Marathon Weekend 2023

[NileNellie]

I can't choose just one-Kaki Goris and Mickey caramel apples are two of my current favorites.

 

[GreatLakes]

SAFD: Hot pretzels. I prefer the Germany pavilion style but I'll get one at any park.

 

[The Expert]

YES to DL churros! They are definitely better than the WDW ones AND they come in different flavors! TCB inFLA and I tried 9 different ones when we were there last November...in 2 days. But we shared!

Third to this! I never understood why people were so excited about churros until I tried one at DL. Totally different level!

 

[nekonekoneko]

YES to DL churros! They are definitely better than the WDW ones AND they come in different flavors! TCB inFLA and I tried 9 different ones when we were there last November...in 2 days. But we shared!

I stopped eating WDW churros, because of how stale they taste. One day, I was in front of RnRC, and a CM was delivering churros to one of the food carts right there. So I'm going to take the gamble, and see what a "fresh" churro tastes like... well, as fresh as it can be without it coming straight out the deep fryer.

Nope, still stale. That's my last churro at Disney World.

 

[cruisin5]

Drive or bus from Riviera for HM?

What are your opinions on driving or bussing on race day?

and when you get to the race are the corrals open and would you lose your spot when going to the bathroom or walking around?

One more question! What's the typical time difference between the gun and the balloon ladies?

 

[Cabius]

Drive or bus from Riviera for HM?

What are your opinions on driving or bussing on race day?

I personally prefer to take the bus (unless I'm staying at a monorail resort). The traffic is awful and stressful, but on a bus I am not responsible for it. Plus, the fewer people drive their own cars, the less awful that traffic is.

Does anybody know when the TTC opens for parking? Would it be an option to park there and take the monorail down?

 

[sandam1]

What are your opinions on driving or bussing on race day?

We stay off-site and therefore always have a car. I would never be without private transportation as I am the queen of the catastrophic Disney transportation failure. With a car, I can get to the parking lot when I want to (within reason). I give myself plenty of buffer (usually double my expected travel time to arrive in the parking lot by the time that Disney recommends). But once I'm in the parking lot, I can wait in my nice warm and dry car until a reasonable time to head to the start. And at the end, I'm not waiting in a line that I can't control for a bus back to my hotel.

and when you get to the race are the corrals open and would you lose your spot when going to the bathroom or walking around?

Unless you have someone saving your space, yes. The crowd in the corrals tends to be dynamic and people can and do move around. And once they start walking the corral towards the start line, you can move up pretty significantly if you know how the crowd moves.

One more question! What's the typical time difference between the gun and the balloon ladies?

It usually takes about an hour for everyone to start.

 

[DopeyBadger]

and when you get to the race are the corrals open and would you lose your spot when going to the bathroom or walking around?

For the 5k/10k, the area opens at 3:00am, and the corrals open ~3:55am. S1 starts walking towards the start at 4:25am, and the race starts at 5:00am.

For the HM/M, the area opens at 2:30am, and the walk to the corrals open ~3:30-3:45am. These is no walk-out per se for S1 (line up roughly on start line), and race starts at 5:00am.

*ALL TIMES APPROXIMATE.

The answer on whether you can leave your spot and return is "it depends". Let's say you get in the s1 corral at 4:00am for the 5k. You leave to use the bathroom at 4:18am, and return at 4:23am (before the walk-out). It would be very difficult to get through the 2,000 or so other runners to get back to your spot. Let's say you get in the s1 corral at 4:10am for the M and you want to warm-up. You have space to round around in the corral for a bit and then you head back to your spot at 4:30am, you'd probably be alright if you left a blanket down or something. The closer it gets to the start/walk out time the harder it'll be to get back to your spot.

2018 was the last time I did Dopey and I did all my WUs at:
5k T minus - 55 min
10k T minus - 52 min
HM T minus - 40 min
M T minus - 40 min

For Princess 2022 I'm seeing:
10k T minus - 63 min
HM T minus - 47 min (had a 15 min delayed start). I remember doing a 5 min WU and then making my way to the bathroom, and then back to my spot on the starting line after weaving through some people.

One more question! What's the typical time difference between the gun and the balloon ladies?

Most of the time, but not always, the gun time is 5:00am and the balloon lady start is 6:00am (roughly an hour). This isn't always the case. A few times they've expedited the start because of weather (start at 4:50am) and balloon ladies started at 5:30ish. A few times they've delayed the start because of traffic issues (start at 5:15am) and balloon ladies still started at 6:00am. Lastly, a few times without much heads-up reason (I think because of a small field) the delta between start at 5:00am and balloon lady has been shorter than an hour (at 5:45am). Most of the time though, it's roughly an hour (5am to 6am).

 

[nekonekoneko]

Drive or bus from Riviera for HM?

What are your opinions on driving or bussing on race day?

and when you get to the race are the corrals open and would you lose your spot when going to the bathroom or walking around?

One more question! What's the typical time difference between the gun and the balloon ladies?

The first 2 Dopeys, we took Disney transportation to get to the start line. It was fine, but they usually wait for the bus to mostly fill before taking off. At OKW, there was always a few buses waiting for people. The Contemporary was the monorail for Saturday and Sunday.

This past January, we drove from WL to the start line, and we've decided to make that permanent. We had to drive south on World Drive, past Epcot Center Drive to E Buena Vista Drive, and then use that series of on-ramps to circle back to World Drive North to get to Epcot Center Drive. Even with the slight turnaround, at 3:30 am, it took about 15 minutes from the E Buena Vista turnaround before actually parking, which isn't terrible.

It felt good to be in our own car, climate controlled to how we want it, and getting ready at our own pace. And if the weather is lousy, a place to hide until we had to get to start.

