Marathon Weekend 2023

[Herding_Cats]

OK all you "I over-do it in the parks" people. How do you decide how many park days to do (balancing it with the cost) when you're running in one of the challenges? DH is running the 5k and 10k ( and I'm running Dopey) and is wanting to get tickets purchased and park reservations made SOON. I think he's mostly concerned with getting bored after Friday morning, since he is not a "relax by the pool" kind of guy. I also feel like this was a QOTD, but I honestly don't want to wade back that far.

FWIW
We will be there Monday (late afternoon) - Monday (early morning) and the only day I know we are planning for parks for sure right now is Thursday after the 5k because we can still rope-drop and we change resorts that day. I can't justify the price of a park ticket to go "just for pictures and a couple rides/food and then get out."

 

[jmasgat]

The only time I did Dopey (2018), I arrived Wednesday (afternoon?) and went home Tuesday (evening). Didn't have to deal with the "why is this STILL around" park reservations. I had a 5-day ticket, I believe, because I generally do a park all the days, except for marathon day. (so Th,F,Sa,M,Tu).

 

[steph0808]

I've never done Dopey, but I am this year. I am there Tuesday-Tuesday, and I'm thinking of doing parks every day except Saturday. Instead doing pool, hot tub, and maybe Disney Springs walking around just to stay loose. I need to purchase tickets and make park reservations too, and I can't decide what to do!

 

[camaker]

OK all you "I over-do it in the parks" people. How do you decide how many park days to do (balancing it with the cost) when you're running in one of the challenges? DH is running the 5k and 10k ( and I'm running Dopey) and is wanting to get tickets purchased and park reservations made SOON. I think he's mostly concerned with getting bored after Friday morning, since he is not a "relax by the pool" kind of guy. I also feel like this was a QOTD, but I honestly don't want to wade back that far.

FWIW
We will be there Monday (late afternoon) - Monday (early morning) and the only day I know we are planning for parks for sure right now is Thursday after the 5k because we can still rope-drop and we change resorts that day. I can't justify the price of a park ticket to go "just for pictures and a couple rides/food and then get out."

My answer is simple. If I'm there, I'm going to at least one park every day. The parks are why I go to WDW. For Dopey I'll generally arrive on Tuesday and leave the following Tuesday. The only day I won't be in a park is the Tuesday that I leave, because there's generally not enough time to hit one before I have to be on the way to the airport.

 

[camaker]

Thank you very much! This is very helpful!

I saw the Spring race allowed for pre-purchasing of merchandise. Do you think that will happen for Marathon Weekend, or has that time already passed?

Pre-purchasing is generally available at time of registration or not at all. I wouldn't expect to see anything available for pre-purchase for Marathon Weekend at this point.

 

[GreatLakes]

OK all you "I over-do it in the parks" people. How do you decide how many park days to do (balancing it with the cost) when you're running in one of the challenges? DH is running the 5k and 10k ( and I'm running Dopey) and is wanting to get tickets purchased and park reservations made SOON. I think he's mostly concerned with getting bored after Friday morning, since he is not a "relax by the pool" kind of guy. I also feel like this was a QOTD, but I honestly don't want to wade back that far.

FWIW
We will be there Monday (late afternoon) - Monday (early morning) and the only day I know we are planning for parks for sure right now is Thursday after the 5k because we can still rope-drop and we change resorts that day. I can't justify the price of a park ticket to go "just for pictures and a couple rides/food and then get out."

We have cut way back on park time. Our plan for marathon weekend before Covid changed things was two parks days only. For W&D weekend we are there Wed-Mon and doing one park along with the Sunday evening after party. We are doing more off-property things and spending more time at resorts, both ours and other resorts on property that have things going on.

We just don't find the current park experience great with the need to over-schedule everything and live on our phones.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

OK all you "I over-do it in the parks" people. How do you decide how many park days to do (balancing it with the cost) when you're running in one of the challenges? DH is running the 5k and 10k ( and I'm running Dopey) and is wanting to get tickets purchased and park reservations made SOON. I think he's mostly concerned with getting bored after Friday morning, since he is not a "relax by the pool" kind of guy. I also feel like this was a QOTD, but I honestly don't want to wade back that far.

FWIW
We will be there Monday (late afternoon) - Monday (early morning) and the only day I know we are planning for parks for sure right now is Thursday after the 5k because we can still rope-drop and we change resorts that day. I can't justify the price of a park ticket to go "just for pictures and a couple rides/food and then get out."

