I ran the Disney World Marathon in January 2017. My family and I stayed in a resort in Disney World, so as far as logistics go, everything was a breeze in regards to that (free shuttle service all over the park, including to the packet pickup area, race start area, and then back to our room). That said I cannot imagine trying to participate in this marathon without staying in the park. With close to 30,000 people, there are crowds, crowds, and more crowds. Plan to wait in line to pick up your race day packet the day before there race. Also with a race start time of 5:30 a.m., you will have to wake up VERY early in order to get a shuttle over to the race area, walk to your corral position, and then wait for the race to start. Unfortunately the year I ran it, it was abnormally cold in Florida with temps in the 30s that morning with wind chills. It was COLD…so standing around for 2 hours huddled in a masses of people for 2 hours waiting for the race to start was not fun. However once the race began, it was a great experience. You get to run through all 4 of the Disney Parks, and there is constant crowd support and entertainment along the way. For those not running for time, there are Disney characters at every mile marker that you can have your photo taken with. Upon finishing the race you get a really nice medal and other goodies (I distinctly remember a nice pre-race food box full of goodies to replenish your energy). While this is not a marathon I would plan on running for a PR, I would recommend running it for the experience especially if you parlay it into a family trip down to Disney, as my family had a wonderful time at the parks for the few days after the race.

This was the first marathon I ever ran and it was a great first-time experience. Having never even been to a marathon race before, I had no expectations going in. I spent the night in Richmond, VA the day before and visited the expo that evening to pickup my bib and packet. The expo was very large with many vendors. If I recall correctly it was held at an athletic facility so there was ample parking.

For the start of the race I parked on a side street a mile or so from the start. I did not have any problems finding a place to park. That morning it was rather chilly and I remember the starting line being full of runners (again this was my first experience running any type of marathon, and the Richmond Marathon is a rather larger one).

The course and race itself were terrific. They call it "America's Friendliest Marathon" and it lived up to the name. The course takes you from downtown Richmond through surrounding suburbs, across the river, through parks, and around and back into the city. Rarely is there no support along the course. Through the communities people come out to cheer on the runners, and at most mile markers there is either a DJ playing music or some type of live band. I remember the aid stations offering a variety of fuel as well.

I'm not sure if the course is still the same as when I ran it in 2012, but it ended with a good downhill portion which can help if you are looking to set a PR. The post-race area was very large and offered some nice food and beverages.

The Richmond Marathon was a wonderful first-time marathon experience for me and I would highly recommend it due to the easy course, organization, and awesome crowd support!