Walt Disney World Marathon Report – Part 2
Picking up where the Walt Disney Marathon Report – Part 1 left off, after exiting the Magic Kingdom, we still had a fun stretch of track immediately in front of us, despite not entering another park for around 5 more miles. This was especially true for me, as I was thinking the next stop was going to be Epcot in another couple of miles, and I was excited about the prospect of morning light there. I don’t know why I thought this, as I knew the event began and ended in Epcot. I guess I just wasn’t thinking; I swear I wasn’t delusional–yet.
I realized Epcot wasn’t on the agenda pretty quickly, after we exited the Magic Kingdom. In reality, the course was set to go past the Grand Floridian, Disney golf courses, and through the Richard Petty Driving Experience before heading to Animal Kingdom.
There remained a lot of things to see and do along this park-less stretch of course, and all of this made it easy to understand why people love these runDisney events so much. Even if you aren’t stopping to get photos with the characters, or pausing to enjoy the high school bands or DJs, it’s energizing just to see and hear them. They truly give a palpable sense of energy to the course. As someone who doesn’t really like to run, I can see why so many people say, “I will never run an event that isn’t runDisney.”
I think this probably describes me: I like competitive events and am pretty crazy, but I’m not crazy about running 26.2 miles just for the sake of running 26.2 miles. The “Disney crazy” bit of me helps make the running part of it happen…
If I were going to stop for any characters, it probably would have been Donald and Goofy in golf attire with the Mickey Mouse golf cart. The line wasn’t too long, the light was phenomenal, and I’ve never seen these outfits before. I paused for a moment debating, but ultimately was still concerned about being swept later in the race if I had to hobble my way through the last dozen miles.
At Mile 8, I was still at about a 10 minute mile pace…
Not many people had costumes for this runDisney event, which I assume is because it’s on the more intense side in terms of distance, and wearing a costume for 26.2 miles might be a bit cumbersome, to say the least. These two had probably the best costumes I saw.
At this point, with every passing mile, you’re going to notice my pace slow a bit. This is despite stopping less and less.
There were lots of cars out on the Richard Petty Driving Experience track; I liked the way the light cast long shadows of runners next to this car.
This was one of the longer meet & greet lines at the event, and it’s no surprise why given the villains alone. Worth noting is that there was an awesome backdrop here (note the dead Scar), which I assume is an old parade float.
Passing Mile 10…
The poor Country Bears had probably the shortest meet & greet line that I encountered, with only 2 people in line, both of whom were probably asking, “who are these bears?”
Passing Mile 11, I neared Animal Kingdom via backstage access.
The biggest meet & greet stars were here: goats! Yes, I realize the animal pictured is not a goat, but there were like 4 goats, I swear. Unfortunately, I was taking photos on the run, and all of my goat photos are out of focus, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.
The time on the Mile 12 sign wasn’t working, so you’ll just have to take my word for the fact that I ran a 3:55 mile between Mile 11 and 12. 😉
Expedition Everest was open to ride! If I weren’t worried about my legs tightening up and not being able to finish, I would have totally taken advantage.
The sight of Dino-Rama motivated me to pick up my pace, as I wanted to get the heck away from that garbage.
Made it to Mile 13…
MADE IT TO MILE 13.1!
I forgot to take photos of the markers for Mile 14 & 15. That, or I got in a car after Mile 13 and was dropped off at Mile 16, The Office style…
This stretch of track was really dull. Probably my only complaint about the Marathon was that very little was going on between Animal Kingdom and the ESPN Wide World of Sports. In fact, aside from the Wide World of Sports itself (which wasn’t that interesting of a stretch of course), the course was pretty dull between Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Disney’s homage to the Stay Puft Marshmallow man from its latest film.
Somewhere in this area of the course, I was really starting to feel the effects of not having trained. My knees were in pain each time I planted a foot, and my muscles ached with each stride.
I began to power-walk almost exclusively around this point, doing so for probably 4 or so miles. I was a little tired, but it was more because I could land “softly” as opposed to hurting my knees more. I think my power walk pace was around a 14 minute mile, which would be fine for finishing.
Missing a few more photos of Mile markers, which is because I put the camera away so I could focus on moving. I made brief stops for pain reliever pills and biofreeze at the medical tents. I had never used either while running, and I didn’t even really know what biofreeze was at the time (using medical products you’ve never heard of can’t possibly be a bad idea, right?), but I figured slathering it all over my legs couldn’t hurt. Everyone else seemed to be doing it. Even though I was well past the halfway point, I was really concerned that I wouldn’t finish due to my knees.
