Marathon Weekend 2024

[Herding_Cats]

In case anyone here needs this info: I got an alert that MK hours on Sat changed from opening at 8am to opening at 9am.

I wonder if they are already anticipating a rain delay in the morning??

 

[camaker]

SAFD: Especially for, but not exclusively limited to, Dopey:

You will be tired

You will question life choices those 3rd and 4th wake up calls

You will wonder "how am I going to run a marathon tomorrow?" during/after the half

You will run that marathon

Stay the course and don't let the fatigue and grind get you down.

 

[becauseimnew]

Bib for Dopey 219XX
Estimated finish was 4:30-5:00 but went ahead an submitted a POT HM 2:11

 

[accm]

I wonder if they are already anticipating a rain delay in the morning??

I wonder if it has more to do with having enough time to clear out spectators. For an 8am opening, you can get into the park at 7ish. If the balloon ladies aren’t going through Main Street until after 7, they’d have a hell of a time trying to clear the park quickly enough for the day guests. I’m honestly surprised they ever showed it as 8am opening.

 

[garneska]

SAFD: be THANKFUL. Going to put the melancholy post up. @PrincessV said it wonderfully. You get to do this and then there will be a time you have to rest. I have participated in every MW weekend since 2007, except Covid 2021. This year with my knee injury and the situation with mom, I just can’t go. To be honest my mom is the reason we are not traveling, otherwise I would go to the HH meet and cheer you all on. My knee is feeling better, am able to recumbent bike, will do that till the MRI. Hopefully this will just be a couple months of rest and PT, then I can start back at it.

As for mom, her labs look much better, she might get out of ICU today. She was extremely lethargic yesterday, so they ran a pile of tests but found nothing medical causing it.

 

[2girlsR2good]

SAFD:

Happy New Year!!! It is time for the last SAFD of 2023. With us just days away from Marathon Weekend it seems appropriate to wrap up SAFD by opening the door to last thoughts or advice as we all get ready to toe the line.

My thoughts, be sure to register the moment. It always goes too fast, whether doing one race or all four it is no longer surprising to me when times zips by from expo to marathon dinner celebration. So I am going to try and remember to focus on all the things that have meaning for me.

SAFD: This a thousand times.

For anyone who mostly lurks like I do (and have for years) who might be a scared first time marathon runner. Disney was my first marathon, on a milestone birthday (that's how I picked "I'll run a marathon on my birthday") and I was in legitimate danger of getting swept. I wasn't a runner until I started training for a little over a year out. Ran for a year with a local Galloway club and getting it done in 7 hours was a stretch goal. I finished right in front of the ballon ladies and ran a little scared for a lot of it.

But due to good advice here, I made sure to do the above. If I got swept, I was still going to have a good time and positive memories. I wore a shirt with my name and that it was my XXth birthday. Got lots of encouragement and birthday wishes. Took in the scenery everywhere and admired other people's costumes. Couldn't stop for characters, but I made sure to really take a look at them and how much fun everyone was having. It happened to be the year when the half was canceled and there were some great folks running the full who had only trained for the half and their party "hey, what the hell" attitudes were infectious.

 

[dobball23]

Come to at least one meetup (because everyone is as awesome in person as they are on here)

I have never attended a meet up and am hoping to make it to Hurricane Hannah's. I don't know if I'll make the pre-race meet ups due to being too anxious to make it into the corrals.

 

[The Expert]

For the morning meetups I made a 3 foot by 1.5 foot banner that I will try to place on the DIS light pole (yes we have our own). It will look like the following - hopefully I get there early enough each day.

I hope this makes everyone easier to find us.

View attachment 821563

:Quietly sneaks away with my little laser printed signs::

Seriously, this is awesome!

