Latest reviews by Allen

(2016)
"WDW Marathon Weekend: Half Marathon"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
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Race Management

I was running this half marathon as a part of the Dopey Challenge (48.6 miles over 4 days). So this race was about being conservative, finishing and resting for the full marathon the next day. The mornings are super early at Disney as there are a ton of runners. I was up by 3:30am and in the Epcot parking lot by 4:30am. It takes about 20-30 minutes to get through the bag line and walk to the corrals. Disney wants everyone in their corral by 5am for the race start at 5:30. They send everyone out by corrals (around 5 min between corrals). I was in corral E so I didn't have to wait terribly long to get started.

Once the race got started, I found a comfortable pace and was on my way. The first several miles of the half are not the most exciting. But once you get past the Ticket and Transportation Center, you begin to make your way towards the Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom is definitely the best part of the half marathon course. Once you run through the side entrance, you make your way up Main Street U.S.A. Between the large number of spectators cheering, the buildings all lit up and, of course, Cinderella’s castle directly in front of you, it is like a scene from a movie. I make my way through a good portion of the park before exiting out Frontierland Gate by Splash Mountain.

The next several miles back towards Epcot and the finish line were uneventful. Disney does a good job of spreading out numerous cheering sections, high school marching bands and character picture stops along the way. But it’s definitely not the most exciting part of the course, especially when you are getting to the 10 mile point. I was feeling good with my overall pace. In fact, I decided to kick it into another gear for the last 4 miles. Nothing too fast, but mainly I was ready to be done.

I finished in 2:25, which was a nice easy pace and meant I would have plenty left in the tank for the next day’s marathon. I picked up my medal, water/Powerade, runner’s box and made my way back to the hotel to shower and rest.

All in all, the half marathon at Disney is a great race! Highly recommended!

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