Arriving at Disney’s Hollywood Studios was a relief, even if I was greeted by this stupid Planes overlay. Probably the only time ever I was excited to see something Planes-related.
Mile 23 back by the Streets of America.
For some reason I thought I had heard these lights were on for the Marathon. Maybe that’s the Half Marathon? I guess it would be too light out when most people reach this area for it to make sense to have them on.
Okay, so this is going to see crazy and/or ridiculous, but after feeling fairly defeated and not running at all for roughly 4 miles, seeing this gave me a jolt of energy. By this, I don’t mean the BAH (regular readers of the site know I hate that abomination), I mean the wall around it.
Like I said, it sounds absolutely crazy, but this gave me my second/third/fourth/whatever wind. I started thinking about all of the exciting potential this blighted park has and how it’s likely to see a rebirth in the coming years, and I stopped thinking about the pain in my lower body. (That, or I was becoming delirious or simply couldn’t feel my legs from all the biofreeze.)
I look a little worse for wear (see how you look after running 23 miles on 4 hours of sleep), but this is the look of unbridled enthusiasm. Seriously.
This newfound energy kept me running, and I didn’t stop for a while.
A big part of the reason why I didn’t stop was because the home stretch of the Marathon was full of people, all carrying encouraging signs and shouting words of encouragement.
These signs ranged from hilarious to motivational, and I’m not sure that the spectators holding them know how much of a difference they made. For me, this was two-fold. First, because I come from a long line of stubborn SOBs. Due to this, I felt compelled to keep running as I passed these onlookers. They had done their part, getting up early, carrying signs, and cheering strangers on. My part was to run and finish, and it was my turn to do my part.
Second, the various signs and cheers were flat out motivational. I’m not normally one for cheesy motivational posters, quotes, and all that malarkey, but this worked. I still cannot quite articulate why, but these cheers were motivational. It truly made a huge difference, so a very sincere thank you from me to anyone who was out there holding signs, cheering, clapping, or just plain watching. Thanks.
I don’t know why I stopped for this photo. I guess I have a weird compulsion to take photos of Disney transportation?
By the time I arrived to Epcot via World Showcase, I was in serious pain again. Each time a foot hit the ground it really hurt, and I was starting to get a little nervous that my leg might just give out and I’d crumble to the ground.
I wish I would have taken photos of World Showcase, because this stretch of the track was awesome. Great background music (anyone know what it was?) was playing, almost like the Illuminations pre-show, and the torches were lit. Unlike cheesy motivational quotes, fire is universally motivating.
However, I was so far gone not even fire (FIRE!) could motivate me, and I started walking again. (Thanks to Ben Hendel who captured the photos of me that follow–check out his photography portfolio.)
Almost immediately after starting to feel this, I saw some friends cheering me on, which gave me another jolt of energy. At this point, I thought, “screw it” and willed myself to run the final mile or so.
In situations like this where I want to push myself to the limit and not worry about the repercussions, my mantra is: “That’s Tomorrow Tom‘s Problem.” I’m sure many people consider this stupid and irresponsible, but if you’ve ever wondered how I can photograph into the early hours of the morning one night, then get up for sunrise, carry heavy camera gear all day…and do the same thing again, that’s how.
This is one of those ‘within reason’ mantras. I’m not going to use it to justify doing drugs behind a dumpster or getting one of those bird-man suits and jumping off El Capitan, but if it seems like a noble (and my threshold for noble is obviously low if it generally relates to photography) cause that requires some sort of valiant (read: crazy) effort, I’ll invoke that mantra.
As I passed Spaceship Earth, the rain really started coming down. Around this point, I had to put the camera away so that it didn’t get soaked. I didn’t manage to get a photo crossing the finish line, but from friend Cody did:
@Tom_Bricker Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/AW7alw94wm
– Cody (@CodyWDWfan) January 11, 2015
After receiving my medal! I ended up finishing in 5:14:33. My goal prior to the race was finishing in under 6 hours. During the race, I “upgraded” that time to under 5 hours before realizing that even 5:30:00 would be ambitious, so I was very pleased with my final time. Next time, I plan on actually training and going for a sub-5 hour time.