My cousin and I are doing the Princess 5k and 10k and we're doing parks three of the four days there. Animal Kingdom is Thursday morning before we head to the expo. AK is small with not a lot of rides so it'll be easy for us to take it easy. Studios will be Friday until early afternoon. We both love EPCOT so we're waiting to do it after our races. We don't have to save our legs at that point and we can indulge in the food.

 

[MissLiss279]

OK all you "I over-do it in the parks" people. How do you decide how many park days to do (balancing it with the cost) when you're running in one of the challenges? DH is running the 5k and 10k ( and I'm running Dopey) and is wanting to get tickets purchased and park reservations made SOON. I think he's mostly concerned with getting bored after Friday morning, since he is not a "relax by the pool" kind of guy. I also feel like this was a QOTD, but I honestly don't want to wade back that far.

FWIW
We will be there Monday (late afternoon) - Monday (early morning) and the only day I know we are planning for parks for sure right now is Thursday after the 5k because we can still rope-drop and we change resorts that day. I can't justify the price of a park ticket to go "just for pictures and a couple rides/food and then get out."

Thankfully, I still have an AP, so I don’t think about individual day costs quite as much. I’m generally there Tuesday to Tuesday, and usually go everyday except the last day. I may only stay until 4-5 (or sometimes earlier), and go relax at the resort and read a book. This year I’m planning on flying down on New Year’s Eve, so I will have a few more days before the races than normal. I’m a little worried about how my feet will hold up by the end of the Marathon. I did have to buy a ticket for New Year’s Eve since my AP is blocked out on that day. That hurt a bit, but still more cost effective than it would have been to renew the AP to the Incredi-Pass.
I try not to stand around too much when I’m in the parks, and generally try not to get in lines that are over an hour. Walking around I’m okay, but standing seems to be the worst for my feet.

 

[jrsharp21]

OK all you "I over-do it in the parks" people. How do you decide how many park days to do (balancing it with the cost) when you're running in one of the challenges? DH is running the 5k and 10k ( and I'm running Dopey) and is wanting to get tickets purchased and park reservations made SOON. I think he's mostly concerned with getting bored after Friday morning, since he is not a "relax by the pool" kind of guy. I also feel like this was a QOTD, but I honestly don't want to wade back that far.

FWIW
We will be there Monday (late afternoon) - Monday (early morning) and the only day I know we are planning for parks for sure right now is Thursday after the 5k because we can still rope-drop and we change resorts that day. I can't justify the price of a park ticket to go "just for pictures and a couple rides/food and then get out."

Last year for Dopey I was in the parks every day after each race. I got to WDW on Tuesday. Went to the parks every day (Tuesday through Sunday). Since the races start at 5am, you really do have a good portion of the day to spend in the parks. I usually was at the parks until 9pm each night and then was at the parks until close on Sunday after the full. I am planning on the same this year. In fact I just booked my park reservations a few days ago.

For the 10k, you should definitely have plenty of time to finish, back to the hotel and clean up, and then head over to the parks in the morning.

 

[GollyGadget]

OK all you "I over-do it in the parks" people. How do you decide how many park days to do (balancing it with the cost) when you're running in one of the challenges? DH is running the 5k and 10k ( and I'm running Dopey) and is wanting to get tickets purchased and park reservations made SOON. I think he's mostly concerned with getting bored after Friday morning, since he is not a "relax by the pool" kind of guy. I also feel like this was a QOTD, but I honestly don't want to wade back that far.

FWIW
We will be there Monday (late afternoon) - Monday (early morning) and the only day I know we are planning for parks for sure right now is Thursday after the 5k because we can still rope-drop and we change resorts that day. I can't justify the price of a park ticket to go "just for pictures and a couple rides/food and then get out."

@MissLiss279 mentioned only staying until 4 or 5 and this is a big thing to keep in mind when making your decision. Making yourself leave by then will help prevent you from "overdoing" it and also leaves you a decent amount of time to sleep before the early wake up call. Figure out what time you would realistically get to the park and decide if that amount of time is worth it.

Personally, I'm planning on going to AK the day before the marathon because I know that's a park that I will be ready to leave by the afternoon. I'm also not running any other races so I don't have to worry about the cumulative fatigue of too much park time.

 

[Baloo in MI]

OK all you "I over-do it in the parks" people. How do you decide how many park days to do (balancing it with the cost) when you're running in one of the challenges? DH is running the 5k and 10k ( and I'm running Dopey) and is wanting to get tickets purchased and park reservations made SOON. I think he's mostly concerned with getting bored after Friday morning, since he is not a "relax by the pool" kind of guy. I also feel like this was a QOTD, but I honestly don't want to wade back that far.

