WDW Marathon...Any Advice?

[GunnarCharles]

Hi all, I'll be making by way back to WDW for the first time since 2012 do participate in the Marathon. The plan is to arrive Thursday and get our packets and then spend some time in the parks before race day on Sunday. First Marathon and first Run Disney event so I was wondering if any Disers out there had some advice they wish they'd have known their fist time. Anyone else running next week!?

 

[hiroMYhero]

@rteetz is running all 4 events.

Also moving to the runDisney forum so you can receive more specific info.

 

[rteetz]

Hi all, I'll be making by way back to WDW for the first time since 2012 do participate in the Marathon. The plan is to arrive Thursday and get our packets and then spend some time in the parks before race day on Sunday. First Marathon and first Run Disney event so I was wondering if any Disers out there had some advice they wish they'd have known their fist time. Anyone else running next week!?

We have a full runDisney board here with a wealth of information as well as a thread titled Marathon Weekend 2017 where everyone that is participating has/is discussing their plans and sharing running advice.

This will be my first full marathon too but 3rd runDisney race weekend. Running Disney is a blast and my advice it to take it all in. Have fun!

 

[dburg30]

Hi all, I'll be making by way back to WDW for the first time since 2012 do participate in the Marathon. The plan is to arrive Thursday and get our packets and then spend some time in the parks before race day on Sunday. First Marathon and first Run Disney event so I was wondering if any Disers out there had some advice they wish they'd have known their fist time. Anyone else running next week!?

I dont know if you are going for a certain time, if you are just wanting to finish the marathon etc.. But, being your first, my biggest piece of advice is ENJOY IT!!! Being your first marathon, it will automatically be a personal record . Also, if this is the first time for a big accomplishment, be prepared at some point for a flood of emotions to hit. Mine was actually coming out of DHS getting ready to head to the path going towards BW.. so whatever mile marker that was.. My wife had my "I did it" Dopey shirt with her. I saw her, and I just about knocked her over with the hug I gave her.. I knew at that point I was finishing!! I still get choked up thinking about it But I'm a sap like that..

 

[GreatLakes]

My advice is to limit your park time before your marathon and don't do a park on Sunday. I also arrived on Thursday when I did the WDW full. I did a full day in the parks on Friday but didn't walk a ton. I did just the morning on Friday and was out of the parks by 1:00pm. I also took Sunday as a non-park day to sleep a bit in the afternoon and enjoy the resorts. We did a park day on Monday and then headed home on Tuesday.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

1. Start slow! This applies to all marathons, not just Disney. It is so easy to over-estimate your training, under-estimate the weather, get excited at the start, etc. Depending on what corral you're in, the crowds may take care of this for you.

Very rarely will you find a marathoner that will say 'Gee, I wish I had gone faster at the start". But almost everyone has at least one race where they will say 'I went out too fast.'

Every 'good' marathon I've run has been negative splits, meaning the second half has been faster than the first half. Every 'bad' marathon, I've gone out too fast and had to slow down. I've PRed in bad marathons. Good and bad describes the enjoyment level.

2. Watch what you eat! It's easy to get caught up in the vacation magic and order gravy-covered bacon fries with a side of spicy falafel (sorry, not a real thing!) Pre-race you want inert foods you're used to. Save the adventurous eating for celebrating your PR after the race.

Have a great race!

 

[jhorstma]

1. Plan on high humidity and stay hydrated. Water and powerade will be available every couple of miles; you'll want to drink at pretty much every stop.
2. If spectators accompany you to the Epcot parking lot prior to the start and wish to see you run down Main Street USA or through the Castle at MK, have them hop on the monorail immediately - it'll get quite crowded close to the start.
3. Riding Everest at the halfway point is a lot of fun - the quickest ride option is the single rider line on the far side from where you'll be approaching.
4. The finish in the Epcot parking lot gets quite crowded; you might want to have spectators be there for you inside Epcot by the fountain or in the Mexico pavilion (if they have a park ticket obviously) - having a phone with you to text as you approach obviously is a big help.

 

[jhorstma]

I dont know if you are going for a certain time, if you are just wanting to finish the marathon etc.. But, being your first, my biggest piece of advice is ENJOY IT!!! Being your first marathon, it will automatically be a personal record . Also, if this is the first time for a big accomplishment, be prepared at some point for a flood of emotions to hit. Mine was actually coming out of DHS getting ready to head to the path going towards BW.. so whatever mile marker that was.. My wife had my "I did it" Dopey shirt with her. I saw her, and I just about knocked her over with the hug I gave her.. I knew at that point I was finishing!! I still get choked up thinking about it But I'm a sap like that..

The choir at the end hit me right in the feels...

 

[CamColt]

I agree with dburg30...enjoy it!

After doing my first (and likely only) full marathon in WDW last year, my only regret is not having more pictures and video. With that said, it is difficult to get the phone/camera out while running and setting it up ready to go, so I know exactly why I don't have more, but if you can manage it at various spots, try to. Also, be sure to get a photo after the run with your medal. I have a few that we took later in the day after we washed up and went out to celebrate, but I think we were in such shock immediately after finishing we weren't even thinking to get a picture then. I wish I had something to capture that runner's high feeling.

Best of luck to you!

 

[IamTrike]

So some quick pieces of advice.

1. If you aren't used to stopping during a run, be cautious about the length of stops if you are waiting to get a picture taken. I've had friends that wound up waiting in a long line in the magic kingdom and everything tightened up while they were waiting making the rest of the race tough.
2. You do run through all 4 parks (hurray) but a marathon is 26.2 miles and there's probably less than 6 miles actually in parks. The rest is roads and parking lots. That can be a surpise to some people who are doing their first runDisney event.
3. If it's cold/wet you will want throw away clothes for before the race start. You can have a lot of time about 2 hours pre race when you are just standing around or walking to the corrals. Drop clothes can make that much more bearable.

 

[limabeanmom2003]

Start drinking lots of water now and continue to drink lots of water through race day. Don't overdo it in the parks on Friday. Saturday is my rest day before the marathon. I won't be going into any parks. Resting the legs. Go to goodwill or Walmart this week and pick up cheap baggy sweatpants and sweatshirt to wear while you wait for the race to start. Weather forecast is showing 40's for early Sunday morning You can toss the sweats when the race starts or a few miles in. Be careful what you eat in the days leading up, especially Saturday. I like a simple turkey sandwich for dinner Saturday night. Of course carb load in the days leading up. Lastly enjoy every minute of your race!!

 

[ANIM8R]

Be prepared for a VERY crowded course throughout the first 7-8 miles. Be patient, courteous, and forgiving. People may be cutting in front of you, slowing down (either as part of their walk-run strategy or because of congestion ahead of you) and bumping into you.

Of course, you may be doing some or all of that to others, too, hence the reason for patience, courtesy, and forgiveness!

But most all enjoy being at Disney and having thousands of people cheer you!

It really is a ton of fun!

 

[IamTrike]

Of course, you may be doing some or all of that to others, too, hence the reason for patience, courtesy, and forgiveness!

This is great advice. I wish they would talk with everyone about this. The course is narrow in places and not everyone will be running the same pace or same intervals. Be prepared for close quarters.

At princess several years ago my wife and I got yelled at by some lady for passing her. No one touched her but she was upset that people were running so close to her. I am not really sure how she survived on that course...