Overall, I really enjoyed the event. I mean really. I’ve heaped a lot of praise in this report on runDisney, and I think it’s all absolutely warranted. I hear a lot of jokes about how people are “stupid” for paying Disney money to run, and I think that’s a deliberately obtuse way of looking at it. I think people are quick to scrutinize the way others spend their money, but relatively slow to do it for themselves. If you drink beer, eat out, go to movies or sporting events, or do a multitude of other things (I do all of the aforementioned, so I’m not casting any stones), people could likewise criticize how you’re “wasting” money or spending money in a non-optimal way. The point is, value is in the eye of the beholder, and I don’t think anyone can justify every way they spend every one of their dollars, nor should they have to.
With that said, in the case, of runDisney, I think the entry fees are justified in terms of the entertainment provided. In terms of the race itself, I obtained 5+ hours of entertainment; comparing that to the entry fee, the per hour cost was about $10, which I consider pretty good. However, the calculation doesn’t really stop there, as the training (I could have done) and anticipation would have been fun preparation, and the medal, shirt, and sense of accomplishment I also received had incredible value. Obviously, Disney is bringing in a ton of money from the runDisney events, both directly from entry fees and indirectly from trips and also filling the parks and hotels during non-peak periods. From a business perspective, it’s quite brilliant, and that plus people paying to run (which does seem odd in principle) and Cast Members volunteering to assist with the races is probably a little unsettling for some critics. I get that.
After seeing the overall quality of the Walt Disney World Marathon, I just have to vehemently disagree with that criticism from the perspective of a participant. The event was simply organized so well and really done to the highest degree that it’s impossible for me to offer any substantial criticism.
It actually felt a lot like something put together by the Walt Disney World of old. I don’t know which Cast Members/higher level runDisney executives are responsible for the division’s success and quality, but I really wish some of them would move over to Team Disney Orlando and give it a similar shot in the arm. In other words, color me very impressed with the Walt Disney World Marathon. It was a really special event, a unique experience for me, and something really fun for me that helped rekindle my enthusiasm for Walt Disney World a bit. Now to the post-Marathon festivities…
Time to restore all the valuable ice cream health-stuff my body lost during the #WDWMarathon. In one sitting, with a Sand Pail for one. #runDisney #DisThugLife A photo posted by Tom Bricker (@tom_bricker) on
At the last minute (the day before the Marathon) I decided I’d go to Typhoon Lagoon and eat a Sand Pail all by myself in celebration. This meant driving to the Tommy Bahama outlet to buy sandals and a swimsuit since I didn’t pack either, but it was soooo worth it for that delicious ice cream!
After that, I ordered one of the new-to-me Island Burgers, which was absolutely delicious.
While guests wearing Marathon medals around the parks post-Marathon is pretty common, I got the impression that it wasn’t at Typhoon Lagoon. Several Cast Members and other guests stopped me wondering what it was (and probably why a dude in a swimsuit was wearing all dat bling).
I stuck around Typhoon Lagoon to see this glorious sunset, and closed out the park, being the last guest to exit (really not that much of an accomplishment since I left at like 5:30 pm and in the last hour I was there, I was less than 50 other guests).
Prior to this, I had done a couple of laps in the lazy river, just lying there, gazing up and relaxing. I don’t know how long I was in the lazy river, but when I tried to get out, I could barely stand. I literally had to use the handrail of the stairs into the lazy river to pull myself up, and it took a couple minutes of standing in one spot slowly stretching before I could walk away…
Despite this, I figured it would be a good idea (good idea is probably the wrong term…”not totally stupid idea” is a better choice) to head to the Magic Kingdom and close it down. After feeling some serious pain when getting up out of Pirates of the Caribbean, I decided that bending down to set up my camera on the tripod might not be a good idea. This really killed me because there were some awesome puddles.
So instead, I just set the camera down directly on the ground, tilted out the LCD screen, and watched from above. I can envision myself 60 years from now driving around the parks in my scooter and doing exactly this late at night.
That night, I woke up several times as it hurt so much as I moved around in bed that the pain woke me up. The next day I went to Epcot, and after getting out of the elevator and walking through the lobby with my camera bag, I had to go back to my room and drop it off because I realized I couldn’t bear the weight. I’m feeling a lot better now, but all of this is to say that my “strategy” of running this marathon without training was a terrible one that should be replicated by no one, and definitely will not be my strategy next time. And there will be a next time.
That’s it for this Walt Disney World Marathon Report. Hope you enjoyed it!
If you’re in the process of planning your own runDisney event trip to Walt Disney World, make sure to check out our dining reviews to find the best restaurants and our trip planning posts to figure out what to pack, where to buy Walt Disney World tickets to save money, which discounts to look for, and all the other ins and outs of a trip to Walt Disney World, all of which are covered extensively in our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide.
