Overall: this is a real-live marathon, which means 26.2 miles. If you’ve never run a half marathon, or if you haven’t trained for a marathon, do yourself a favor and sign up for the half or the 10k instead. Yes it is at Disney, and yes it is pretty walker-friendly (16 minute/mile is the required pace), but many people seem to think “Disney” means “we don’t make you complete the full distance” or “we’re just kidding about the pace requirement.” No, not kidding. In fact, runDisney recommends you train at a pace of 15 minutes/mile so you can take bathroom breaks and make some character stops. While there is a “safe” point after which no runners are swept (the sidewalk by the water that takes you from Hollywood Studios to Epcot—and the infamous “balloon ladies” announced this as they came into the area) you don’t want to have to count on getting there.

If you have previously run a half marathon, I highly recommend following the instructions to submit a “proof of time” for corral placement; the later corrals are larger and have less time between starts (or at least it seems that way), and if you plan to run the entire event (many runners do the course in intervals, alternating running and walking) you will have a very difficult time doing so if you start in the back as many runners do not follow basic course etiquette (and some will give you attitude when you politely call, "on your left"!).

Speaking of corral placement, people get positively obsessed with which corral they are in for this race (and for the marathon). This is my third year running this race and I am still shocked by the inordinate amount of whining about corral placement that goes on just prior to the race. Lots of slower runners complain that they should get to go first because it’s not fair they don’t get to do the character stops. (By the way, I’m a slower runner and this year barely scraped by at the marathon. I’m in favor of slower runners!) Um, no. The purpose of corral placement is to regulate traffic flow, and attempt to prevent slower runners from getting run over by faster ones (while allowing faster runners to move forward with the fewest roadblocks possible). Putting the slower runners in front would be a major disaster, especially since the back corrals tend to have more people who walk 4-5 across and create roadblocks even for their fellow slower runners!

Many people choose to run in costume (though if you do so, please be sure to read the rules carefully!). Every year I doubt the wisdom of this, as I see costume pieces ditched by the side of the road. If you plan to run in costume, I strongly suggest doing at least a 10 mile run in your costume elements before the race. The fluffy tulle skirt that felt fine at the 5k may cause unbearable arm chafing at a half marathon distance or longer. (I've done exactly one race with such a skirt--my arms still sting when I think about it.)

This race, like the half marathon, is substantially bigger in size than the 5k and 10k races. (There are more than double the number of participants.) The marathon distance has more cheating than any other distance, including (but not limited to!) course-cutting, a couple who took the monorail to cut out the middle section of the course, and a man who gave his bib to another runner in the bathroom. (Those are only the ones I’ve seen proof of, so doubtless there are more.) Fortunately more and more runners are disgusted by cheating, and with easy access to smart phone cameras, MarathonFoto pics, and bib information, reporting is on the rise. This race IS a Boston-qualifier, and experienced runners do know where to look for cheaters. Bottom line, don't be a jerk. If you sign up to run the marathon, run the marathon.

Shirt/Swag: The shirt for this event is a long-sleeved tech shirt. For as long as I have run with Disney, the shirts have been Champion brand, and they are available in both women’s and men’s sizes. While there is a size chart available online to guide you, if you choose the wrong size chances are pretty good that you can swap for the right one. Mickey Mouse is the main character for this race—though a decent number of runners are also participating in the Goofy Race-and-a-Half Challenge (half marathon plus full marathon) or the Dopey Challenge (5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon)—and the Mouse himself is featured on both the shirt and the medal. The medal has a great design, is gold-colored (shiny), and comes on a colorful, fat ribbon that compliments the design.

runDisney has a controversial policy of giving medals to non-finishers. If you are swept from the course for not keeping time, for example, you will still get a medal. Since the medals do not actually say “finisher” on them (neither do the shirts, FWIW), they are basically participation medals. (This isn’t the only race series with such a policy, but since it is controversial I thought it worth mentioning.) As a result, there are some runners who sign up for the races knowing they can’t or won’t train, get swept early, and grab the hardware. This makes me really sad, because there are people who would love to run but couldn’t register for the events before they sold out. It’s no surprise that runDisney medals are very popular with the Medals for Mettle kids, or that some runners can completely finance their trips to runDisney by selling them on eBay. Anyway, the race bag also includes a small Clif Bar, safety pins, and a race weekend booklet with all the information you need about transportation, the course, the expo, etc.

