Marathon Weekend 2025

[Novatrix]

To be fair, because of the length of the DVC wing and the distance from the rundisney bus stop in front of the conference center at BW, the walk there has a chance to be just as long. (Or at least it feels that way after a race!)

Standard view Boardwalk is tough for owners to get. A dedicated reservation might pop up, but typically you'd need to contract directly with an owner if that's where you're hoping to stay for MW.

 

[Naomeri]

To be fair, because of the length of the DVC wing and the distance from the rundisney bus stop in front of the conference center at BW, the walk there has a chance to be just as long. (Or at least it feels that way after a race!)

Standard view Boardwalk is tough for owners to get. A dedicated reservation might pop up, but typically you'd need to contract directly with an owner if that's where you're hoping to stay for MW.

I was kind of just looking around and taking a stab in the dark, based on pricing and where I know I wouldn’t want to stay

 

[The Expert]

To be fair, because of the length of the DVC wing and the distance from the rundisney bus stop in front of the conference center at BW, the walk there has a chance to be just as long. (Or at least it feels that way after a race!)

Standard view Boardwalk is tough for owners to get. A dedicated reservation might pop up, but typically you'd need to contract directly with an owner if that's where you're hoping to stay for MW.

I've stayed at BWV for many race weekends and have been assigned rooms all over the building. If you're at the end it is easy to use the stairs and cut through the pool area to make it shorter. It was also handy to jump off the bus at Swan & Dolphin and cross the bridge coming back when BW was at the end of the loop.

 

[superchime]

Any thoughts on Old Key West DVC? I'm looking at 1 bedrooms but I have no idea how hard they are to book or what the bus situation would be like in the mornings. I'm usually a Dolphin girl but if my family comes with me it would be nice for them to be able to hang out somewhere separate while I'm trying to go to sleep at 6pm!

 

[Cabius]

Any thoughts on Old Key West DVC? I'm looking at 1 bedrooms but I have no idea how hard they are to book or what the bus situation would be like in the mornings. I'm usually a Dolphin girl but if my family comes with me it would be nice for them to be able to hang out somewhere separate while I'm trying to go to sleep at 6pm!

OKW is one of the easiest resorts to book, and 1BR are usually the easiest room type to book. Right now, they have wide-open availability. In fact, those rooms are not only available for the dates around MW, but are available every day in December, despite high demand for that time period.

I can't speak to the resort itself, or to the bus system, but I'd say your odds of getting it are excellent.

 

[princesspirateandrunner]

Any thoughts on Old Key West DVC? I'm looking at 1 bedrooms but I have no idea how hard they are to book or what the bus situation would be like in the mornings. I'm usually a Dolphin girl but if my family comes with me it would be nice for them to be able to hang out somewhere separate while I'm trying to go to sleep at 6pm!

We stayed there for MW 2022, when our son and his girlfriend were with us. It was a great setup, even though we were a little bit of a walk from the bus stop. I highly recommend it for MW.

 

[Novatrix]

Any thoughts on Old Key West DVC? I'm looking at 1 bedrooms but I have no idea how hard they are to book or what the bus situation would be like in the mornings. I'm usually a Dolphin girl but if my family comes with me it would be nice for them to be able to hang out somewhere separate while I'm trying to go to sleep at 6pm!

I like OKW, it's my home resort.

It's usually pretty easy to book until the 7 month mark (frankly, until Aulani and Saratoga started being sold it was easy to book right up until the 2 week mark, but I digress....)

You have to walk to the main building for buses (which if you're in the furthest building is a max .5 mile walk) but it's dedicated buses in the morning and they always stage A LOT. There were about 14 staged ready to pick up runners for the half this past Marathon weekend.

There's nice little touches to make it welccoming to runners during the weekend, like free fruit and water bottles at the pool, photo ops when you get back from the race, crafts at the Community Hall.

The 1 bedroom is my favorite DVC 1 bedroom. Plenty of space, best balconies of any of the DVC 1 bedrooms, nice kitchens, full sized washer and dryer it's own laundry room. The jacuzzi tub is nice to soak in after the races.