Your Thoughts
Have you run the Walt Disney World Marathon? Do you think runDisney events are worth the money? Are you interested in this race or other ones?Any questions? Please share your thoughts in the comments!
Way to go Tom, I’ve run 4 full Marys and would never try one without training, they hurt enough with training. Don’t sell yourself short on the time goal. If you trained I think you could easily go sub 4 hours and keep improving from there.
I’d love to get below 4 hours, but I just don’t know if I have the dedication. I was feeling pretty proud of myself after the race, so for kicks and giggles I decided to check out the required Boston Marathon time.
Yeah, I left that site feeling pretty humbled. 🙁 Looks like I have a long ways to go. (Not that I actually want to run the Boston Marathon…but I’d like to know that I *could* do it if I so desired…)
Yeah it defenetly takes a lot of running. I feel you on the Boston thing, after my first went well I was hoping I would qualify my 2nd or 3rd or 4th time… Getting cost but still have 15 minutes to go and don’t know if I ever will get it…
Congratulations!! You almost made me want To participate next time!
I’m not sure if you’ll be able to answer but we were wondering ….where in the world is that Planes character in the parks? My family is really wanting to know. I have never seen it before .
Thanks!
P.S. We love your blog and photos! 😊
That’s the Backlot Tour…which is no longer operating.
Thank you!
Congrats! I will be running my 1st runDisney event (and my 1st half marathon) next month, the Disney Princess Half. Unlike you, I have been training for this since September! I bought a runDisney shirt online to wear during my training. I had custom shirts made for my chEAR squad. I’ve got my Cinderella costume ready. The preparation & anticipation of this race has been a huge part of the fun for me. I simply cannot wait to run it in about 4 weeks! I am totally prepared to enjoy & experience this MAGICAL experience! and after reading your post, I know it will be just that! Thanks!
Sounds like you’re getting pretty hyped! I think building anticipation and having actual training and all of that is DEFINITELY the way to go–not just in terms of finishing, but in the build-up is a big part of the fun.
Hope you have a great time, and best of luck!
Congratulations! Love that mantra – I might borrow it! (Except it will be Tomorrow Susan’s problem)
Haha, thanks! 🙂
You just 100% convinced me to run the WDW marathon. I’m NOT a runner (probably couldn’t even pound out a mile at this point) but I plan on running the Castaway Cay 5K in a few weeks. (Training every morning just for a measly 3 miles!)
I would’ve never thought to bring a camera while running a marathon but thank you so much for doing so- it seriously makes me think about a plan to run the 2016 race! Also, I will for sure train for it :).
It’s an absolute blast–have fun doing the Castaway Cay 5k. Definitely take a camera!
I love running events – I do my city’s half marathon every year, I do the Washington, D.C. Cherry blossom ten miler every year I “win” the lottery, and I’ve done one runDisney race (the inaugural ToT 10 miler). Although I’m tempted by your glowing report, I just don’t think I can ever bring myself to do another runDisney event. Cost is the main factor. My group and I had fun at the ToT race, but in its first year, the race was actually quite reasonably priced – I know it was well under $100 per person. We looked into doing the princess half in 2014, but balked at the prices. As people who aren’t able to make a WDW trip more than once a year or every other year, our time in the world is precious, and we unanimously decided we’d rather spend the money and time on more days in the parks, and save the running for events closer to home. I also though the ToT course was pretty boring and lacked the exciting entertainment you described. The cost of the princess half for 2014 was roughly the cost of a 3 day base ticket. In addition to the cost, I was also strangely and unexpectedly bothered by what the race did to the park. I hated seeing DHS littered with sick runners and post-run garbage! Post race trash in my hometown, no big deal…but vomiting dehydrated runners and gross garbage in WDW…outrage! Ha. Anyway, I’m really glad you had a good experience and want to go back for more. Maybe one day I’ll be tempted back into it.
Haha, I think the garbage in the parks is sort of the nature of the beast. To Disney’s credit, they do get it cleaned up quickly!
I’m sure the 10-miler during cherry blossom season is gorgeous. I’d love to visit DC that time of year!
You should! BTW the Cherry Blossom entry fee is only $40 🙂 It is a very well run event.
Congrats! Great recap and photos. Thanks for sharing the experience with us.
Will you be heading to the West Coast for any of their runDisney events? (Starwars, Avengers, Tinkerbell, Disneyland 1/2)
Yeah, not sure which yet, but probably the Half.
