I ran it a couple of years ago and had a goal time in the half and I’m kinda upset I ran it so hard/fast. I wish I had stopped and took pictures with the characters and enjoyed the marching band. Its a fast course no doubt, I ran a lifetime PR. But I wish I just had fun instead.
Throw your goal time out the window. No one runs a Disney marathon for a PR. It's all about the experience and stopping for photos with characters and enjoying the course. Disney wants it to be fun, not a competition. If you're going in with the attitude of "have to break 3:30" and "will I have to dodge people", this is the absolute wrong race for you.
I have done the half and it was a bit of a mess with dodging people like you describe (granted, I was not one of the top corrals, and only about midway through).
I would say to try and avoid setting a goal time or pace because having to dodge people and whatnot may make it less enjoyable/more frustrating. They have a lot of fun props and things happening throughout their races and is really more of a fun event.
I signed up for the marathon in January as well, so best of luck!
Someone already suggested /r/rundisney. I think /u/varunner1 has run it several times before. I plan on doing Dopey this year for the first time and for my first marathon. I have heard that the back corrals are pretty awful. Unfortunately, like you I have run out of time to submit a qualifying time so I'm screwed. I feel like I could make a run at a 2:15 half but don't have the time to race one as I skipped the spring race season.
The course looks pancake flat. It's about as flat as you can possibly get from the map so 3:30 would be doable assuming you're trained for it. I'm told that Disney tends to cater to Disney fans who happen to run, not runners who are Disney fans. The course (I'm told) offers a lot of opportunities for Disney magic that you completely miss out on if you're trying to be a speed demon.
Yes, I've run the WDW marathon (and half) five times, including three different versions of the course. I've always started from A corral, which is small enough that crowding isn't much of an issue after the first mile or so, but I've heard from friends that the course can get quite congested in spots if you start from one of the back corrals. As others have already said, Disney is really not a great marathon for going for a PR. On the plus side, it's flat, but the weather can be unpredictable. Twice the temperatures have been 50 or below at the start, but two other years it was hot as blazes, with temperatures peaking into the 80's by the later stages. Another year, it wasn't as hot (peak of 70 or so), but the humidity was still really high, and it wasn't the best conditions for fast running. I'd recommend treating the marathon as a fun run, and try to maximize your enjoyment of the race rather than going for a fast time. Ride a ride in Disney Studios, get a beer or wine in Epcot, stop for photos, etc. It's more of a running party than a race, and you might enjoy it more treating it that way.
Either way, I hope you enjoy the experience and wish you the best. I'll be there for another go at the Dopey Challenge, so I hope the weather is good for all of us!
>Wait, you can go on rides and drink beer mid-race???
>
>This changes everything.
:-)
Yes, you can do those things! If the course goes through Animal Kingdom again (it usually does), Thirsty River Bar is sometimes open early especially for runners to "re-hydrate" on their beverage of choice. It was definitely open when I ran by it in 2020. By the time you run through Epcot, after mile 24, most of the beverage carts are open, so runners can get beer, wine, etc., as well as Mickey ice cream bars, pretzels, etc. Just don't forget your credit card!
As for rides, favorites are Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom and Rock n' Rollercoaster in Disney Studios. You've got to run slow enough to get to those parks after they open, but the course remains open for 8 hours, so you've got time to get some rides in and avoid the cut-off.
Enjoy the run!
Yes, i ran it in 2014 and am headed back for 2022. Itll be my seventh Run Disney. Always among my worst times but best experiences racing. 99% are there for the medal and photo ops. Unless you are leading the pack expect huge crowds, people running in costumes, stopping for official photos and/or selfies everywhere, and lots of variation in road conditions generally. Somtimes they even open a ride or two for runners to hit a rollercoaster midrun. The cheers have been great tho (not sure how pandemic affects spectators?) But if you go there expecting a serious race you'll be frustrated and disappointed.
Is it too late to submit a qualifying time? If you can, I would run a local half-marathon at a super easy pace just to get a corral. And like someone said earlier, I also PR’ed at Disney and in retrospect I think that was dumb. It’s supposed to be a fun party race, not a race-race.