Depending on your party make-up you can also turn it into a discount 2 bedroom...

 

[flav]

Yeah, I ended up way, way out for springtime, plus the rD bus just had to be the furthest one from my end of the resort. I’ve learned my lesson, and will spring for preferred at Pop from now on.

View attachment 832815

Yes, the runDisney bus stop is not necessarily where the bus to the parks are. I remember cutting by the parking lot from building 7 at Pop, super efficient. At ASMo, the runDisney are where the ride share pickup.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Well, I submitted my DVC rental request—going for a Boardwalk Studio. It’s getting real I guess I’d better start getting settled in my training habits, so it’s ingrained once Dopey training starts this fall.

EDIT: it’s no longer getting real, BW Studio isn’t available, and nothing else works for my budget except for OKW and Saratoga and I don’t want to be at resorts that big.

I’ve stayed at both. Novatrix covered OKW well. There was an internal bus to get you to the front and the rundisney busses in 2022, and I’m pretty certain that’s a normal thing (similar to the one at AKL.) I might have skimmed over itC but OKW doesn’t have elevators in all of the buildings, and you might be on the 2nd floor.

Saratoga is spread out. It just is. But I like that because it does not feel crowded ever. This might be a trip to consider renting a car (maybe just for Friday-Monday?), or using a ride share to return from the races so you can get right to your building. The rundisney busses only pick up at the main building, and don’t make any other stops, so there would be at least some walking to the busses in the morning. If you stayed in a preferred room you could be close to the main building, and eliminate a lot of that.

I’ll also add that AKV are really close to the same number of points as SSR.

Any thoughts on Old Key West DVC? I'm looking at 1 bedrooms but I have no idea how hard they are to book or what the bus situation would be like in the mornings. I'm usually a Dolphin girl but if my family comes with me it would be nice for them to be able to hang out somewhere separate while I'm trying to go to sleep at 6pm!

I looooooved our 1br we had 2 years ago at OKW. Those rooms are huuuge and there’s a shower AND a massive jacuzzi tub!

 

[Naomeri]

I might have skimmed over itC but OKW doesn’t have elevators in all of the buildings, and you might be on the 2nd floor.

I’ve trained myself to use the stairs at all times at Disney, unless I have suitcases. This includes after races and at the end of long park days, and I always request the highest floor (so usually 3rd or 4th, since I usually stay at value resorts) I think it’s done wonders for my post-race recovery.

 

[marty3d]

First week of Dopey 2025 training is in the books....
Ok - technically it's training for my half marathon in May but because I'm running it because I need a POT for Dopey I figure it counts!

 

[camaker]

Before we get down to this week's SAFD question, I wanted to give an update on last week's. First off, response was overwhelmingly positive for the March Magical Madness, so we'll be setting that up soon. The results of the "rank the parks" question have been compiled and the winner was a surprise to me:

1. Epcot
2. Magic Kingdom
3. Animal Kingdom
4. Hollywood Studios

Based on these results, the Epcot and Hollywood Studios attractions will face off in the Skyliner bracket, with the last attraction standing set to go head to head with the champion of the Kingdom bracket where the AK and MK favorites have battled it out. Over the next couple of weeks we'll all rank our top 4 attractions from each park to populate the brackets. It should be fun!

 

[camaker]

Good morning RunDisney All-Stars! Welcome to this week's edition of Sundays are for Disney (SAFD). We went to the parks last week, so let's talk running this week. Wednesday is Valentines Day, so let's talk love. Love of running, that is. What do you love about running? What gets you coming back run after run and keeps you going when the runs get tough? Is your love seasonal or perennial?

SAFD: I love running because it's a massive stress reliever for me. Getting out into the fresh air helps me clear my head and shed the worries and anxieties of the day. I'm a very introverted, solitary person by nature and the "me" time that running provides is important to my mental well-being. On a different note, too, I lost a lot of weight 10-11 years ago and my body is constantly trying to put it back on. Running allows me to enjoy food, within reason, without having to maintain a sparse diet to keep the weight off.

