Marathon Crowds???

[jonah'smom]

Ok, so we tweaked our dates a little. We were going to be staying from Jan 2 - 8. Now we are going to be staying Jan. 4 - 11. Marathon Weekend runs from the 8-11. Anyone know how the crowds are over that time? I'm hoping that it will be better because we'll be missing the remainder of the holiday crowds, and that the marathon crowds will be more tolerable.

Are there specific parks we should avoid during the marathon? I know that some of the road traffic will be affected by this too. How bad will that be? We will have our own car and normally prefer to drive to the parks ourselves.

Thanks to all for your info!

[DizRunner]

Marathon weekend is a perfect time to go. I went in 2004 and ran the marathon. In 2006 I ran the half-marathon. Here in 2008 I planned on running the half-marathon again. Came down with bronchitis so I decided to not run. My wife, though, said, "You've already made your plans...go ahead and go." So I went by myself (like I always do when I run.)

I did Saturday morning EMH at Studios and did ToT four times and RR once, all within an hour. Walked to EPCOT and spent the rest of the day there. Rode Soarin' four times, Test Track three times and Mission Space twice, along with other rides and films.

On Sunday I caught the first bus to the AK. Waited for the gates to open at 9am. Because the marathon was taking place at that time, they let people in at 8:30am with no announcement. I made a bee-line to Expedition Everest. Rode it back to back to back along with this brother and sister couple who were in their early teens, all within a half-hour. Went and rode Dinosaur.

Left AK and took the bus to MK. Spent the rest of the day there, including EMH. Rode anything and everything over and over and over with practically no wait.

All together for two days in the parks, I spent 27 hours and rode 44 rides (of course some multiple times).

So to answer your question, crowds are NOT a problem during the marathon weekend. It's a great time to go.

Regarding driving, I don't know first hand as I did not have a car. I did hear that traffic is tricky because of the marathon routes. I would say just give yourself extra time and you'll be fine.

Hope this helps.

[jonah'smom]

Wow! Thanks DizRunner! That's got me super excited now. I think we'll actually be better off because I was worried about crowds the 2-4 anyway. Now maybe we'll really be catching the tail end of them and be in for 7 whole days of low crowds!

[SAHDad]

This is from the 2007 pdf version of the race information, but it's still true (AFAIK):


EPCOT Center Drive - start
5:55 am Wheelchair
6:00 am Runner

6:20 am - 7:05 am - 4 miles
Remain in the same location as the start viewing area. All Marathon participants will pass this location

TTC
6:50 - 8:35 am - 9 miles
Accessible only by Monorail

Magic Kingdom/Main Street USA
6:55 - 8:50 - 10 miles
Accessible only by Monorail

Floridian Way
7:10 - 9:25 - 12.7-13 miles
Accessible by Monorail

Animal Kingdom
7:25 - 10:40 - 16.5 - 17.3 miles
Accessible by car

(From this point on, it notes that a theme park admission will be required to view any portion in an actual park)

Disney Studios
8:05 - 12:20 - 23-23.5 miles
Accessible by car

EPCOT
8:15 - 1:00 - 25 - 25.9 miles
Accessible by Monorail or car

Marathon Finish - Imagine Parking Lot at EPCOT
8:20 - 1:00
Accessible by monorail, event bus or car


Viewing areas at resort hotels
6:45 - 8:40 Contemporary (we had a good, though distant view, while eating at Chef Mickey's in 2006)
7:05 - 9:10 - Grand FLoridian
7:08 - 9:20 Polynesian
8:10 - 12:40 - Yacht and Beach Club

The first time for each group above is approximately when the first runners should pass through the area (so the earliest runners hit MK about 7 am, and the last should be there by 9 am or so). Disneyrunning has maps with the street closures, which could be very important to you, if you aren't using Disney transportation.

The crowds aren't too bad - we went this year (DW did her first marathon, I did the Goofy), and we didn't have any problems, except on Sunday afternoon at Epcot. (It poured, so a lot of rides suddenly developed long lines, as people decided to wait out the rain.)

