Review: Walt Disney World Marathon from a Non-Runner Point of View

My family is definitely a fan of runDisney events!  In the past two years we have done three different events, and we already have plans in the works to do Wine and Dine later this year.  Earlier this month we all participated in the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.  I wanted to share with you my thoughts (with some input from husband as well!) about this particular event!

First, I want to share with you how each member of my family participated in the weekend.  My husband, the runner in the family, ran his first full marathon.  My girls, ages 7 and 2, ran the Kids’ Races, and I, the non-runner of the family, decided to try out the ChEAR Squad package.  
 
Kid's Races

These are always adorable.  If you have not experienced these, let me give you a quick rundown of how these work. This event is always held at ESPN Wide World of Sports.  The races are broken down by age into four different events.  They are the diaper dash (the parents are the funniest part of this one!), the 100 meter, 200 meter, and 1 mile race.  

Each child that participates gets a t-shirt, personalized bib, and finisher medallion.  Mickey or Minnie is at the finish line encouraging the young racers to finish! They have photopass photographers ready to capture the runners in action as well!  Like I said, adorable!  

My girls really enjoy these.  I make them cute little costumes to run in, and they both just love getting that medallion (a plastic medal) when they cross the finish.  It is very positive as there are no true winners.  It has even gotten my oldest interested in running as she really wants to complete a 5K now!

Marathon
 
On to the next event, the marathon!  My husband has run several half marathons and really enjoys running (and Disney!) so he decided he wanted to train and complete the Walt Disney World Marathon for his first.  He LOVES runDisney and thrives on the race weekend atmosphere!  He completed the marathon very close to his goal time.  Here were his favorite things about this particular race:

• Running through all 4 parks was amazing!  He has run through all four parks in different events, but to run though them all in one day was really special!
• The characters are great motivation on the course!
• He really enjoyed the Expo for this event because it seemed to have more practical running products.  This event seemed to attract a larger number of serious runners, and that was reflected in the vendors at the Expo.
• The shirt. He loved the shirt for the event this year.  They put the park icons on the sleeves of each shirt to show which parks you ran through!
• He did the VIP Race Retreat package.  This gave him access to a special tent before the race where he could get bagels and fruit. They also had special meet and greets in there.  He met Hercules, Meg, and Hades with no wait.  After the race was over, he was able to get brunch and chocolate milk in the same tent.  100% worth the money, according to him!  

 
ChEAR Squad

And for the last event or package that I experienced – ChEAR Squad.  I chose to try this package this time so I could easily see my husband a couple times on the course.  There are different levels of ChEAR Squad.  I signed up for the Platinum level because it gave me (and my daughter who I also bought the package for) access to the Race Retreat I mentioned above!  Each participant received a blanket, drawstring backpack, cowbell (because who doesn’t need more cowbell!), and running journal.  With the ChEAR Squad I was able to watch the race from different reserved areas.  

The first one was right in front of Cinderella Castle.  The runners come running through the front of the castle and down the left walkway (when looking at the castle).  By standing in the ChEAR Squad section, we were able to see my husband run through the castle, take his picture in front of the castle, and get a quick picture with him before he ran on!  

The second area was at the finish line, and I mean AT the finish!  We were able to watch my husband cross right in front of us. We sat up in the bleachers, but they also had tables set up.  There were lots of refreshments available while you waited for your runner.  This part alone was worth the cost to me! After my husband finished the race, we went to the Race Retreat tent while he got his snacks and medal.  My girls met the same characters from Hercules with no wait!  The interaction was great as well!  I am already planning to do the ChEAR  Squad again for Wine and Dine to watch my husband finish the half!

And on a Side Note...

I do want to mention one other element that was new.  RunDisney recently switched to running (no pun intended, ha!) their own site.  They used to partner with Active.  Both my husband and I think the switch has definitely been for the better!  My favorite new update (at least I never knew about it in the past) is the ability to track your runner more accurately.  In the past we just received text messages, but this time I was able to track where he was on the course based on his projected times.  I still received texts when he crossed certain points such as 5K, 10K, etc., but I could also look at the course map and see where he shouldbe based on past checkpoint times. It was surprisingly accurate!  
 
As you can see, runDisney does a fantastic job of finding something for everyone to enjoy on a race weekend.  Marathon weekend was certainly no exception!  Whether you want to run, cheer, or do a little of both, you will be immersed
 in the race weekend atmosphere and want more!! Wine and Dine – here we come!
 
If you are interested in a runDisney event, please contact our team today .  We would love to help you experience this unique Disney event!
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​About the Author:

Morgan Scully, Travel Advisor
Morgan is passionate about all things Disney. From an early age she loved taking in the magic of Disney World, but its when she became a mom and she saw life through her daughters' eyes that she truly understood how amazing a Disney vacation can be for a family. Morgan is well versed in all things Disney Parks and Disney Cruise Line. She also serves as Whitney World Travel's Military Vacation Specialist-- helping the brave men and women who serve our country and their families get the most out of their vacations. Morgan is a graduate of Texas A&M University.