I ran the Princess Half Marathon last year and it was one of the best experiences of my life! I had to stop training half way through due to an injury but because RunDisney is not very nice about refunds (they will let you defer your race entry but won’t refund your Race Retreat or ChEAR Squad packages) I decided to give it a go and I did finish, with some pain. Like you, I feel RunDisney puts on awesome races and I don’t think I could do a half or full marathon anywhere else! Its really worth all the money, in my opinion. Plus, you get to walk around the park afterwards wearing your medal with people saying congratulations princess! WHAT IS BETTER?! Thanks for confirming that the WDW Marathon is just as fun if not funner (riding everest would be awesome!) in case I ever get the guts to do it. And I LOL’d about you not being able to get out of Pirates as I had the same experience that day and the next…
I did my first runDisney event when I ran the Disney World Half Marathon last Saturday and I was blown away. While I didn’t finish (I was picked up at mile 5 for not keeping the pace) it was the most amazing experience for me. I agree wholeheartedly with you about the cheers from onlookers and the signs they carried…I literally had tears in my eyes when they would high five me as I passed by. I plan to come back for many more races and I WILL finish. Enjoyed your postings on your experience and thank you for not being critical of the fees as I have heard so many others who have been. Congrats on pushing through and finishing and I hope to see you at a future race!
Yep, it’s an amazing experience. Good for you and persistence! 🙂
Congrats Tom! What a job well done!
I have done the Princess Half twice and I look forward to being able to do more runDisney events in the future.
I am still can’t get over the fact that a) You essentially rolled out of bed and decided to run a full marathon without any serious training b) that you actually FINISHED the thing with a respectable time and c) You want to do this again (albeit better prepared next time). After looking at your shots, I would say it was well worth the effort. Those sunrise shots are truly one of a kind, especially that shot of the Grand Floridian and those earlier shots of the Magic Kingdom. Congrats again on finishing! Truly a remarkable achievement! You’re a freaking monster.
Did you see the sunrise shots people got of Disneyland during the Star Wars Half Marathon? NOW I’m really kicking myself for not doing that race, too.
That’ll be my new thing…running every runDisney event in an attempt to get sunrise photos of the parks…
Congrats Tom! Just finishing a marathon is a big accomplishment. I ran the WDW half in 2013 and the marathon in 2014 and it was a little bittersweet to not be there this year. Riding Mt. Everest at just about the half way point was definitely a highlight of my race – if you get the chance to do the marathon again with more training under your belt, make sure to stop for it 🙂
Congrats to you ! I am a Disney lover & runner and I have been debating whether using my time, energy, and money was worth a runDisney event. I am also concerned about the early start time . Your review was great! I ran my first marathon on Dec. and I dedicated 6 months to training and you beat me (mine was 5:19!)
If it were a Disney race, I’m sure you could have easily beat my time. The motivation of running through the parks is a pretty good “magical energy push” (I believe that’s the scientific term for it).
The race you’re thinking of where the Osborne Lights are on is actually the Wine & Dine Half Marathon, which is run at night in November. The Full Marathon is the only WDW Marathon Weekend event that goes into DHS; the WDW Half Marathon just goes into the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
I think the reason the signs and cheering may have been so motivational is because by the time you get to mile 20 or so, you’re so worn down that *anything* is capable of stirring strong emotions (it happens to everyone).
It’s very interesting reading your perspective as someone new to runDisney… I love the WDW Marathon. I still think it’s a really fun event and my favorite running event overall, yet I’m very far from saying I have nothing to criticize about it. The Marathon represents *far* less value than it did even just four years ago… Entertainment on the course has been significantly pared down, the course has been re-routed to be more operationally efficient for WDW but in turn has become less interesting/”friendly” to runners in numerous ways, and all the while prices have risen sharply. Similar to my visits to WDW in general, I’m too emotionally invested at this point to see myself “just stop going” altogether, but the Marathon represents one of the most explicit and egregious examples of “declining by degrees” over the last few years that I am aware of.
Where I was standing during the race, I saw a ton of people who were looking downtrodden or close to defeat. When I saw those, as a spectator, I felt like I *should* go out of my way to cheer them on. I had the easy part; woke up late, drove to EPCOT, stood around a lot, and these people had been up since the crack of dawn, running for 25 miles! It was my duty to try and pick those people up and help motivate them toward the finish. It was a very interesting emotion to feel.
Very interesting, as I mentioned previously in my comment to Laura B that it’s all a matter of my fresh perspective on this…and sure enough, someone who has been running the events longer has seen them decline.
