I have been wanting to do this Marathon for years and I finally realized my dream! I was able to run this with my bestie, Jessica! I loved the overall experience and here are some of the highlights from our trip down to sunny Orlando!

Expo: The expo is split up between two different buildings in the Wide World of Sports. One building has your packet pick-up and all of the vendors that are hocking their wares . The second building contained all of the Disney-exclusive gear (also had a character picture stop as well). It was easy to get around from building to building.

Parking/Access: We stayed on Disney property and I would suggest this to anyone participating in the race (or races if you are in it to win it for the weekend). It is soooo easy to get around on Disney property, and even better, you get direct transportation to the race start the morning of the race. This is clutch because of the early start time for the race. Disney had it all down!

Course: I LOVED the Disney course because you get to experience all of the parks. The starting line experience was thrilling with fireworks and lots of production value - really gets you hyped up. It is important to note that there is also a lot of highway running that isn't as scenic, but running through the parks made up for it! There were lots of character stops, but they ran very smoothly - and you don't have to stop if you don't want to. Each park was a magical experience, especially if you are a Disney lover. And, the parks start to open up around 8am so some of the public gets to see you run and cheer you on... loved it. There were only a couple of tough hills, but elevation was mostly flat. I really loved the course and I recall hearing the moment when someone said, "No more highway running," and I rejoiced because I love running in the parks so much.

Finish Line: After running by a gospel choir you finish between some grand stands of cheering audience members. Then we got our medal and because it was the 25th anniversary we also go Mickey ears! It was great!

Disney just has everything locked down and they know how to do logistics and create an experience. I would recommend this for every runner as a race to add to your bucket list!