 

[Zutroy]

SAFD: For those running the marathon, it’s called an endurance race for a reason—you have to endure the challenges coming your way. Beyond the physical, I’ve found the marathon to be incredibly mentally challenging. You will feel every emotion along the way, from the quiet calm as you settle into a cadence on a dark stretch of road to the crippling despair of the Blizzard Beach parking lot. You will question every choice that led you to where you are at, and you will swear to never make the same mistake again. But you keep putting one foot in front of the other, each mile a battle of fatigue, boredom, fun, excitement, pain. And then you will make the final turn and see the finish line and be filled with an indescribable, overwhelming, unnameable emotion as the last 26 miles disappear and somehow it all made sense in the end. As you grab your banana and plastic cheese, despite all your promises to yourself of “never again,” you will feel that high fading away and think, “hmmm, maybe Dopey 2025 will be my last, LAST marathon.“

 

[Donna3271]

My mom called on Tuesday evening and she ended up talking to someone who told us to fill out the form online which says that someone should respond within 24 hours. It is Saturday night and we still haven’t received a response. Had to go ahead and cancel our hotel reservation yesterday because of the 5 day cancellation for a resort only reservation. If they answer we will go ahead and rebook but this customer service we are receiving is just terrible and Disney usually provides really good customer service. Extremely frustrated right now we can’t even get a response.

I am so sorry to hear this. I contacted Rundisney... not Disney direct, and they responded immediately.

 

[rockpiece]

I am so sorry to hear this. I contacted Rundisney... not Disney direct, and they responded immediately.

So did we, called the number on the rundisney site and then she kept getting redirected, ending up talking to someone at rundisney and they told her where to go on the website and what form to fill out.

 

[marty3d]

SAFD:

Happy New Year!!! It is time for the last SAFD of 2023. With us just days away from Marathon Weekend it seems appropriate to wrap up SAFD by opening the door to last thoughts or advice as we all get ready to toe the line.

My thoughts, be sure to register the moment. It always goes too fast, whether doing one race or all four it is no longer surprising to me when times zips by from expo to marathon dinner celebration. So I am going to try and remember to focus on all the things that have meaning for me: getting to see all of you, hearing the music, enjoying the costumes and experiencing the parks in such a different way. I will try not to get to caught up in racing and more in experiencing the moment. And I will treasure getting to run the 10K and the Half with my DD; I am so grateful for that. I hope you all have great experiences and I look forward to hearing about them! Safe and fun races all!

SAFD: I couldnt say it any better! Take it all in and enjoy every minute, every mile. I still remember the speculation during COVID of whether or not the races would come back so I try not to take anything for granted!

enjoy your races everyone!

 

[Bree]

My mom called on Tuesday evening and she ended up talking to someone who told us to fill out the form online which says that someone should respond within 24 hours. It is Saturday night and we still haven’t received a response. Had to go ahead and cancel our hotel reservation yesterday because of the 5 day cancellation for a resort only reservation. If they answer we will go ahead and rebook but this customer service we are receiving is just terrible and Disney usually provides really good customer service. Extremely frustrated right now we can’t even get a response.

The RunDisney division operates on a skeleton crew. With it being the holidays and prepping for next week I’m sure they are slammed and doing the best they can. They have never responded to me in 24 hours. It’s always been days to get a response.

So is rD doing starting groups or lettered corrals?
The chart shared by @Herding_Cats shows starting group 2 as club rD only, I don't remember that being a thing?
I am soooo borderline with my time between B and C (or 2 and 3?) - really hoping things swing my way given the huge difference in how many people are in those corrals!!

When races came back after Covid they decided to experiment with this oddball method of numbered corrals (s1, s2, etc). Needless to say it only lasted one race season until they went back to normal.

SAFD:

Happy New Year!!! It is time for the last SAFD of 2023. With us just days away from Marathon Weekend it seems appropriate to wrap up SAFD by opening the door to last thoughts or advice as we all get ready to toe the line.