 

[_shiny_side_up_]

The first 2 Dopeys, we took Disney transportation to get to the start line. It was fine, but they usually wait for the bus to mostly fill before taking off. At OKW, there was always a few buses waiting for people. The Contemporary was the monorail for Saturday and Sunday.

This past January, we drove from WL to the start line, and we've decided to make that permanent. We had to drive south on World Drive, past Epcot Center Drive to E Buena Vista Drive, and then use that series of on-ramps to circle back to World Drive North to get to Epcot Center Drive. Even with the slight turnaround, at 3:30 am, it took about 15 minutes from the E Buena Vista turnaround before actually parking, which isn't terrible.

It felt good to be in our own car, climate controlled to how we want it, and getting ready at our own pace. And if the weather is lousy, a place to hide until we had to get to start.

Absolutely this. W&D last year was chilly and rainy and I was glad to have my own vehicle to hang out in.

 

[mmm_texas]

Drive or bus from Riviera for HM?

What are your opinions on driving or bussing on race day?

and when you get to the race are the corrals open and would you lose your spot when going to the bathroom or walking around?

One more question! What's the typical time difference between the gun and the balloon ladies?

Unexpected responses so far!

I've taken the buses on the 10 total races I've run, and wouldn't drive if a bus was an option. (In fact, for all 3 Wine & Dine races last year, I stayed offsite and took a Lyft to the Riviera, just to catch a bus from there!)

YMMV, but I don't want to have to worry about traffic issues, road closures, parking, etc., on a morning before a race. The buses have been reliable for me so far. I feel I can relax once I'm on board, and you're already surrounded by other runners, seeing the costumes, etc.

 

[Bree]

Drive or bus from Riviera for HM?

What are your opinions on driving or bussing on race day?

I’m local, stay on site for races and drive to them since I have my car. I can sleep a tad longer

 

[Baloo in MI]

Drive or bus from Riviera for HM?

What are your opinions on driving or bussing on race day?

I have to own that I have never driven, so my perspective is strictly from taking the buses. I have run one Goofy, six Dopeys and one Spring Surprise. The only time I’ve had an issue is when I was pushing it and leaving my room later than I should. When I left early the bus ride has always gone smooth. Plus it gave me the chance to chat with other runners and/or close my eyes and relax.

Generally the atmosphere in line and on the bus is filled with positivity and excitement. For me it is part of the pre race experience. But no arguing then benefit of a car to stay out of bad weather until time to go to corrals!

 

[Goofed98]

In all fairness, I've only ridden the bus once from Boardwalk, and it was the year that everything was late, I think a bus broke down, people were getting off the bus and walking, etc.. 2017-2018, I think?

I like driving. traffic isn't bad if you leave yourself enough time. I'd leave the boardwalk around 3:30-3:40, and I was usually parked shortly after 4. I liked being able to leave some dry clothes in the car, being able to relax for a bit and prepare for the race, shelter from the weather, etc.. I got plenty of great energy the second I got out of the car. you can hear the DJ, you see people in costumes hurrying along, people are warming up, etc..

If it is possible, I would drive my own car over bus every single time. I don't see a downside.

 

[Bree]

I think they did a better job for MW and SS (not the 5K at AK!!!) with parking and busses. Busses had clearly marked lanes with cones and they dropped off at the Epcot bus loop. They went one way and cars went another. It was the easiest time I ever had with parking.

 

[camaker]

Drive or bus from Riviera for HM?

What are your opinions on driving or bussing on race day?

I always ride the bus. I don't like driving in unfamiliar locations and that stress is magnified by the early hour, the road closures and general pre-race anxiety. I like being able to hop on one of the first buses out of the resort, sit back, and relax while someone else does the driving.

I've been running WDW races since 2016 and have only had one instance where the bus got lost on the way to the race. Even then, it wasn't terribly stressful because I was on one of the first buses with plenty of time to spare.

There are certainly potential down sides to my approach. I've occasionally gotten soaked or dealt with uncomfortably cold temps without a personal car to shelter in on occasion, but overall I find the trade-off in lower stress and anxiety pre-race to be worth the risk of that.

 

[rubybutt]

Drive or bus from Riviera for HM?

What are your opinions on driving or bussing on race day?

and when you get to the race are the corrals open and would you lose your spot when going to the bathroom or walking around?

One more question! What's the typical time difference between the gun and the balloon ladies?

bus. easy peasy, except for going down the stairs after the last day of the dopey. Almost ate the sidewalk.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I ONLY rode the bus for MW and had 0 issues. Pro? Short walk from the finish area to the air-conditioned bus. I didn't care if we sat there for a few minutes waiting for it to fill up more, I was sitting and it wasn't hot. I liked the excited energy of the people waiting for the bus, and on the bus ride over.

For SS were at an off-site house so SIL and I drove to the race. The nice thing was leaving a little bit later, but not a lot because I like to get there early, hang out in the corral when it opens (and try to be near the front of my corral.) I brought food to eat and left it in the car. The downside is that it's a lot longer walk to get back to your car after the race.

easy peasy, except for going down the stairs after the last day of the dopey. Almost ate the sidewalk.

My quads were toast after my marathon in October and I was the main person putting DD (just 2 at the time) to bed at night and stairs were soooooo painful and slow for several days. After the full (Goofy) in January I remembered from that it was a lot easier for me to get down stairs by walking them backward, and that's how I got off the bus when we got back to the resort.

 

[LilyJC]

Quick reminder to book SWA flights home if you fly with them! Released this morning but pretty crazy high prices.

 

[camaker]

Quick reminder to book SWA flights home if you fly with them! Released this morning but pretty crazy high prices.

Thanks for the heads up! I wasn't expecting them to release the flights this early. Fortunately the prices from Raleigh aren't too high. The non-stop selection was poorer than usual, though.