Marathon Weekend 2020

Based on reports, I was very lucky to board my bus from Pop by 2:50 and not just 15-20 minutes later. I was dropped off a typical fashion of time later, just ahead of the traffic madness, apparently.

My question is: what happened??? I know traffic was bad. Why? Was it the new utilization of roads and parking lot for this particular course layout? Bonus points of your answer includes maps. :scratchin
 
Based on reports, I was very lucky to board my bus from Pop by 2:50 and not just 15-20 minutes later. I was dropped off a typical fashion of time later, just ahead of the traffic madness, apparently.

My question is: what happened??? I know traffic was bad. Why? Was it the new utilization of roads and parking lot for this particular course layout? Bonus points of your answer includes maps. :scratchin
The half had some struggles but nothing as bad as the full. They wanted to close the parking lot by 4AM but they couldn’t because of how much traffic was still coming in.
 


Back in Pa. Temperature upon arriving home was 32. Missing the warm Florida temperatures.

DW started to feel ill during the cruise. We completed the CC 5k Challenge, but she was spent by mile 2. Most of the rest of Wednesday and a lot of Thursday was spent in bed under a blanket due to chills. We chalked it up to her all-out effort during the Half on Saturday, spectating the Full, and the 5k (another hot and sunny day). Ended up at the Medical Center on the ship Thursday afternoon, where they diagnosed suspected influenza. On medication, and feeling better today than yesterday. Both going to bed now. Unpacking has begun; laundry starts tomorrow. Looks like we'll bookend this trip with another snowstorm tomorrow!

Will post more at we put things back together here.
 
Based on reports, I was very lucky to board my bus from Pop by 2:50 and not just 15-20 minutes later. I was dropped off a typical fashion of time later, just ahead of the traffic madness, apparently.

My question is: what happened??? I know traffic was bad. Why? Was it the new utilization of roads and parking lot for this particular course layout? Bonus points of your answer includes maps. :scratchin

This is my guess, they typically have four lanes going into the lot, 2 to the left of the tram barrier, 2 to the right filling in 2 rows at a time. Marathon morning they were Filtering down to just two lanes. No idea why.
 


I didn't get one, but I wish I did! I was disappointed with a few things compared to previous MW's, but overall it didn't really affect anything - I still had a great time.

I'm curious though, what kind of questions were on it?

It was pretty extensive. Asked opinions about the course, where there was congestion, merchandise selections, how tickets were purchased, where we stayed. Took about 20 minutes to complete.
 
If I'm remembering correctly, they played this when Corral A started out, and it got me emotional, thinking of the people chasing super fast goals that day. I cannot be held accountable for the sappy things I think pre-race. :rotfl:
This was me!!!! It was my first full marathon and I was super nervous about my ambitious goal pre-race. The Frozen 2 soundtrack has been my jam for the last couple months, so Into the Unknown was perfect!
 
Started coming down with a cold yesterday and it's in full force today. I really do feel like at least 50% of the times I fly, I wind up with a cold. Every time, I swear the next time I'll douse myself with hand sanitizer etc. but every time I forget.

runDisney sent me a survey today, don't know if anybody else got one.
Same here, for both. Also caught a cold. Maybe sat for too long in a wet shirt at the Beach on Monday, should have better done DATW ;) We are flying home on Saturday, gotta be fun, with that cold.

Got a couple of Surveys from Disney in my Mailbox.
 
I didn't get one, but I wish I did! I was disappointed with a few things compared to previous MW's, but overall it didn't really affect anything - I still had a great time.

I'm curious though, what kind of questions were on it?
It was pretty extensive. Asked opinions about the course, where there was congestion, merchandise selections, how tickets were purchased, where we stayed. Took about 20 minutes to complete.

I got the survey... and am trying to complete it, but I'm currently stuck with the question below with no options to choose or box to type a comment on. :crazy2:


465935
 

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I didn't get one, but I wish I did! I was disappointed with a few things compared to previous MW's, but overall it didn't really affect anything - I still had a great time.

I'm curious though, what kind of questions were on it?
Similar to @Ponoche . They asked a lot of radio button questions about pretty much everything, then gave an opportunity to expand your answer for a random few. It was long. The only real negative I had about the weekend, I didn’t say because I wasn’t prompted to say it I guess: a lot of little things seemed cheaped out a little. Like the shirt quality, other things that you don’t mind on its own but when there are a lot it’s disappointing. If I had never done a race weekend before I wouldn’t notice of course. I did say I would have loved to buy some Goofy merch but there wasn’t much available on Friday. The stuff that was, like shirts, I didn’t like partly because if the material. I’d buy a magnet, mug, etc in a heartbeat.
 
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Similar to @Ponoche . They asked a lot of radio button questions about pretty much everything, then gave an opportunity to expand your answer for a random few. It was long. The only real negative I had about the weekend, I didn’t say because I wasn’t prompted to say it I guess: a lot of little things seemed cheaped out a little. Like the shirt quality, other things that you don’t mind on its own but when there are a lot it’s disappointing. If I had never done a race weekend before I wouldn’t notice of course. I did say I would have loved to buy some Goofy merch but there wasn’t much available on Friday. The stuff that was, like shirts, I didn’t like partly because if the material. I’d buy a magnet, mug, etc in a heartbeat.

I didn’t get a survey, but I agree with this observation and it’s been an ongoing issue for me with rD and Disney, in general, over the years. It’s a lot of small changes here and there, obvious instances of nickel and dime-ing, and propensity to use every excuse available to slightly cheapen experiences.

