dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
Bleh. The new USATF interface failed me. I still can't see how the number of people at start now could fit through some of those areas in Epcot. Really think the change will be at the end after the runners have thinned.
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Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
Bleh. The new USATF interface failed me. I still can't see how the number of people at start now could fit through some of those areas in Epcot. Really think the change will be at the end after the runners have thinned.
Katherine
Well-Known Member
This was my first thought/hope!
It makes the most sense given what they described... and would line up with some other ideas I have for my 10th WDW Marathon!
They phased this out in 2012 and this marathon sold out so given current trends this type of course I *think* could handle the number of runners.
OG Runner
Well-Known Member
My first WDW Marathon was 2014, so I never ran through Epcot at the beginning of the race. How will this change the initial miles of the run? I mean, for instance, I have come up to the Magic Kingdom toll plaza around mile 3, mile 5 just outside the Magic Kingdom and leaving the Magic Kingdom before mile 7.
lukacseven
Well-Known Member
My first full was 2007. I loved the red & blue starts for many reasons...Approaching the park entrance at Mile 1.5 and having the floats from Spectromagic lining the course...running through the main entrance to Epcot with people cheering on the monorail platform...the countries full lit...Mexican characters. There was a little congestion getting through the entrance gate and at the merge backstage, but no worse than the bottleneck on the ramp going from Epcot to MK on the current course. It was also good because when you got back around to the original start line, it was already past mile 4, which meant mile 18 was backstage before exiting AK (no WWoS!). I can't wait to see what they do for 2020 - there's so much construction in Epcot, they may avoid the whole Future World area completely and use the backstage access by Mexico.
lukacseven
Well-Known Member
The halfway point was the T&TC Simba lot, just past the Polynesian. Back in 2012, the first and only marathon relay exchange was there and that was the last year for the old red & blue start.
dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
This may be why they pushed up the start. But if they add miles BEFORE the MK, then that makes it that much harder to have MK clear before park open. So 30 minutes earlier MIGHT let them add 2 miles before MK and still have the park clear before opening, but if they try to add any more distance than that it would get sticky. The other parks come late enough that being open doesn't impact pathways too much as the runners have spread out alot.
Really depends on if they are trying to take out the out and back on Western Way (I think that's the road) or some of the zig zags in WWoS. Another mile or so in Epcot plus a mile or so in BB lets they remove most of that out & back they added in, but they would need to find a few more miles somewhere to pull WWoS out.
OG Runner
Well-Known Member
It will be interesting to see. Do you think they are looking to completely take WWoS out?
dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
Personally, I hope not. Despite that meandering around driving me nuts and it not seeming to be popular with other runners,
a) it let them put out a bunch of characters in unique sports themed outfits you don't usually see in the park
b) have a bunch of REAL bathrooms in late stages of the race
c) varied terrain did feel nice on the feet/legs, even if only for a short while
I'd rather they pull that long out & back before the plant farm.
Texas84
Well-Known Member
OG Runner
Well-Known Member
It also can help from a mental standpoint. (I know me with the mental aspects again), but to enter around the 17 mile mark and to end up
coming out around the 21 mile mark was cool.
RunningKoen
Well-Known Member
WWoS is a love/hate thing, mostly because the loop is so 'far' into the race.
I wouldnt want to miss is
I wouldnt want to miss is
MK used to be around mile 10 when the course went through epcot twice. Exiting the Animal Kingdom was about mile 18.
lukacseven
Well-Known Member
I really liked the racetrack portion of the course too! Glad I got to do that a few years, as well as the Epcot loop at the start. They need to be more creative with the courses and change them up more often. The 2018 January (Goofy) was my last runDisney event, mainly because it's been the same courses.
OG Runner
Well-Known Member
Well then come back this year. It sounds like they are planning a number of changes to the course this year.
Greenlawler
Well-Known Member
I did not care for the Red and Blue starting points.....Mainly because they had different sets of characters out, and I missed some rare characters in 08 because I started in Red.
I did like the left turn between Mexico and Norway (the reverse of where we enter Epcot for the 5 and 10k's). They always stashed a ton of great characters there. I remember one year the Disney Daytime crew were there (Launchpad, Darkwing, and Scrooge) and then the next year it was the entire Pinocchio crew including Stromboli.
As far as WWoS I did not like all the twists and turns at that point in the race, by then I am usually just in "one leg in front of the other" mode, but like someone else said exiting at mile 20 was awesome.
Really I welcome any alterations to the course because I like change.
I did like the left turn between Mexico and Norway (the reverse of where we enter Epcot for the 5 and 10k's). They always stashed a ton of great characters there. I remember one year the Disney Daytime crew were there (Launchpad, Darkwing, and Scrooge) and then the next year it was the entire Pinocchio crew including Stromboli.
As far as WWoS I did not like all the twists and turns at that point in the race, by then I am usually just in "one leg in front of the other" mode, but like someone else said exiting at mile 20 was awesome.
Really I welcome any alterations to the course because I like change.
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Drug test?
RunningKoen
Well-Known Member
Lasersupport from a car helped a team of 41 pacer to create the perfect stable paces and aerodynamics on a perfectly flat, surrounded by trees, lap of 9.6km with recently replaced roads. Wind, humidity and temperature were great aswell.
So it is possible for a human to go sub 2 hours.
