Marathon Weekend 2020

I think if they cut out any part of it, it would be WWoS and only because that would be less running on Disney roads and because the main auto entrance ramp for DHS is now right by Osceola and Victory, so they may not want to shut that part of Osceola Parkway down. So they could have us run through EPCOT at the beginning and then Blizzard Beach to make up part of those miles. I'm really curious to see the new course!

I'm thinking something along this line. I asked myself, why move the start to 5:00am (30 min earlier)? Perhaps it's because they want us to hit a certain milestone at the same time. The big one has to be MK opening on time. So maybe they moved the start time so that we could run through EPCOT to start. Added the 30 min inside EPCOT and then shoot us up to MK hitting there around the same time as we would have if not for the 30 min shift.

EPCOT -> MK -> AK -> Blizzard Beach -> then continue travel down W Buena Vista towards DHS (totally skipping WWOS) -> DHS -> EPCOT to finish

This would then mean that Thirsty River timing (7:30am) and EE (9:00am) would be unaffected by the 30 min earlier shift since the "extra" 30 min of running occurs prior to AK. This also eliminates highway miles and adds in EPCOT mileage which are both spoken to in today's blog post. At least I've got my fingers crossed they're thinking along the same lines.

30 min of balloon lady pace = roughly 2 miles.

The normal course reaches my merge point at 1.3 miles.
Screen Shot 2019-09-19 at 9.04.56 PM.png

The EPCOT start route is 3.4 miles.

Screen Shot 2019-09-19 at 9.06.40 PM.png

So a 2.1 mile difference which lines up with the ~30 min difference in start time, giving us the balloon ladies leaving MK at the same time of day. :-)
 
Yeah I’m with you @DopeyBadger thinking there are going to go back to something similar to the 2012 route with some of the out and back post BB cut out by the new addition.

Which I’ll admit if the start returns to Epcot I will be excited since I only got to do that once and that was my solo DNF year for the marathon.

Honestly despite my other issues with the announcement if this is what they’re thinking going forward I am excited.
 


I'm thinking something along this line. I asked myself, why move the start to 5:00am (30 min earlier)? Perhaps it's because they want us to hit a certain milestone at the same time. The big one has to be MK opening on time. So maybe they moved the start time so that we could run through EPCOT to start. Added the 30 min inside EPCOT and then shoot us up to MK hitting there around the same time as we would have if not for the 30 min shift.

EPCOT -> MK -> AK -> Blizzard Beach -> then continue travel down W Buena Vista towards DHS (totally skipping WWOS) -> DHS -> EPCOT to finish

This would then mean that Thirsty River timing (7:30am) and EE (9:00am) would be unaffected by the 30 min earlier shift since the "extra" 30 min of running occurs prior to AK. This also eliminates highway miles and adds in EPCOT mileage which are both spoken to in today's blog post. At least I've got my fingers crossed they're thinking along the same lines.

30 min of balloon lady pace = roughly 2 miles.

The normal course reaches my merge point at 1.3 miles.
View attachment 437338

The EPCOT start route is 3.4 miles.

View attachment 437337

So a 2.1 mile difference which lines up with the ~30 min difference in start time, giving us the balloon ladies leaving MK at the same time of day. :-)

I hope you’re right. I like this concept a lot.
 
So I am cautiously optimistic about the change. I'm hoping they are reverting to a course that starts with the loop in Epcot. I really liked running through Epcot in the dark with the torches burning and the music playing. I'm intrigued about the addition of blizzard beach. I heard a podcast that discussed running through there. In one of the initial races there was foam on the course there and I think it caused some runners to slip.

While those changes seem positive I am a little concerned. It seems like those changes will ad 3-4 miles, and I wonder what Disney is replacing with those miles.
 


I would simply be very excited to hear that they cut out the 27" wide Tinkerbell-sized path on the Southeast outskirts of AK... :)
 
I'm thinking maybe they moved the start time so that we could run through EPCOT to start. Added the 30 min inside EPCOT and then shoot us up to MK hitting there around the same time as we would have if not for the 30 min shift.
This was my first initial thought too. It lines up with the "more park time" and keeps things on normal schedule from a park operations standpoint. And like you said, gives context to the 5am start time.
 
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Just leaving this here in case they change their website. I signed up for a race that goes through MK, AK, HS, and Epcot. I would be interesting if they drop any of those, or even ESPN as that is highlighted on their website. Although, this is at the bottom of the page in smaller, lighter font:

Dates, times, locations, prices and inclusions subject to change. All races are subject to capacity limits and may close at any time before the website can be updated. Registration fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.
 

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Just leaving this here in case they change their website. I signed up for a race that goes through MK, AK, HS, and Epcot. I would be interesting if they drop any of those, or even ESPN as that is highlighted on their website. Although, this is at the bottom of the page in smaller, lighter font:
I will say that I signed up for the W&D 5k because it ran through AK, and then it changed to EPCOT after I signed up...
 
Wow—I was out-of-pocket yesterday at the Braves- Phillies game, and found a lot to sort through last night. My initial thoughts are that they are cutting out WWoS because it was unpopular, but also mostly because with the Braves no longer using it for spring training, there will be other things going on there (or construction), and they don’t want us going through it.

I would LOVE to run around Epcot first. Seeing the torches lit up around the lake would be a great way to start. That’s my favorite part of the 10k route. If we did that, we wouldn’t need to walk all the way out to where the previous route had the corrals, meaning the new “open-air runner area” might just be exclusive to runners due to space constraints, not as a RR replacement.

I can’t imagine that rD would do anything to mess with the MK experience of running through the castle in the dark.

I have more questions than answers after reading their announcement, but as long as we still run through ALL the parks, and have fewer highway miles, I’m prepared to assume this is good.
 
I would LOVE to run around Epcot first. Seeing the torches lit up around the lake would be a great way to start. That’s my favorite part of the 10k route. If we did that, we wouldn’t need to walk all the way out to where the previous route had the corrals, meaning the new “open-air runner area” might just be exclusive to runners due to space constraints, not as a RR replacement.

The old full course ran through Epcot and the start corrals were exactly where they are now. You can’t fit 25,000 people in the 10k start area or in the first part of the 10k course. It’s way too narrow and crowded for that many people.
 
The old full course ran through Epcot and the start corrals were exactly where they are now. You can’t fit 25,000 people in the 10k start area or in the first part of the 10k course. It’s way too narrow and crowded for that many people.
Of course. You can, however, put them somewhere other than the place where you’ve been putting them, and there might not be as much space for non-runners to be there. I’m just trying to read between the lines as to what the announcement might mean. If the start is different, the corrals might be placed a bit differently, too.
 

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