It’s interesting (maybe not so much interesting as sad): even Tokyo DisneySea, which I gush over unabashedly (supposedly) used to be better, peaking right before Duffy came onto the scene, with better original entertainment, merchandise, etc. Having visited for the first time in 2013, I think it’s still pretty amazing, but those who have been visiting for a longer duration don’t feel the same way.
The runDisney races ARE expensive, but they are worth every penny to me. I started running specifically to have the fun that everyone seems to have at these events. If an over-the-top, magical racing experience is what it takes to motivate some people (myself included) to start running and live a healthy lifestyle, I think it is worth the price. Think of how much money is wasted on unused gym memberships every January. People often don’t follow through on things because they just aren’t fun or motivating enough. I don’t have any desire to do non-Disney races, because I know that I would be disappointed. I would not be a runner without Disney! 🙂
Great point about the motivation and cost if it means follow-through. I am all for ANYTHING that gets people to lead healthier lifestyles, so I really applaud Disney with the runDisney stuff, no matter what kind of profit-seeking motivations (and of course those are the real motivations) are at the core.
I am AMAZED that you finished a full marathon with basically no training. I ran my first half marathon last October after training for five months and it was really rough (mainly due to IT band problems from training, seems counterproductive if you ask me!). I totally know what you mean about having pain in each step, although I’m sure that the rest of the runDisney experience helped take some of that away! Serious congrats on finishing the race. I’ve always wanted to do a runDisney event, but the cost of the entire trip (outside of the race fee) has kept me from registering. Ahhhh, someday…
Thanks for the report! Most of my exercise through high school/college was distance running before bad knees/legs made me give it up for the eliptical trainer and weight lifting. It’s good to live the race vicariously through someone else.
I knew runDisney was big, but I read that 27,600 ran the marathon. That’s a really impressive number.
Best of luck next year; will you get Sarah to join you?
I think Sarah would do a shorter event, but not a full marathon. She had lingering hip pain for a while after the 10-miler, so I think even a half marathon would be pushing it for her.
I won’t make any snarky remarks at my relative youth vis a vis the hip thing… 😉
Definitely save the snarky comments! Age and injuries catch us all at some point. 🙂
(Plus, she knows where you sleep…_
Thanks for sharing this report and congrats again on finishing! I’ll never experience this myself, so I appreciate all the photos taken “on the run.”
PS- I just love that GF photo at the beginning!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the report. 🙂
I wonder if some of the awesomeness of the marathon was that it was something new to you at WDW. Since you are no doubt a veteran who has experienced nearly all WDW, I bet it was refreshing to see something totally different. I think people who come to WDW today are totally blown away just like you are by the marathon. We can’t help but compare everything. You compare your current WDW trip to ones in the past, etc. I will be interested to see what you have to say about future marathons. I wish we could always have that first time wonderment for everything WDW related. Then I think there would be a lot less disappointment. But sadly, that’s just not human nature.
That could be part of it, but I think the bigger part is that I’ve watched Walt Disney World decline (in my opinion) in a number of ways over the years. Certainly, some things have improved, but I feel like prices have dramatically increased as cuts have been, more upcharge events have been added, etc. People who only go to Walt Disney World once don’t have that frame of reference, so to them, it’s still awesome and amazing (and it truly *is* still awesome and amazing, just not as much so with a frame of reference to sometime before 2000). Likewise, the Walt Disney World Marathon might have been 500% better in 1997, but since my first year seeing it was 2015, and it was still awesome in 2015 (hypothetically) it receives glowing praise from me.
Great report Tom! Congrats on finishing you’re first marathon!!!!! I’ve been to two runDisney events (inaugural ToT 10 miler & Inaugural Glass Slipper Challenge last year) and both were just amazing beyond belief. Worth every penny. My only gripe is how early registration sells out. Sometimes it is hard to plan a vacation that early on, but really it’s just me complaining, I guess I could always sign up and defer it if I couldn’t go.
My next runDisney plans are running the Dopey Challenge in 2016. My original plan was to only run the marathon, but after seeing everyone’s pictures on instagram, twitter and the like last weekend I had it planted in my mind i was going Dopey for my 1st marathon. Will be training all this year and preparing for it!
Thanks for sharing your trip with us! Maybe I’ll see you in 2016 😉
It’s funny that you mention the photos. As I walked around the parks and saw so many people with their Dopey shirts and medals, I almost felt weak for “only” doing the Marathon. Starting with the Dopey Challenge sounds like a good idea to me!
(Remember, though, almost all of my ideas are bad… 😉 )