Bill Dowis

This past weekend was the annual Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend and this was the second year in a row I travelled to Orlando to participate in the running fun. Last year I completed the marathon, but this year I went a little crazy and did the Goofy Race and A Half Challenge. The Goofy consists of running the half marathon on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday.

Normally I would write a race report telling you my experience with the race, but I have moved away from the mile by mile recount of my races. So what I am going to do instead is champion Disney as the greatest race organizer in the world. Here are six reasons you should head down to Florida for Disney Marathon Weekend.

Something For Everyone
There is a race for everyone. The entire weekend is packed with races. There are a number of kid’s fun runs, a 5K on Friday, a half marathon on Saturday, and the marathon on Sunday. runDisney also combines the half and the full to become the Goofy Challenge. If you are really daring you can become an unofficial “Dopey” runner by doing all three races on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Something for everyone also means every type of runner. There are of course the fast runners that we see at all races, but there is a wide range of runners from the elite to the casual jogger. Disney even promotes the Galloway run/walk method. So if you feel intimidated by other races to try a distance such as 13.1 or a marathon, Disney is a good place to feel welcome and give it your best.

Organization
Every little detail of marathon weekend is so well organized it makes me think Disney has OCD. This is a good thing considering there were about 50,000 or so runners plus family and friends coming through for the races. There were times I wondered what Disney was thinking when they did things a certain way. Like why would I need to go to one building to get my bib and then walk to another building to get my swag bag. Or why they made us walk a stretch of sidewalk around a field to get into the Jostens Center when we could just go up the steps. Once through it is easy to see why. The setup helped control the crowds.

Volunteers
There are thousands of volunteers for Marathon Weekend. Most, if not all, of these volunteers work for Disney World. That means they bring the Disney culture and work ethic to the race. They all seem happy and some seem a little too happy which makes me think Disney laces their coffee with something. There really is a volunteer at every turn during the weekend, at the expo and during the race. They tell you where to go as soon as you walk into ESPN Zone to pick up your packet and they are there to warn you about speed bumps along the course. I have seen volunteers at most races look as if they are forced to be there. In Disney it seems like they love to be there. Most of them anyway.

The Routes
Running through all four parks and the speedway on Sunday morning is exciting. However, the parks only contain about 2 or so miles each of the route. The rest is on the highways and access roads. The roads themselves are not bad, but running along the on ramps can be a killer since they slant so much. Disney has an advantage since they own all of these roads. And they are smart enough to line the roads with entertainment and support so we are never bored on these isolated stretches. Characters are all along the course and many runners pose for pictures with them. There are bands and music. Outside of Animal Kingdom there are a group of handlers showing off some animals. There was a huge line of show cars along the entire length of the speedway. And of course running through the parks is a show all in itself.

The Hardware
I run races for a couple reasons, but one big reason is the finisher’s medals. It goes without saying that the Disney medals are fantastic. This was the 20th anniversary of the marathon and they went all out with the Mickey medal this year. The Donald medal is a slight variation of last years medal. The Goofy medal is simple yet elegant. These medals are big compared to a lot of medals I have seen for other races and they have some heft to them. A very nice reward for the hard work that goes into running long distance.

The Fun Run
It seems weird to call 13.1 miles or 26.2 miles a fun run. It is even crazier to call 39.3 miles over two days a fun run. But no matter how serious you are about running you should never take Disney races too serious. There is so much to see and do during the run that you’ll miss out on all of the Disney magic. Stop and take pictures. Shoot video. Thank the volunteers. There are even stories of people riding Everest and then getting back into the race. Just go out there and have fun.

Disney is in the customer service business. That is one of the reasons they do everything right on marathon weekend. When you go to a big city marathon or a branded race series, you may find yourself having a good time, but these races only care about profit. Yes, Disney is a business and they care about profit too, but they care more about their guests and giving them the best experience they can have.

Maybe you will experience a glitch or have a bad taste about something at one point, but the overall experience at Disney is so incredible those little mistakes no longer matter.

A runDisney event should be on everyone’s bucket list.