OK, I talked about a few things in the Eastern Gateway Thread, but I want to focus on the logistics and issues here.
First off, Disney does make money on the races, but not ""enough" (Return on Investment). In recent years, they have cut back budgets and tried to find cost savings to get the "large enough" profit the company wants.
So, logistics for the race.
Prior to race day -distribution of racing and merchandise sales. This is done on property in Hotel Convention Space, so besides the lost of possible rental space, the one drawback is the amount of locals that will come to pick up the bibs and other items, and need a place to park their cars. And currently, that can cause an issue, But nothing that would stop the event from happening. (Heck, CM's don't mind giving up their normal parking areas for guest use,,,
So, the day of the race, what has to be done, and what city streets need to be closed, and when and how long. Here is a course map for the Half-Marathon.
https://www.halfmarathons.net/course-map-disneyland-half-marathon/
So the days before the race, you have staging, which is just dropping of items near the closures and placing items on the edges and median of the streets, not cause closures, Also signage warning of the upcoming closures.
The first street that needs to close is Disneyland Drive. For locals, it is mainly a secondary street and a closure is no big deal. So closing it between Magic Way south to the Grand Californian driveway/traffic light is no real issue, access to the GCH and PPH and Simba lot is available, and DLH is an easy detour on Walnut to Magic Way. So being able to set up the start line and runner corrals is not an issue. Next is addressing the early access to M&F parking structure for runners. Pretty much an easy fix using the crossover bridge and closing Disneyland Dr south of Ball Road, allowing access to just the structure from those travelling east/west on Ball in the overnight hours,
So no major impact, and the majority of folks impacted are Disney guests. Locals are rerouted down Walnut betwenBall and Katella.
The issue becomes when the race starts (5:30 AM). Now you have two times to worry about, the first is the fastest times, which just letting folks know when they need to close the specific intersections and roads. Of course, it happens a bit before the first runner, but later at mile 10 than mile 1. Now, the more important time is the required course "pace: that runners are told. First off, runners are not all sent off at the same time, but in stages, with the elite runners first, and casual runners at the end. Once the last runner is past the start line, a minimum pace starts, for example 10 minutes a mile, though usually a bit more. So lets say 30 minutes to get everyone past the start line, you now have an over 2 hour window of keeping the finish line open, and roads closed at the end of the race.
Now, the first part of the race is inside the parks for a couple of reasons, first off, security, as all runners get screened prior to the start, and to allow the parks to prepare for opening to regular guests. They used to have other options, but have been forced to do the parks first. Now, security over the entire course is important, especially after the Boston Marathon tragedy.
So the first road impact is Ball Road at Disneyland Drive heading east, so since it is early in the day and the race, not a big deal
The key is mile 11 and after, we are now getting to around 7 AM (and the last runners are a couple of hours behind), and how to get the runner to the parks without impacting Katella Avenue, especially west of the I-5.
Well, that leaves one road, Disney Way. One alternative would be using the Katella CM parking lot, where the runners could cross the freeway using Gene Autry Way to go through the parking lot, but you still need to cross Katella at Manchester, to where? If Disney Way is not available, do you place runners on Katella going west for a block or two, and what impact does that have on the area's traffic.
Now, it is a holiday weekend, and construction can shut down to open up parts of Disney Way near the I-5 and Anaheim Blvd, one of the main areas that will be getting street improvements for Pumbaa access.
But the issue and impact are real, and stopping the races until the Eastern Gateway re-opens would help, plus it would build up demand for when the races return, which would allow Disney to charge more, and offer less entertainment to help the profit margins. You also hopefully have a more friendly city council.
