Marathon Weekend 2024

[Where'sPiglet?]

SAFD.

I've fallen asleep sitting up on a concrete bench under the monorail beam in Epcot near Test Track. The monorail is pretty quiet, but it did wake me from my doze repeatedly.

The Mexico pavilion has (had?) a bench right under the door where you entered the "outdoor" market. It was tucked in the center since there are ramps to the sides. I have napped, sitting up, on that bench.

I've fallen asleep on a lounge chair on the Beach Club beach, then woke up so hot and thirsty that I felt like I was acting out a movie scene on a desert island in the blinding sun to make my way into the building to cool off and get water.
Side note: there are always people dozing in the Beach Club lobby.

I've fallen asleep on Splash Mountain. I mean, it's a dark, cool, water ride...very relaxing....mostly.

I've fallen asleep in basically all the indoor shows at some point or another: Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress, the American Dream, Impressions of France, etc...

However, the most extreme case that I remember was this:
I fell asleep standing up in the Peter Pan queue once, leaning against the wall.
I then fell asleep on the ride. It turns out that Peter Pan does a rocking motion. I woke up startled every time the ride tipped forward, but then fell back asleep, multiple times!
I then had to make my way to the front of the park and to the bus stop. Of course, I slept on the bus the entire ride back to the hotel.

 

[HangWithMerida]

SAFD: I am also not a napper in general but i have caught myself close to nodding off on spaceship earth. Never quite got there though.

 

[becauseimnew]

Hi everyone, I'm finally back for another Disney run. I ran the Disney marathon in 2019 and for my 40th birthday I'm going to run the Dopey (I turn 40 in Dec.).

I'm currently training for a half next month to get my timed entry. I think I'll barely make the 2:15 cut off time, when I ran this same race 4 years ago I used @DopeyBadger's training plan and my time was 2:07 (thanks DopeyBadger). I really need to focus these last 4 weeks to make the 2:15 time.

Can I use a DGC to pay for the race?

 

[Herding_Cats]

Hi everyone, I'm finally back for another Disney run. I ran the Disney marathon in 2019 and for my 40th birthday I'm going to run the Dopey (I turn 40 in Dec.).

I'm currently training for a half next month to get my timed entry. I think I'll barely make the 2:15 cut off time, when I ran this same race 4 years ago I used @DopeyBadger's training plan and my time was 2:07 (thanks DopeyBadger). I really need to focus these last 4 weeks to make the 2:15 time.

Can I use a DGC to pay for the race?

I turn 40 in January and am also hoping to snag a Dopey registration too! Good luck in your endeavor for a POT.

Yes, you can use a DGC to pay for the race.

 

[DopeyRunner486]

Can I use a DGC to pay for the race?

Yes but it must cover the full amount. You cannot use two forms of payment.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Hi everyone, I'm finally back for another Disney run. I ran the Disney marathon in 2019 and for my 40th birthday I'm going to run the Dopey (I turn 40 in Dec.).

I'm currently training for a half next month to get my timed entry. I think I'll barely make the 2:15 cut off time, when I ran this same race 4 years ago I used @DopeyBadger's training plan and my time was 2:07 (thanks DopeyBadger). I really need to focus these last 4 weeks to make the 2:15 time.

Can I use a DGC to pay for the race?

Hate to be the bearer of bad news. The 2:15 cutoff is for the HM solo event (or challenge in a different weekend). If you are running Dopey and if they keep the cutoff the same, then the submittable POT HM cutoff time is around 2:08:02. See this thread -POT confirmed cutoffs.

ETA - I’m on mobile and can’t get the thread link to work.

 

[striker1064]

ETA - I’m on mobile and can’t get the thread link to work.

I gotchu

POT (Proof of Time) Race Equivalency Cutoff Confirmed Times

 

[GreatLakes]

So, my wife found a DVC rental she wants to rent for 1/3 through 1/8 so it looks like we might be going after all. If we do I'll just aim for the half. It will be a vacation with a run thrown in as opposed to a specific MW weekend trip.

 

[pluto377]

Signed up with Autism Speaks for the Half. I'm excited to fundraise this time and make it about something bigger than just myself They have spots for both DW and DL (not Dumbo though) in case anyone else is interested.

 

[Baloo in MI]

Good Morning runDisney All-Stars! I hope you have had a good week. It is time for SAFD. For this week’s question - Do you have a go to resort for Marathon Weekend? Why?

My Answer: As you can likely guess from my signature, I am a big fan of Wilderness Lodge, it is a great spot to relax and is one of the best, if not the best, resort in terms of theme. But I have found over the past few years that during MW it does not have as many runners staying there as I thought it would. So though it remains my favorite resort, I think my favorite for MW is Pop Century. It is just flooded with runners and their friends and families. There is a sense of runner camaraderie around the resort that I have not experienced at other resorts. From the cool feeling of stepping out of my room to see so many other runners headed to the buses at 2:30 in the morning to the numerous congrats I have been able to give and get from fellow runners in the cafe and around the resort. There is just a different vibe at Pop that I have noticed compared to stays at other resorts during MW.

