Are you running the Walt Disney World Marathon? Did you receive this week’s email about the start time and course changes and immediately quash a panic attack? Let’s cope together!
THE WALT DISNEY WORLD MARATHON IS NOW AT 4:30AM
Honestly, no coping mechanisms needed here! I for one am completely fine with the WDW Marathon starting at 4:30am. I mean, none of us are getting good sleep anyway, so what’s another 30 minutes. In fact, the 2024 WDW Half Marathon started at 4:45am for weather safety reasons, and I didn’t feel any more rushed than usual.
In fact, I would argue this is an upgrade. We’ve essentially gotten a little bit of our regular day back. (Prime nap time!) And as others have pointed out, that’s less time in the potentially hot, bright Florida sun. We’ll have more nifty pictures in the nighttime lights, and this shift also allows us more park time.
I saw someone joke that at this point we may as well start the race at midnight. You know what? Co-signed. I could skip sleep entirely, thus neatly sidestepping any anxiety about sleeping through my alarm, take a darned good nap, and be up and at ’em by lunch time. Maybe we’ll get there someday. š
BUT WAIT! THEY’VE CHANGED THE WALT DISNEY WORLD MARATHON COURSE
About that “more park time” I mentioned…
Walt Disney famously said that Disneyland would never be completed, and would always be in a state of becoming. The same can be said for runDisney race courses. Every couple of years the course changes, and we all live. Per the email:
Based on guest feedback, we know that racing through the parks is a highlight for runners, and now the course includes more distance within the parks. At EPCOT, you’ll start your early miles with a lap around World Showcase before making your way past Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and along the Seven Seas Lagoon. At Magic Kingdom Park, you’ll be racing through each of the park’s iconic lands and through Cinderella Castle as part of the course.
Sounds good, right? Everyone loves more park time! This backwards approach to the Magic Kingdom should be interesting, and… hold on. Look at the course map they provided:
Guys, they’ve turned the course on its head! We now BEGIN by running through World Showcase and we don’t go back!
WHY THE LOSS OF WORLD SHOWCASE IS, WELL, A LOSS
For many, the tragedy at play here is the lack of World Showcase snacks and drinks for the end. The finish line beer and/or snack shot has become de rigueur for a portion of the runDisney population. We will address this in the next section.
For me, I’m nervous about what that means for the vibes. Not only is World Showcase a wonderful finale in terms of quality Epcot time, it’s invariably lined with tons of spectators. The energy is incredible. I’ve never felt anything like it. Some years they even play Disney music and my serotonin levels spike for days.
Now, I don’t know what the final miles of the course will feel like in 2025. We’re at least preserving our run down the Boardwalk, which is another reliable spectator hangout with an immaculate aura. Maybe it’ll all be great! But for now, I must confess I’m a touch sad.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FINAL-MILE MARATHON SNACKS AND DRINKS?!
Hey, Disney, are you listening? I think I can fix this.
Yes, traditionally a lot of people like to get snacks and drinks in World Showcase during the final mile of the marathon. They’re understandably dismayed as they face a world without their soft pretzel in Germany and margarita from Mexico.
Well, we’re not finishing the race through World Showcase. I get that. But it’s not like we won’t be passing any quick service restaurants at all. Make sure Joe’s Margaritas is open on the Boardwalk, for starters.
And hey, what about all those mobile ice cream carts, popcorn stands, and even bars that litter the parks? They’re on wheels and everything! Line the last mile with them and the complaints will die down. Maybe it’s not the same, but a Mickey premium ice cream bar is just as iconic.
You could sell draft beer in those glittery runDisney cups and wine in the plastic glasses that many festival drinks come in. Bonus souvenir! Betcha people would love it.
Oh! Oh! How about popcorn carts with mini runDisney popcorn buckets? Am I just printing money at this point?!
DON’T GIVE UP ON THE WALT DISNEY WORLD MARATHON JUST YET
The Walt Disney World Marathon course has changed, and that is, quite simply, not going to change… for 2025. I have reservations, but I also recognize that runDisney is always tweaking and trying new things – which is good! We can’t know what’s going to work until we try it. This could be the best course yet.
I would caution against actively complaining to the company at this juncture for the above reason. I’d be shocked if the responses came to anything less than “Don’t knock it ’til you try it!” Which, fair enough. After the race is over, if you have feedback, provide it then. It’ll carry more weight if you can point to your actual experience.
Even then, this might be the course for a couple years. It’ll be okay! Besides, we all have different opinions. For example, I harbor the unpopular opinion that ESPN Wide World of Sports was superior to Blizzard Beach. There’s no one perfect course for everybody.
Anyway, I’ll be there at the start, toeing the line at 4:30am with the rest of you. If my tradition holds, I will have the BEST time. š
Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!
I’m not running the marathon (luckily) and I know I’m in the minority here, but if I was running I would be most upset about the time change. I do try to get at least 5-6 hours of sleep before a big race and I’m fairly successful at that, but I’m also the sort of person where 30 minutes will make a big difference in how I feel. I’ve already been a bit more “eh” about Disney races since they moved from 5:30 to 5.
The course change I’m just curious to hear about. I don’t mean to sound lame, but I don’t think not having margaritas and beer when you cross the finish line is a bad thing. I know it won’t happen but it would be nice to feel like RunDisney events were less of a spectacle. A balance between a “serious” running event and adding some fun, magical elements is what it’s about to me. So on that note I 100% feel you on the vibe of World Showcase. That was one of the best moments of the 2 times I ran the Disney marathon.
Also – all the zig zags on that course, doubling back… it feels like we may see a lot more course cutting depending on how it’s set up.
Personally I agree with you! By the time I hit the last couple miles I’m riding the runDisney high, and stopping for a drink or food would interrupt my momentum and potentially dampen my spirits. I’ve even heard of cases of CMs yelling at runners to STOP buying stuff in the later corrals, presumably to keep it moving. I haven’t experienced or witness it myself, though, so I can’t be sure. Oooh, now that I think of it, I almost wonder if that’s part of the reasoning behind the course change…