Certain things are inevitable; I totally understand why the Marathon doesn’t run through Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land. They are too narrow to accommodate the masses early in a race and far too packed with guests to accommodate even smaller, spread out groups later in the day. Using that example, it would be awesome if rD looked at the situation and said, “we can’t give the runners GE or TSL, but what experience can we give them?” Instead rD cuts out Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard as well and makes an already underwhelming experience worse.

I understand it’s a business. Still it’s pretty apparent in a lot of things that their only calculus is “what is the maximum we can charge for an experience and what is the minimum experience we can provide for a charge?”

And yet, WDW is still one of my favorite places and Marathon Weekend is one of my favorite times. I look forward to getting back when I’m not there and I hate leaving when I am.
 
So, now that I'm thinking about it, one of the little things that was really noticeable for me was entering the castle both days. Remember way back, a few years ago now, they had trumpeters at the back of the castle there as you were entering? That was so special and almost electrifying. Really made the moment extra "royal" and unique. I remember they took those out and then you got Anna and Elsa. I didn't run these races last year, but this year I was definitely surprised and chagrined that there was nothing at all there. No stepsisters off to the side, nobody up on the balcony, nothing. Maybe this is how it was last year, I don't know, but I wish I had remembered to mention that in the survey. Maybe, if you want to be generous about it, this was a conscious decision to cut down on traffic right there? I've never experienced it but I know others said they were stuck in a crowd for a long time there because everybody just stopped dead to take pictures or film whatever was up on that balcony when they had people there. It was the biggest loss for me and I wish I had remembered to say something. All of that said, runDisney in general is still the most unique marathon or half marathon course(s) I will ever run, and if I had never done it before, I would have come back amazed.
I did mention that construction around Epcot was downright depressing to run through also but runDisney can't help that. That said, I've run big city courses that did not have that miserable looking a landscape over 13 miles.
 
So, now that I'm thinking about it, one of the little things that was really noticeable for me was entering the castle both days. Remember way back, a few years ago now, they had trumpeters at the back of the castle there as you were entering? That was so special and almost electrifying. Really made the moment extra "royal" and unique. I remember they took those out and then you got Anna and Elsa. I didn't run these races last year, but this year I was definitely surprised and chagrined that there was nothing at all there. No stepsisters off to the side, nobody up on the balcony, nothing. Maybe this is how it was last year, I don't know, but I wish I had remembered to mention that in the survey. Maybe, if you want to be generous about it, this was a conscious decision to cut down on traffic right there? I've never experienced it but I know others said they were stuck in a crowd for a long time there because everybody just stopped dead to take pictures or film whatever was up on that balcony when they had people there. It was the biggest loss for me and I wish I had remembered to say something. All of that said, runDisney in general is still the most unique marathon or half marathon course(s) I will ever run, and if I had never done it before, I would have come back amazed.
I did mention that construction around Epcot was downright depressing to run through also but runDisney can't help that. That said, I've run big city courses that did not have that miserable looking a landscape over 13 miles.
Oh yeah I did comment on the lack of anything on the backside of the castle.
 
Oh yeah I did comment on the lack of anything on the backside of the castle.

I noticed the lack, too. I really liked having Anna and Elsa up there talking to the runners. My guess is the same as @SheHulk that they cut it to try to help with the congestion in that area. My biggest disappointment in the new course was the early Epcot miles meaning I got to the castle after the sun was up and the lights turned off.
 
This was me!!!! It was my first full marathon and I was super nervous about my ambitious goal pre-race. The Frozen 2 soundtrack has been my jam for the last couple months, so Into the Unknown was perfect!

Congrats on an incredible race! My younger daughter always asks Alexa to play the Frozen 2 soundtrack while she's taking her bath, and I'm only slightly embarrassed to say that I still haven't been able to listen to "Show Yourself" without getting a little choked up. lol
 
I noticed the lack, too. I really liked having Anna and Elsa up there talking to the runners. My guess is the same as @SheHulk that they cut it to try to help with the congestion in that area. My biggest disappointment in the new course was the early Epcot miles meaning I got to the castle after the sun was up and the lights turned off.

I agree that getting to Magic Kingdom when it is light was a little disappointing - no castle lights, Main Street feels different even with the crowds still so filled and inspiring. But I will say that I did like that I was already at 10 miles into the race at that point. For me psychologically there is something beneficial about hitting double digits that makes me feel like the goal is reachable. In the past when it was a direct shot to MK it was always a little deflating to me upon leaving MK and still being at like mile 6 or 7. Thankfully the half still gave us a lit up tree, Main Street and Castle. Dare I say that maybe they start the Marathon even a bit earlier (and on time) so more people could get to MK before it gets light out?
 
I agree that getting to Magic Kingdom when it is light was a little disappointing - no castle lights, Main Street feels different even with the crowds still so filled and inspiring. But I will say that I did like that I was already at 10 miles into the race at that point. For me psychologically there is something beneficial about hitting double digits that makes me feel like the goal is reachable. In the past when it was a direct shot to MK it was always a little deflating to me upon leaving MK and still being at like mile 6 or 7. Thankfully the half still gave us a lit up tree, Main Street and Castle. Dare I say that maybe they start the Marathon even a bit earlier (and on time) so more people could get to MK before it gets light out?

If the weather forecast is as bad as it was this year, I'd be more than okay with an extra hour earlier to help with the heat. It was brutal for those of us in the back of the pack around Animal Kingdom. Saw too many people dropping like flies.
 

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