My thoughts, be sure to register the moment. It always goes too fast, whether doing one race or all four it is no longer surprising to me when times zips by from expo to marathon dinner celebration. So I am going to try and remember to focus on all the things that have meaning for me: getting to see all of you, hearing the music, enjoying the costumes and experiencing the parks in such a different way. I will try not to get to caught up in racing and more in experiencing the moment. And I will treasure getting to run the 10K and the Half with my DD; I am so grateful for that. I hope you all have great experiences and I look forward to hearing about them! Safe and fun races all!

SAFD: Just have fun!!! Feel fortunate that you have the privilege to be able to do an event like this in your lifetime. I have something I do with my daughter. She shows horses and things aren’t always great. Horses will be horses and be stupid and sometimes she makes errors. I tell her it’s okay to be upset, but then ask her to tell me three good things that happened during that ride. So for y’all (myself included!)…things might pop up, people may piss you off or RD can make stupid decisions. Take a moment to reflect and find three good things that happened race day

Remind me of this post on expo opening day when people are jerks in the merch area

 

[Bree]

Don’t forget these! Beer/cider prices at the expo and finish area beer tent are cheaper for refills instead of buying a new cup every time! Wine & Dine used the runDisney logo, but I’m bringing both.

 

[GirlfromTN]

Don’t forget these! Beer/cider prices at the expo and finish area beer tent are cheaper for refills instead of buying a new cup every time! Wine & Dine used the runDisney logo, but I’m bringing both.

View attachment 821618

Will they still refill the espn branded cup? That’s the one I have - from a couple of years ago.

 

[Bree]

Will they still refill the espn branded cup? That’s the one I have - from a couple of years ago.

Depends on who you get. They were using the RunDisney ones at W& D, but I saw a few ESPN ones at the expo. Worst that could happen is you bring it and they say no.

 

[DopeyBadger]

First time Dopey… 27XXX. Submitted 2:05 Half. Are these estimates accurate? Am I going to be in the back?

I can not say it definitively. But either you registered really late (like when it randomly opened after POT submission cutoff) or something went wrong with your POT verification. Go to your registration profile on runDisney and take a screenshot of your submission of a POT on your account. If you do end up getting assigned in the last corral (likely if not a late registrant based on the bib number), then you'll need to pick up your bib and then go to runner's relations at the expo. Have the screenshot of a correctly submitted POT with you and very nicely request being moved to an appropriate corral. If runDisney finds the error was on their end, then they will move you up. However if there was an error in your submission somehow, then it gets iffy whether they'll be able to help you. Runner's relations can take a bit of time so plan on it taking a bit and stay kind as much as possible. Errors happen sometimes.

Are you a charity runner? Looks like that may be a possible explanation for a high bib number. I don't have a ton of data on charities, but I believe they submit their names/data to runDisney in late Nov/early Dec after the normal POT cutoff. So that might explain why charities have high bib numbers that break association with corral assignment.

Full marathon only 42XX (PoT was 1 41 42 for a 10miler) Wonder which corral this will be.

It looks like they placed you in one of the last corrals.

M
4xx - 1:47:35 HM POT
10XX - 1:59 HM POT
11XX - 2:04 HM POT
14XX - 2:11 HM POT
21XX -
24XX -
42XX - 1:41 10 miler POT
47XX -

The cutoff for POT is a 1:35 10 miler and 2:08 HM. I'm guessing that they slotted the 2:11 HM POT runner into Corral C (maybe B), but it looks like they slotted you at the back because your POT was too far away to be acceptable. I don't know this definitively, but this is how I'm reading the above data because there's 3000 bibs between you and the 2:11 HM which I already think is outside the range. You can take your data to runner's relations at the expo and they might be able to help move you to an appropriate corral. But it's entirely possible this may be a case where they won't move you up. In my opinion, you should be in Corral C (a 1:41 10 miler is equivalent in calculation to a 4:45 M using what I believe runDisney uses).

So is rD doing starting groups or lettered corrals?
The chart shared by @Herding_Cats shows starting group 2 as club rD only, I don't remember that being a thing?
I am soooo borderline with my time between B and C (or 2 and 3?) - really hoping things swing my way given the huge difference in how many people are in those corrals!!

