded at the front of the pack, this is not a marathon for you. If you are a first-timer, or just want to enjoy running through your childhood and get to act like a kid, this is the run for you to do. There's Disney magic every were along the courses for both the half and full marathons. Lots of photo ops (long lines of runners wanting pics taken with Disney characters). Some of the best medals available are given out for you to show off, and new this year was MARATHON MONDAY, which was great. If you ran the full, you got free entry into one of the theme parks, and from all of the medals I saw at the Magic Kingdom, a lot of runners stayed an extra day to enjoy this. | |
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S. L. from Denver, CO
(1/11/2011)
"Has gotten better..." (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 4-5 Disney World Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 4th Disney Marathon (3rd Goofy). The event has gotten better over the past few years: More spectators, more entertainment, more drink stops - generally everything from the expo to the finish line is better organized. YES! You have to be up at 3 a.m. and, YES, you have to walk a ways to the start. YES! There are a ton of people and the course gets crowded in some areas. YES! The food at the finish leaves a lot to be desired. These are small inconveniences considering that you get to run through the happiest place on earth! If you love Disney, you will most likely LOVE the Disney Marathon. |
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