FWIW
We will be there Monday (late afternoon) - Monday (early morning) and the only day I know we are planning for parks for sure right now is Thursday after the 5k because we can still rope-drop and we change resorts that day. I can't justify the price of a park ticket to go "just for pictures and a couple rides/food and then get out."

For MW we tend to go Tuesday to Tuesday and go to the parks everyday, except travel days. I am usually doing Dopey. I am a proponent for leaving the parks by early evening on pre-race days. But this leaves lots of time to enjoy the parks. My keys are hydration, cold baths, followed by warm showers after races, walking and stretching. Well, all that and copious amounts of Dolewhip!

 

[sandam1]

OK all you "I over-do it in the parks" people. How do you decide how many park days to do (balancing it with the cost) when you're running in one of the challenges? DH is running the 5k and 10k ( and I'm running Dopey) and is wanting to get tickets purchased and park reservations made SOON. I think he's mostly concerned with getting bored after Friday morning, since he is not a "relax by the pool" kind of guy. I also feel like this was a QOTD, but I honestly don't want to wade back that far.

FWIW
We will be there Monday (late afternoon) - Monday (early morning) and the only day I know we are planning for parks for sure right now is Thursday after the 5k because we can still rope-drop and we change resorts that day. I can't justify the price of a park ticket to go "just for pictures and a couple rides/food and then get out."

Is your husband open to going to the parks by himself (or hanging out later if you decide to bail)? Do some of the things outside of the parks (miniature golf, movies, nice meal, hotel hopping, etc.) appeal to him?

If you were going to skip only one park day, I would make it the day of the half. That is going to be the crucial recovery day for you. Everything else you can power through if necessary.

That being said, for me, the day of the 10K was my meltdown day. I was at Universal so take this with that caveat, but I think the principles were the same. We did the parks pretty hard after the 5K and got to the parks around noon (after a shower and nap) after the 10K. Within two hours, I was D-O-N-E with the crowds, the standing in line (and we had Express Passes), the walking. Just everything! I told my friend that I was going back to the hotel. She was welcome to stay at the parks if she wanted, but I wasn't having any fun. We wound up back at the hotel, jumping in the pool, getting dinner and then early to bed. Even now, looking back on that day, all I can remember is sitting in the parks and being miserable. That is NOT how you want to be feeling on your vacation and leaving was the best thing that I could have done at that moment.

 

[flav]

OK all you "I over-do it in the parks" people. How do you decide how many park days to do (balancing it with the cost) when you're running in one of the challenges?

Short answer is as much as I can, I’ll rest and sleep when I am back home.

Long answer:
WnD 2017 solo with a 2 days PH+

• Thursday: Leave the house by 4AM, fly early, shop, run and settle at resort (Pop), go to Expo, visit POFQ/POR, eat beignets, boat and visit DSpring
• Friday: Be the first to enter MK, breakfast at BOG, ride tons, at 12:30PM go visit AK and the newly opened Pandora, watch a show, go back to MK to watch the fireworks
• Saturday: Run 10k, eat breakfast at resort, visit Epcot, go to MK for the parade, visit HS, watch Star Wars fireworks and Fantasmic
• Sunday: Run my first HM, go rest at resort and enjoy the pool, early dinner at resort, HH DIS meetup, Epcot party, ride Frozen, Soarin and Test Track, close the park part 1AM
• Monday: Checkout, Typhoon Lagoon at noon, back to resort at 4PM to catch DME, fly back, pass the door of my home at 2AM
• Tuesday: Back at work with my medals!

Dopey 2020 with extended family so took 7 days tickets w PH+ thinking my uncle would want to golf

• We used the tickets a lot, pretty much ignoring the fact that I was running in the mornings
• PH was useful due to being a large group but we could have done without the Water Park add-on

Springtime Surprise 2023 with only one DD we plan on buying a 5 days base ticket and will try not to overdo it

 

[nekonekoneko]

OK all you "I over-do it in the parks" people. How do you decide how many park days to do (balancing it with the cost) when you're running in one of the challenges? DH is running the 5k and 10k ( and I'm running Dopey) and is wanting to get tickets purchased and park reservations made SOON. I think he's mostly concerned with getting bored after Friday morning, since he is not a "relax by the pool" kind of guy. I also feel like this was a QOTD, but I honestly don't want to wade back that far.

FWIW
We will be there Monday (late afternoon) - Monday (early morning) and the only day I know we are planning for parks for sure right now is Thursday after the 5k because we can still rope-drop and we change resorts that day. I can't justify the price of a park ticket to go "just for pictures and a couple rides/food and then get out."