 

[Naomeri]

SAFD: I love running because it’s a way to get out of the house and pretend that all the stressful stuff doesn’t exist for a while. Also, it’s an excuse to go to Disney more often I love running a little less in the summer, because heat is my enemy. Also, most of my running paths are in the woods and deer flies are the devil.

 

[Barca33Runner]

SAFD: I think it’s okay to admit this, I don’t love running and probably never will. It’s hard work, it’s not particularly fun, and I’m not good at it and that makes me self-conscious.

But, I love life. I love my family. I want to be here with them as long as I can. I want to be able to sometimes eat bad foods. I want to have as much mobility as possible as pain free as possible for as long as possible. When I buy new clothes I want it to be because my old ones are too big or I found something I really like, not because my old ones are too small.

So I run, because it makes the rest of my life better.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

SAFD: I think it’s okay to admit this, I don’t love running and probably never will. It’s hard work, it’s not particularly fun, and I’m not good at it and that makes me self-conscious.

But, I love life. I love my family. I want to be here with them as long as I can. I want to be able to sometimes eat bad foods. I want to have as much mobility as possible as pain free as possible for as long as possible. When I buy new clothes I want it to be because my old ones are too big or I found something I really like, not because my old ones are too small.

So I run, because it makes the rest of my life better.

SAFD
Yeah I am with you. I do not like running. Like I always hated running. Interval running makes it barable. But I do loove being healthy and I love all things Disney. I love being able to go out do all the things I love like skiing or larping. Or being able to rope drop and fast walk by everyone while pushing a stroller since since I am in such good shape.I love the sence of accomplishment after words and I loove trolling trolls on the internet who say plus size people cannot run and I throw back at them well I just did 16 miles yesterday. So yeah I do not love the actually act of running but I love all the benfits u get after doing it so that is what keeps me running. Ohh yes and the Disney bling... I am such a bling person.

 

[amazingact21]

SAFD: I'm not sure I love the act of running, but I love the effects it has on me. I've noticed that when I don't run for awhile, I have less patience and stress more. I sleep better when I run and feel stronger, mentally and physically. Plus, I'm the type of person who thrives off lists and to-dos. When a day doesn't go as planned, if I've run, it helps me to say, "Well, I wasn't able to to X,Y, and Z, but I did get 6 miles in, so at least I took care of my health."

Ohh yes and the Disney bling... I am such a bling person.

I agree with you! There's nothing like walking around the parks wearing those big, shiny pieces or seeing the medals hanging on the wall.

 

[RuntheMouse]

SAFD: I love the challenge & the reward of running. The actual act of doing it can be really hard for me sometimes. I love setting goals, getting PR’s and pushing my spazzy heart. I didn’t win the genetic lottery for longevity so I want to do as much as I can to help myself live the best life I can. I love the days when everything is clicking, that happened today for me. 8 miler with even splits and rockstar HR zones, this girl was grinning! I also LOVE to eat so this, as others have said above, keeps things from creeping in the wrong direction, big reward!

 

[nancipants]

I love that running makes me feel like a human again and not just a mom.

I haven’t noticed much difference in my body yet, and I’m the same weight I was a year ago, but I feel fitter.

I love the sense of accomplishment running gives me. If I follow a plan, I will most likely reach my goal.

 

[jmasgat]

SAFD: Count me in with those who run, but "love" does not apply. I do it because I don't like to swim, or cycle or do any of the other things that I know I need to do to stay as healthy as I can. And running is a solo activity, so I don't need to count on anyone else to get it done (good for this not-social person). I also like the fact that training for races requires structure--and that appeals to me in terms of getting things done.

For me, running is what my "head" says to do, not so much my "heart". Not to say it hasn't brought me satisfaction--it has, in part because I've been pretty good at it (for my age group), and let's not forget that if we all didn't run, we wouldn't be on this forum--and I greatly appreciate the social element of interacting with the people here.