Elevation: not much. Like the other races, the course is relatively flat, with a few banked roads (mostly canted to the right), an overpass or two, and a run over the bridge near the Dolphin and Swan hotels. A portion of the course is along roads on the Disney property, which are fairly well covered with entertainment but mostly flat. There is also a portion on the boardwalk that goes by the beach club resorts; while neat to run through the area, it’s a bit treacherous after it has rained (wet wood is no bueno for running). Be careful if you have any issues with clearance between shoe and road, or are prone to stubbing your toe, or tripping over relatively flat areas. There are portions where the course narrows, and they are well-marked and announced, as are the speed bumps as you enter the park properties.

Aid Stations: well-stocked and attended, with water and yellow PowerAde. Three aid stations provided bananas and ClifShot in various flavors. I carried my own hydration and nutrition, but did take some of what was provided on course. (By the way, you can get water bottles refilled at an aid station, making it easy to mix your preferred brand of electrolytes on course.) As always, if you haven’t trained with the nutrition and hydration offered on course, you should carry your own and stick to what you have used in training. Race day is not the time to find out the citrus flavored gel gives you the runs, for example. Just after entering Hollywood Studios, volunteers hand you a piece of chocolate (this year, Dove milk chocolate). This year there were plenty of spectators handing out various food too, and some runners had pre-arranged meetings with their cheer crew to get additional nutrition. (Note that this is not allowed at many races, and can get you disqualified if you are at a competitive racing level as it is against USATF rules to receive outside assistance during a race.)

The course also had multiple medical stations. As at the marathon, there are trained medics on hand (volunteers are required to have a valid license) and EMTs at the ready. There is also a selection of “self help” supplies, including BioFreeze, Vaseline, Band-Aids, etc. Unfortunately, the medical team was very busy at the marathon tending to both emergencies and undertrained runners. I personally saw two ambulances with runners in them, and multiple downed runners being attended-to by medical staff. I’m thankful for the medical volunteers and on-duty emergency personnel, but wish fewer runners were sick/hurt.

Course scenery: pretty hard to beat, as the run goes through all four parks (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot). Of the four races this weekend it is the most gorgeous course in terms of trees and nature stuff, including some animals from Animal Kingdom that cast members bring out onto the back roads/non-public areas. The course through the Magic Kingdom runs through all of the “lands.” Like the half, the course runs down part of Main Street USA, which is lined with volunteers, cast members, and a cheering throng of friends and family—lots of people to take your picture with the castle in the background. It is pretty cool to see the castle all lit up for Christmas/winter in the early morning (topped with characters from “Frozen,” no surprise!). The marathon had less castle-crunch than the half.

I really enjoy running through the parks before they open, though by the time I hit Animal Kingdom the parks are open! Some runners actually stop and ride Expedition Everest (and other rides) during the race. As a slower runner, I chose not to ride Everest since I didn’t have a FastPass and the wait for non-FastPass was 15 minutes. I needed those 15 minutes in my run! Park traffic is pretty well controlled by cast members, who use a modified “bus box” method (dividing up the street in lieu of changing the course path) to make sure no one runs into a guest.

As with all Disney races, there are characters out in costume, and many runners stop to wait in line and take pictures with them. Some cast members are out in wearing their usual costumes (their work clothes).

My favorite “scenery” is the margarita stand in Mexico at Epcot. I stop there for a frozen margarita (with salt—electrolytes, right?). Other runners prefer France (champagne) or Germany (beer, pretzels). One guy crossed the finish line this year with a plate of nachos in his hand.