Our general strategy is after the race, go back to the room to get cleaned up, and depending on when the park opens for the day, maybe find a quick breakfast before getting there. Like others have said, stay until 4-5, or when we feel like we're done for the day. We generally ride whatever we want to once, so that way, we don't have to double back. Our key was to try and limit the amount of time actually walking through the parks.

Back in 2017, I tried to have a rest day between the half and the full, but my DW was bored just exploring the resort She wanted to go to DAK, so here I am on the bus, frantically looking for any kind of FOP FP+ on the app!

 

[nekonekoneko]

As it stands right now:

-The expo opens at 10am for the general public (usually on the day prior to the 5k). It opens about an hour early for Gold/Platinum Club runDisney members.

-There are no assigned times. Buses from the resorts head to the Expo about 30-60 min before opening. A queue forms before the 10am opening on the first day of the expo (some people arrive by car as early as 4-5am). If you are looking to purchase highly desired items, then your best bet is to be there first thing in the morning. How long you wait in the queue to get into the Expo depends on how early you arrive. But expect the wait to be 1-3 hrs right at opening as they slowly let people into the merch area.

Do you know about what time on Wednesday the lines dissipate so we can just walk in to get our stuff? We generally don't need x or y trinket, lest our trip be ruined, though we might peruse the leftovers. We went first thing this January after getting into Orlando, and the line was all the way to the parking lot! So we went to Epcot, and then came back later, and the line were all gone.

 

[cisco911]

I know this is a rundisney forum but we are planning on going Jan 2 to 6 as part of a family vacation. Going to be in the parks Jan 3,4,5. How busy does rundisney make the parks? I know rundisney only starts on the 5th but I'm assuming alot of people will be there before the start to take advantage of the parks. Also, do we have route maps for the races. I think the 5th is the only day a race is actually happening and I think it is through Epcot. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[jrsharp21]

I know this is a rundisney forum but we are planning on going Jan 2 to 6 as part of a family vacation. Going to be in the parks Jan 3,4,5. How busy does rundisney make the parks? I know rundisney only starts on the 5th but I'm assuming alot of people will be there before the start to take advantage of the parks. Also, do we have route maps for the races. I think the 5th is the only day a race is actually happening and I think it is through Epcot. Thanks in advance for the help.

The 5k race starts at 5am. So it shouldn't be still going on by the time Epcot opens, or at the very least should be wrapping up.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Do you know about what time on Wednesday the lines dissipate so we can just walk in to get our stuff? We generally don't need x or y trinket, lest our trip be ruined, though we might peruse the leftovers. We went first thing this January after getting into Orlando, and the line was all the way to the parking lot! So we went to Epcot, and then came back later, and the line were all gone.

A reasonable guess is around 1-3pm the crowds should dissipate.

I know this is a rundisney forum but we are planning on going Jan 2 to 6 as part of a family vacation. Going to be in the parks Jan 3,4,5. How busy does rundisney make the parks? I know rundisney only starts on the 5th but I'm assuming alot of people will be there before the start to take advantage of the parks.

Historically speaking, the parks tend to be VERY busy when Marathon Weekend falls so close to the New Year holiday.

Also, do we have route maps for the races. I think the 5th is the only day a race is actually happening and I think it is through Epcot.

Very likely the 5k course will be:



Race will take place from 5am to about 7:45-8:00am. Looks like EPCOT is opening at 8:30am (8:00am for resort guests?). So there will be some impact, but pretty minimal. Looks like most road closures end around 7:30-8:00am from the Princess 2022 5k (link). Some of those road closures below were because of road construction during Princess. The event guide linked will change to Wine and Dine eventually.

 

[GollyGadget]

I know this is a rundisney forum but we are planning on going Jan 2 to 6 as part of a family vacation. Going to be in the parks Jan 3,4,5. How busy does rundisney make the parks? I know rundisney only starts on the 5th but I'm assuming alot of people will be there before the start to take advantage of the parks. Also, do we have route maps for the races. I think the 5th is the only day a race is actually happening and I think it is through Epcot. Thanks in advance for the help.

runDisney could have some impact on the parks but honestly the biggest impact is going to be that school isn't in session. Be prepared for massive crowds and lots of waiting.

 

[BigEeyore]

Two Dopeys have taught me that I need to recover on Saturday after the half. Both times, I have had total meltdowns on Saturday from a mix of exhaustion and hunger. So this time, I am sticking to my plan to take Saturday off from the parks! I am normally a "go go go - I can sleep when I get home!" type of person at Disney, but do not underestimate the toll that the early mornings and the miles take on your body!
We will be there Weds-Monday and planning on parks Th, F, and Sunday only right now. In the past, we have had APs so popping into a park for just a few hours wasn't a big deal, but that won't be the case this time so need to use our days wisely.