Disney Marathon and What it Does to Crowds

[TBrooker11]

I am going to be at WDW tomorrow and have never been when the marathons were going on so I was wondering which crowds see the biggest uptick in crowds and if any of them are slower during this weekend. Also how busy will it be in general? Thanks in advance!

 

[Schneewittchen]

Before kids, 2006 - 2010 time frame, I used to go to WDW the week after the Marathons, I never noticed a thing. Attendance was sparse and a few people had marathon t-shirts on. I wish I could go right now.
Not hot, no lines. Heaven.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

Build in more Travel time - whether you're driving yourself or taking resort transportation, there will be some detours to accommodate the race routes. Nothing insane, but getting around will take a little longer than normal.

Also, know that the longer races (Half and Full Marathons) do run through the parks. They do remain open during, but the flow through the park is affected by the races. By noon on race day things should be back to normal, but things may seem more crowded prior due to portions of the park being closed off by the route.

 

[Susan Savia]

We've been to the parks many times during the races and have had no problems. Many folks line the streets when their in the parks to cheer them on. CMs are good at holding people back until there is an opening in which they let you scurry across and then stop it again once the runners come by. Once the race people clear that particular park, things open up again and its business as normal.

 

[Phonedave]

The last two parks on the race circuit are DHS and then EPCOT - around the World Showcase, MK is about the 1/2 way point and most runners are out of there pretty early.. It is not a big hassle to have the runners going through the parks and the course is clearly marked off. Please, do yourself and the runners a favor, wait for the CM's to tell you to cross, don't cut off a runner. Speaking from experience, when going around the World Showcase (anticlockwise) the runners are 25 miles into the race. My physical reflexes are not what they normally are at this point and I am running on total autopilot. If you try to zip in front of me, I will not be able to avoid you, and we will crash.

Other than that, the parks seem pretty much normal. As was said, there are some road closures, but other than that, no real impact to crowd levels..

 

[surfsupdon]

What did you think of the crowds?? Busy or not with the runners?

AK, HS, and Epcot are open with runners inside. I love when strangers line the course and cheer me on. Such a great time.

 

[TBrooker11]

What did you think of the crowds?? Busy or not with the runners?

AK, HS, and Epcot are open with runners inside. I love when strangers line the course and cheer me on. Such a great time.

Other than waiting a half hour to cross the race path that runs right outside the entrance to AK it wasn't bad. Thank god I wasn't going to MK as that traffic was backed up BIG time. Inside the park it was just another January day, low wait times and nothing too crowded. I went to Epot on Saturday but didn't get there until around 1:30 so it wasn't bad.

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

We were there on Saturday and figured it would be pretty crowded, but it wasn't. The longest we waited for something was about 30 minutes. Believe it or not, we actually were able to walk in to Be Our Guest twice for lunch! The first was about 11:15am, but we ended up not needing to go in at that time. We checked again at 1 and were able to get in. I can't tell you the last time we didn't have a lunch reservation and were able to get in to BOG twice!

 

[fleurdemouse]

How does the marathon affect the crowds at universal on those days?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

How does the marathon affect the crowds at universal on those days?

You're asking how the Walt Disney World Marathon affects crowds at Universal Studios?

None?

 

[fleurdemouse]

Yes. Do people avoid Disney because of the races and head to Universal?

 

[dreamfinder]

Yes. Do people avoid Disney because of the races and head to Universal?

I wouldn't expect it as such, other than a handful. Definitely not a mass exodus. That weekend seems much busier because us runners fill the resorts, and really bring a lot of the visitors during what would otherwise be a slow weekend. In all reality, other than the traffic closures in the early AM, it won't affect most people's day. Yeah, you may see runners still on the course Sunday if you do AK, DHS, or Epcot (they will clear out in that order), but that's about it. The bump in crowds from runners is still very manageable.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Being married to someone who's done a few marathons at WDW, I have a request. PLEASE, if you see someone with a medal around their neck on the day after a marathon, congratulate them. Believe me, Disney runners never tire of hearing it! On the Monday after Marathon weekend in January of 2016, we were in the parks, surrounded by other runners all wearing their "bling". It takes a lot of training/work and they appreciate every "Good Job!"

 

[Goofyque']

Our experience has been more in the travel time. Once you get in the parks it is not too bad. MK may be the exception, but it is always busy. I would second the PP that said congratulate the runners. Whether it is a 5k, kids run, 10k half or full, these runners have earned the medal or shirt they wear!

A picture of the monorail station on January marathon day...