 

[jmasgat]

SAFD: I'm a value-driven resort stayer and I don't care that much about how many other runners are at a resort. So that means the last several race weekends for me have been in one of two places: Pop (because of pricing, well "Disney pricing") and AKL because it is the best themed resort in WDW, and I love staying there. The AKL stays are when I have been lucky enough to score good DVC or a discount rate. No way I'm paying Disney prices otherwise.

 

[princesspirateandrunner]

SAFD: We try to mix it up, and would like to eventually try all the resorts. We’ve recently begun renting DVC points and doing some split stays in order to try those, too. For PW, we stayed in POFQ for the first time in ages, and it’s the favorite right now. It was a fantastic trip, and there was a great “runner vibe” there, which I appreciate, too. The CMs really did a lot to make the runners feel special, including greeting the return buses with beads and a rD POFQ photo frame prop. It‘s a beautiful and fun resort, and I want to stay there again next time.

 

[Neon Cactus]

Pop Century has been mine, primarily because of price, but having the Skyliner there is great. And I think All Stars have now upgraded their rooms to include this, but rooms at Pop have a lot of USB ports to charge electronics. Wouldn’t mind a hot tub but otherwise, it’s been perfect for me.

And the cast member greeting us when we get on and off the buses is awesome. Her name slips my mind right now but I look forward to seeing her every year.

 

[matt and beth]

SAFD: We typically stay DVC. BCV, BWV, and AKL. Paid once to stay at Coronado and it was awesome for a moderate. Felt very much like a deluxe. AKL last race and enjoyed after the race rolling out, putting my feet up on the railing, drinking a beer, and watching the animals. Next race reservations are at CCV which is new to us.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

SAFD: I’ve stayed at various hotels since my first visit at age 10. My parents did DVC for a while when I was in college, at the Boardwalk. I’ve done BW and BC with them for race weekends, as well as Coronado for Princess 2019, the Swan for MW last year, and POFQ for Princess this year. I’ll be at Pop for Springtime in a few weeks.

I think my favorite was the Swan. It was half the price of BW, where my parents stayed, and I got almost all the park perks. My room was bigger than the rooms at BW, and there’s so much do to outside the parks in the EPCOT resort area. I definitely know my Swan bathroom was bigger than Coronado and FQ. And there are plenty of runners who book at the Swan and Dolphin.

 

[marty3d]

SAFD: Our go to is Boardwalk but depending on price, availability and party size we‘re happy with any of the Crescent lake resorts. We stayed at Dolphin this MW. The area is our favorite because it’s walking distance to 2 parks, lots of dining options. It’s also an easy location for spectators for the 10k, half (well, not this year) and full.

 

[camaker]

SAFD: I've stayed at POFQ, CSR and CBR for race weekends. POFQ was my original "go-to" for race weekends due to its small size and convenience. I wouldn't stay at CBR for a race weekend again. The size of the resort coupled with the lack of the Sodastream machines throughout just kill it for me with the risk of a room being as much as 3/4 mile from the food court.

My current "go-to", though, is CBR. The Skyliner is just a game changer for me, making it so much easier to get to DHS and Epcot. The distribution of the Sodastream machines more than mitigates the size of the resort since I do most of my eating in the parks. I plan to stay there for the foreseeable future.

 

[Herding_Cats]

SAFD: I feel like the “feels like race weekend” at a resort is driven quite a bit by whether or not you ride the busses (based on my 3 weekends )

We have stayed at OKW, Saratoga, and off-site. For our OKW trip I rode the busses to and from the races, and aside from the lengthy walk to the hospitality house to get on the bus, it was great. The dedicated “runners area” at the main pool hot tub with fruit, waters, foam rollers, tennis balls, etc was nice (and I’m pretty sure this is done at all of the deluxe resorts as Saratoga had it too.) And I enjoyed the camaraderie with other runners on the bus.

This past January we stayed at Saratoga and we drove to the start all 4 days (DH dropped my off on Saturday and Sunday) and we only rode the bus back to the resort on those days. So it felt very different. But since we were within easy walking distance of Disney springs and spent a good amount of time wandering around. We saw TONS of people wearing their race shirts, wearing their medals, etc, so that made it feel different from a “normal” weekend.

 

[DianaMB333]

Question for the ones planning to do WdW and DL weekends… how would you recover that week?
Would it be too much doing both half marathons for a beginner?
Thanks

 

[Naomeri]

SAFD: when I finally do Marathon Weekend (hopefully 2025) I’m planning to stay at Coronado. I stayed there for Springtime Surprise and Wine & Dine and it was great. I don’t take advantage of resort amenities enough to justify staying deluxe (I still get a little disgusted with myself when I think of how many value trips I could’ve gotten for my one BCV cash stay in 2021)