The chart @Herding_Cats shared was from my spreadsheet prior to the 2022 MW race. It was in a similar timeframe as we are in now where we have bib numbers but not association to placement in corrals/starting groups. I was trying to determine if there was a trend with bib numbers and Club runDisney since it was the first year. I wouldn't use it for making guesses on the 2024 corral placements as I ended up not being right.

You had a POT of 4:18 with Goofy. That's no where close to the cutoff. The cutoff is 4:30. So you are solidly in Corral B.

Goofy
300XX - 1:44 HM POT
302XX - 4:18 M POT
302xx - 2:02 HM POT
303XX -
304xx - 4:30-5:00 estimate

 

[DopeyBadger]

Here's the updated data:

Just go back and look at what you used for either POT submission or estimated finish time on your registration. If you could also re-post your bib number and what you put as your estimate I'll update the below. Also please mention if you are a club runDisney member that gets a corral boost because you're bib number reflects that.

10k
605xx - 10-12 min/mile estimate (Club rD)
614xx - 8-10 min/mile estimate
614xx - 8-10 min/mile estimate
615xx -
615xx - 8-10 min/mile estimate (Charity?)
626XX - 10-12 min/mile estimate
65525 - Last assigned bib number



HM
400XX - 1:08 10 miler POT
401XX - 3:33 M POT
402XX - 1:45 HM POT
40516 - 54 min 10k POT
410XX - 58:58 10k POT
411xx - Club rD
411XX - Club rD
414xx - 2:15-2:30 estimate
422XX - 2:15-2:30 estimate
424XX - 2:15-2:30 estimate
427xx - 2:15-2:30 estimate
432xx - 2:15-2:30 estimate
447xx -
447xx - 2:15-2:30 estimate (Charity?)
50055 - Last assigned bib number


M
4xx - 1:47:35 HM POT
10XX - 1:59 HM POT
11XX - 2:04 HM POT
14XX - 2:11 HM POT
21XX -
24XX -
42XX - 1:41 10 miler POT
47XX -
7037 - Last assigned Marathon only bib number


Goofy
300XX - 1:44 HM POT
302XX - 4:18 M POT
302xx - 2:02 HM POT
303XX - 4:30-5:00 estimate
303xx - 4:30-5:00 estimate
304xx - 4:30-5:00 estimate
31014 - Last assigned Goofy bib number





Dopey
20*** -
201XX - 1:32 HM POT
201XX - 1:37 HM POT
201xx - 3:25 M POT
20195 - sub-4 M POT
202XX - 1:39 HM POT
205XX - 1:49 HM POT
205XX - 1:20 10 miler POT
206** - 3:57 M POT
206xx - 3:58 M POT
208xx - POT
209xx - 1:57 HM POT
21xxx - POT
21xxx - 2:06 HM POT
21303 - POT
2137x - 4:28 M POT
214XX - 1:35:05 10 Mile POT <--- Safe to say this is one of the last POT
219XX - 2:11 HM POT (or 4:30-5:00hr estimate?) <---- Probably Corral C
225xx -
230xx - 4:30-5:00hr estimate
233xx - 4:30-5:00hr estimate
23399 -
24XXX - 4:30-5:00hr estimate
258XX -
261xx - 5:00-5:30hr estimate (Charity?)
261XX - 5:00-5:30hr estimate (Charity?)
26xxx -
26731 -
27XXX -
270XX - 5:30-6:00hr estimate (Charity?)
27XXX - 2:05 HM POT (?)
28068 - Last assigned Dopey bib number

 

[Grabnar]

270XX - 5:30-6:00hr estimate (Charity?)

Does charity impact it? I'm at 261XX and Dopey for Charity with a 5-5:30 est

 

[Herding_Cats]

DH ran the 10k on a leftover charity bib one year and had an oddly high number for the corral he was in. Could have been that it was a charity bib, or the fact that he got it super late