[jonah'smom]

Thanks SAHDad! I will check out DisneyRunning and see what I can find there about the street closures. From the looks of your information though, I don't think we will be affected much as we don't normally hit the parks till around 10 or 11am anyway. We're not really earlybirds.

This makes me wonder though. DH is a runner and has mentioned interest in running a race, possibly a 5K. I wonder if there would be an event that weekend he may be interested in participating in. Would I also find info on DisneyRunning about any openings for 2009???

[SAHDad]

Thanks SAHDad! I will check out DisneyRunning and see what I can find there about the street closures. From the looks of your information though, I don't think we will be affected much as we don't normally hit the parks till around 10 or 11am anyway. We're not really earlybirds.

Then you shouldn't be affected at all on Saturday, since the half is Epcot to MK and back, and should be done by 10:30 or 11 in any case.



This makes me wonder though. DH is a runner and has mentioned interest in running a race, possibly a 5K. I wonder if there would be an event that weekend he may be interested in participating in. Would I also find info on DisneyRunning about any openings for 2009???

I believe that (aside from some charity slots) both the marathon and half-marathon are full in 2009. There is, however, a 5k in AK on Friday. I ran it this year (as well), and it was a pretty decent course. You don't get to see anything "special" per se, but it is neat to run through the park in the early morning hours. The 5k is a "fun run" - there is a clock, but it's not really timed, and they don't give out awards, so you don't need to kill yourself trying for first place. I believe that the 5k didn't fill until December or so last year (for the race in early Jan of this year), so he should be able to get in.

[jonah'smom]

Just checked on the 5K for Marathon weekend, and registration is closed. The only events still open are the Kids Races and they are 80% filled. Maybe he'll get interested in it while we're there, and he'll want to sign up for 2010. Maybe that will spark his Disney interest some more! :mickey:

Thanks for the info!

[jonah'smom]

Oh, just noticed I hit my 100th post! Yay! :mickey: :yay:

[Meteora]

Thanks for the information. We'll be there marathon weekend and I was trying to decide whether or not to avoid the parks, especially since we'll be relying on our hotel's shuttle and probably won't make park opening. Sounds like it will be fine, though.

[Melanie]

The crowds are GREAT around marathon time, especially the week after. My favorite time of year to go!

[dmallan]

We were there over marathon weekend this year and it was more crowded than I'd expected. We didn't have super long waits for attractions, but there weren't too many that we could walk right on. So, don't be expecting that.
The later in the day it gets, the longer the wait. By 6 or 7 o'clock when we were hoping to get one more ride before heading back to the resort, there were 70 - 90 minute waits at Soarin' and Test Track and no fastpasses left.

I was surprised at how many foreign tour groups we encountered. Mostly from Brazil. BIG groups all in the same color T-shirts following a person with a flag. If they are ahead of you going into an attraction, turn around, do something else and come back later. They are loud and rude.

Actually, the day of the half marathon and marathon the crowds in the parks were better than the days previous.
The marathon does wind through each of the parks though. It's not a big deal. There are crossing areas, and you just have to wait for a break in the runners to cross. The last two parks they run through are HS and Epcot, so that's where you may encounter them. It's fun to stand on the sidelines and sheer them on.

[Meteora]

So let me just ask--we're going Friday to Friday, and obviously the marathon is Saturday and Sunday. Right now we're planning on three park days. Would we be better off picking three days in the week following the marathon, in terms of crowds? Or would it not make a difference to do, say, Saturday and then two week days?

We usually go during Christmas, so no matter how bad the crowds are, I imagine they'll seem pretty paltry to us. :D

[irish1967]

We were there for marathon weekend last year (and will be again this year)

I cannot commet on Saturday because we took it easy most of the day after participating in the half (MK that night wasn't bad!)

We found working our way through EPCOT late Sunday morning to be difficult. I would avoid ECPOT until later in the afternoon.

[jonah'smom]

We found working our way through EPCOT late Sunday morning to be difficult. I would avoid ECPOT until later in the afternoon.

We will be leaving Sunday anyway driving home, so we should be good then.

Thanks for all the info!