Expo: I rate this pretty low for a number of reasons. One, given the size of the events over Walt Disney World marathon weekend, I expect a bigger expo. This one is smaller than the expo for most of the larger events I have run, including all of the Rock ‘n’ Roll series races and the Detroit Marathon. It is about the same size as the expo for the Portland Marathon (at least as of 2002 or so). I would like to see more vendors, and more space—the expo is held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, so there is plenty of room to branch out and add more vendors by taking over additional space. Two, there is generally a mad frenzy over at the Official Disney Merchandise portion of the expo. People literally push and shove to get certain merchandise on the first day of the expo. (I recommend avoiding the first day of the expo. You won’t die if you don’t get that jacket or whatever.) Popular items sell out, and can be found on eBay later in the day for three times the retail price. Three, the official race charities don’t even all have booths. (Disney gives bibs to certain charities—or sells them at a deep discount, I’m honestly not sure which—and runners fundraise for those groups.) I’d like to learn more about the other groups running on course, and I’m sure other runners would too. Four, the same exact mix of vendors tends to be at every runDisney expo. The main race sponsors have significant real estate, with a giant amount of space (comparatively) going to New Balance, which makes officially licensed Disney character inspired shoes. (People also go nuts over these, so much so that there is a limit to how many pairs you can buy, and a separate reservation system to get fitted.) Smaller vendors probably can’t afford the booth fees, but I’d love to see more family businesses and new products.

Parking/Access: if you are going to run any of the Disney events in Florida, I highly recommend staying at one of the host resorts. There is free bus transportation to and from the event from those hotels and it is the most convenient way to get to the races. (You can also take the monorail from the Contemporary). Parking is free and plentiful, though it adds to the number of pre-race steps you need to walk before you get to the corrals. I have limited experience with this—drove TO a race once, and received a ride FROM the race to another destination another time.)

Race Management: runDisney could do a few things to improve the management of this race. Specifically, I would suggest: (1) Making smaller corrals (there are currently wheelchair plus A-P corrals) to help avoid the bottle-necking problems in narrow areas of the course, or adding more time between the later corrals. I was stuck behind multiple walls of 3-across walkers once I hit the sidewalk to Epcot, and could not get around them (even when I asked nicely). This meant I couldn’t do any intervals at all, because running was not an option. I know some people would hate this suggestion (after all, the P corral already starts the race over an hour after the A corral starts), but I think it would help. (2) Add recorded announcements of basic runner etiquette at key portions of the course—for example, pass on the left and slower runners keep right announced at the narrow spaces such as the transition to the back stage area at Magic Kingdom—and designated runDisney staffers to ensure people do not stop drop and selfie in the middle of the castle. (3) Porta-potties at the entrance to Hollywood Studios. You enter in the “backstage” area, where they could put a bank of them. There was a large stretch before this with no potties (save for the one at the medical tent, which had no paper), and I absolutely could NOT wait. (Sometimes when Nature calls, you can’t just put her on hold.) I ducked into an administration building out of desperation, and lost quite a bit of time waiting to use one of the three stalls—I would have staged a mutiny and captured the men’s room, but it was a constant parade of men in and men out. The sheer number of people in and out of that building indicates the need for a nearby porta potty location.

As long as I’m making wishes, I’d also like to see some of the parks’ bathrooms converted from “men” to “women only” just for the duration of the race. While men have other options—I saw more men drop trou and pee on the side of the road at the half marathon and marathon this year than I’ve seen in my entire life—women generally do not.

Spectators: there are several “chEAR squad” packages available for the Florida Disney races. I’ve never bought one, so I don’t know all of the options. I do know there are bleachers/stands set up at the finish line. Aside from the start and finish, there are multiple other great spots for spectators, including Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom. The runDisney website has a complete spectator guide, including where to see the runners during each race.

Misc: hot coffee is available for purchase (cash only) before the race, and there is food and drink available afterwards (Magic Band accepted). There is a bag check available, and it is generally organized and efficient. Mylar blanket “heat sheets” are available at the finish line if the weather warrants it, though I didn’t see them for the half or the full marathon. (Pro tip: when you can, save a few of these and keep them with your race gear. They are great for pre-race warmth, and for tucking into your checked bag for use in case none are available after the race.)

Post-race snacks include bottled water, bottled PowerAde, a banana, and a snack box. (Contents of the snack box vary from race to race; this year there was a Clif Builder Bar, some cheese dip, bite sized tortilla chips, dried fruit mix, and a 2-pack of Oreos. Also a wet nap.) Contrary to popular assumption, you do NOT get free park entry because you ran in a race. (I have no clue why people believe you would get a free ticket, since it does not indicate that anywhere on the race website or in any of the pre-race emails.)