Any word on 2016 Marathon Course

[FFigawi]

The two courses/starts had to be different at the beginning. No way you could squeeze that many people into Epcot that early in the race without major crowding issues. By taking each start through a different part of the park, you minimized the congestion until the merge around mile 4.

 

[MinnieMarathoner]

following along. Hoping to hear something about the course and the medals soon.

 

[margitmouse]

subscribing

 

[SeattleSuz]

Stalking this thread.

 

[derekleigh]

For an update or lack thereof, I spoke with a rD rep recently, and she seemed quite knowledgeable about some of the subject matter. So I causally asked her if they had finalized the new marathon course and she said they had not. She explained that the schedule of construction on DHS and AK were being fie tuned as to what is expected to happened during the marathon weekend and the week prior to the event. Once these have been received, rD will then plot the course accordingly. But she estimated they had a deadline on Dec 15 to finalize the course and have it certified in time for the Event Guide to be printed.

So what it's worth.

 

[MeridaAndAngus]

For an update or lack thereof, I spoke with a rD rep recently, and she seemed quite knowledgeable about some of the subject matter. So I causally asked her if they had finalized the new marathon course and she said they had not. She explained that the schedule of construction on DHS and AK were being fie tuned as to what is expected to happened during the marathon weekend and the week prior to the event. Once these have been received, rD will then plot the course accordingly. But she estimated they had a deadline on Dec 15 to finalize the course and have it certified in time for the Event Guide to be printed.

So what it's worth.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[LSUlakes]

So in 6 weeks we should be able to find some source of confirmation on the course, either through USTAF or rD... Out of all the things Disney does well, not having the course finalized by now is a little crazy to me for such a large race.

 

[derekleigh]

So in 6 weeks we should be able to find some source of confirmation on the course, either through USTAF or rD... Out of all the things Disney does well, not having the course finalized by now is a little crazy to me for such a large race.

2 months until race weekend and no finalized course is crazy. USTAF should be the first place to see the new course since rD will need to have it certified. rD probably will not release it until the event guide. Just guessing

 

[GreatLakes]

So in 6 weeks we should be able to find some source of confirmation on the course, either through USTAF or rD... Out of all the things Disney does well, not having the course finalized by now is a little crazy to me for such a large race.

My guess is that RunDisney has the course all ready, and probably a few alternatives just in case, but has to wait on operations to confirm the construction and closure schedule and they are dragging their feet.

 

[IamTrike]

2 months until race weekend and no finalized course is crazy. USTAF should be the first place to see the new course since rD will need to have it certified. rD probably will not release it until the event guide. Just guessing

It's not that crazy. For the 2009 marathon the course was measured in September, but the paperwork wasn't submitted to USATF until dec 12th and certification didn't come until Dec 23rd. That was just about 3 weeks before the marathon.

My guess is that RunDisney has the course all ready, and probably a few alternatives just in case, but has to wait on operations to confirm the construction and closure schedule and they are dragging their feet.

Based on prior certifications even for a late submission they would have already had someone out to measure the course. In listening to Jim Hills latest podcast Disney is pushing hard to get construction more heavily underway at Studios. At this point my guess is it's planning around this construction that's delaying things. It will be really interesting when the certification comes out to see when they had the course measured. I wonder if they measure 2 or 3 courses based on contingencies and then are waiting to see which one to submit.

 

[GreatLakes]

Based on prior certifications even for a late submission they would have already had someone out to measure the course. In listening to Jim Hills latest podcast Disney is pushing hard to get construction more heavily underway at Studios. At this point my guess is it's planning around this construction that's delaying things. It will be really interesting when the certification comes out to see when they had the course measured. I wonder if they measure 2 or 3 courses based on contingencies and then are waiting to see which one to submit.

I think that is almost certainly the case. DHS was my least favorite of the 4 parks to run through so cutting out more of it wouldn't really bother me. It just isn't really set up well for running through with all the turns and pinch points.

Actually if I had the choice of running through all 4 parks or skipping DHS entirely but getting back the morning run through Epcot that would be the easiest decision I had to make for the year.

 

[IamTrike]

I think that is almost certainly the case. DHS was my least favorite of the 4 parks to run through so cutting out more of it wouldn't really bother me. It just isn't really set up well for running through with all the turns and pinch points.