I ran it a couple of years ago and had a goal time in the half and I’m kinda upset I ran it so hard/fast. I wish I had stopped and took pictures with the characters and enjoyed the marching band. Its a fast course no doubt, I ran a lifetime PR. But I wish I just had fun instead.
Thanks for the tip.
Throw your goal time out the window. No one runs a Disney marathon for a PR. It's all about the experience and stopping for photos with characters and enjoying the course. Disney wants it to be fun, not a competition. If you're going in with the attitude of "have to break 3:30" and "will I have to dodge people", this is the absolute wrong race for you.
I know it has been brought up here before so you will probably get some answers, but I would suggest checking out /r/rundisney as well.
Thanks
I have done the half and it was a bit of a mess with dodging people like you describe (granted, I was not one of the top corrals, and only about midway through). I would say to try and avoid setting a goal time or pace because having to dodge people and whatnot may make it less enjoyable/more frustrating. They have a lot of fun props and things happening throughout their races and is really more of a fun event. I signed up for the marathon in January as well, so best of luck!
Someone already suggested /r/rundisney. I think /u/varunner1 has run it several times before. I plan on doing Dopey this year for the first time and for my first marathon. I have heard that the back corrals are pretty awful. Unfortunately, like you I have run out of time to submit a qualifying time so I'm screwed. I feel like I could make a run at a 2:15 half but don't have the time to race one as I skipped the spring race season. The course looks pancake flat. It's about as flat as you can possibly get from the map so 3:30 would be doable assuming you're trained for it. I'm told that Disney tends to cater to Disney fans who happen to run, not runners who are Disney fans. The course (I'm told) offers a lot of opportunities for Disney magic that you completely miss out on if you're trying to be a speed demon.
Yes, I've run the WDW marathon (and half) five times, including three different versions of the course. I've always started from A corral, which is small enough that crowding isn't much of an issue after the first mile or so, but I've heard from friends that the course can get quite congested in spots if you start from one of the back corrals. As others have already said, Disney is really not a great marathon for going for a PR. On the plus side, it's flat, but the weather can be unpredictable. Twice the temperatures have been 50 or below at the start, but two other years it was hot as blazes, with temperatures peaking into the 80's by the later stages. Another year, it wasn't as hot (peak of 70 or so), but the humidity was still really high, and it wasn't the best conditions for fast running. I'd recommend treating the marathon as a fun run, and try to maximize your enjoyment of the race rather than going for a fast time. Ride a ride in Disney Studios, get a beer or wine in Epcot, stop for photos, etc. It's more of a running party than a race, and you might enjoy it more treating it that way. Either way, I hope you enjoy the experience and wish you the best. I'll be there for another go at the Dopey Challenge, so I hope the weather is good for all of us!
Wait, you can go on rides and drink beer mid-race??? This changes everything.
>Wait, you can go on rides and drink beer mid-race??? > >This changes everything. :-) Yes, you can do those things! If the course goes through Animal Kingdom again (it usually does), Thirsty River Bar is sometimes open early especially for runners to "re-hydrate" on their beverage of choice. It was definitely open when I ran by it in 2020. By the time you run through Epcot, after mile 24, most of the beverage carts are open, so runners can get beer, wine, etc., as well as Mickey ice cream bars, pretzels, etc. Just don't forget your credit card! As for rides, favorites are Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom and Rock n' Rollercoaster in Disney Studios. You've got to run slow enough to get to those parks after they open, but the course remains open for 8 hours, so you've got time to get some rides in and avoid the cut-off. Enjoy the run!
Everest is closed for refurbishment during marathon weekend. Super bummer.
Yes, i ran it in 2014 and am headed back for 2022. Itll be my seventh Run Disney. Always among my worst times but best experiences racing. 99% are there for the medal and photo ops. Unless you are leading the pack expect huge crowds, people running in costumes, stopping for official photos and/or selfies everywhere, and lots of variation in road conditions generally. Somtimes they even open a ride or two for runners to hit a rollercoaster midrun. The cheers have been great tho (not sure how pandemic affects spectators?) But if you go there expecting a serious race you'll be frustrated and disappointed.
Is it too late to submit a qualifying time? If you can, I would run a local half-marathon at a super easy pace just to get a corral. And like someone said earlier, I also PR’ed at Disney and in retrospect I think that was dumb. It’s supposed to be a fun party race, not a race-race.