Actually if I had the choice of running through all 4 parks or skipping DHS entirely but getting back the morning run through Epcot that would be the easiest decision I had to make for the year.

I think that would be a much bigger change than just a course change, as a lot of the branding for the event talks about 4 parks, and all the race merchandise has the 4 park icons on it. At this point last year we were wondering about which icon they would have on the race shirt for studios as the hat was in the process of being torn down.

 

[JClimacus]

Actually if I had the choice of running through all 4 parks or skipping DHS entirely but getting back the morning run through Epcot that would be the easiest decision I had to make for the year.

I'm with you... I'd much rather run through more parks on the first half and skip some on the back half. The first half I'm enjoying the sights and sounds. By the last 10k, I'm all about running and finishing the race and don't even notice what I'm running past.

 

[Ariel484]

I'd much rather have the parks near the end, to give me something to look forward to. That was something that was really hard for me when they changed the marathon course in 2013 - originally Animal Kingdom came after the halfway point, and then suddenly it was just before the halfway point. So the second half of the race it was something like 10 miles until we got to the next park. Similarly for the Disneyland half, we were out of the parks after mile 4 and never went back in. That was SO tough for me, mentally.

 

[Barca33Runner]

I think that is almost certainly the case. DHS was my least favorite of the 4 parks to run through so cutting out more of it wouldn't really bother me. It just isn't really set up well for running through with all the turns and pinch points.

Actually if I had the choice of running through all 4 parks or skipping DHS entirely but getting back the morning run through Epcot that would be the easiest decision I had to make for the year.

My only concern about cutting out DHS is that I love the finishing stretch running along the water, onto the boardwalk, and into Epcot. If they cut out DHS it would be very difficult to achieve that same finish, which is my favorite part of the course.

 

[JClimacus]

I'd much rather have the parks near the end, to give me something to look forward to. That was something that was really hard for me when they changed the marathon course in 2013 - originally Animal Kingdom came after the halfway point, and then suddenly it was just before the halfway point. So the second half of the race it was something like 10 miles until we got to the next park. Similarly for the Disneyland half, we were out of the parks after mile 4 and never went back in. That was SO tough for me, mentally.

My only concern about cutting out DHS is that I love the finishing stretch running along the water, onto the boardwalk, and into Epcot. If they cut out DHS it would be very difficult to achieve that same finish, which is my favorite part of the course.

It's interesting how different people are mentally when it comes to these races! My favorite part, easily, is running down Main Street and through the Castle in MK in the dark. Just incredible with the sights and sounds, the cheering spectators, and I'm feeling good and enjoying taking it all in. All I want at the end is some fan support to get me through the final few miles. Anything else is background... but I think more people are like you guys than like me.

 

[Z-Knight]

The only thing I see during races are my feet...I don't remember much else, other than maybe that I was tired.

 

[SarahDisney]

I think it would be really cool if they changed the order of the parks every year. Every time you ran, you'd get a different experience, and if you ran multiple years you'd get to see all or most of the parks at the beginning, middle, and end.

Logistically, that's probably almost impossible. Certainly more trouble than it's worth. But it would be really cool and might encourage people who thought the marathon was a "one and done" for them to sign up again.

 

[Barca33Runner]

It's interesting how different people are mentally when it comes to these races! My favorite part, easily, is running down Main Street and through the Castle in MK in the dark. Just incredible with the sights and sounds, the cheering spectators, and I'm feeling good and enjoying taking it all in. All I want at the end is some fan support to get me through the final few miles. Anything else is background... but I think more people are like you guys than like me.

One of the reasons I like that final stretch is that it offers so much access for spectators. Contrasting to the finish of the Half, where you run the last few miles on the highway with very little opportunity for fan support, it really feels like a much different (and, for me, preferable) experience. I like getting that little burst of energy when entering the back lot of DHS and knowing that the highway is finished.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

For my "races" the last 5 miles is only about finishing. At WDW I love every mile. If I get tired, I walk. If I see something cool, I stop and check it out. I talk to everyone around me. I stop for pictures (character and otherwise). It is just different, and not about racing at all. Heck, I'd rather finish in 6 hours and have fun than finish in 4 and miss everything.