2025 Wine and Dine

[jenljeffers1989]

Just a note - historically, for the 5K, none of the buses back to the hotel can leave until every runner has started, which means sometime after 6 a.m. So if you are a faster runner and/or in an earlier corral, you may be waiting around afterwards.

I'm not doing the 5K this year so thankfully that won't be an issue for me! Only trying to get the Two Course Challenge.

 

[jenljeffers1989]

AFAIK you've never been able to walk to the start line. WDW roads are generally not designed to be walkable -- designated walking paths and jogging trails aside -- and they need everyone to go through a security check. Because it is the middle of the night, they aren't going to staff every possible security point and have staff placed to guide walkers through Epcot (in the case of the Boardwalk resorts). Instead they funnel everyone through as few security points as possible. For most races that's the one main Epcot security under the monorail. For races where the monorail runs, they also staff monorail security at those resorts and a checkpoint at TTC for those who walk over from Poly to take the Epcot monorail directly.

And to answer the question about buses from Swan/Dolphin, as others have said, they run pretty much like all the other resorts. Sometimes the loop can be long if you're the last stop, so you may decide to jump off at one of the other stops and walk. The Boardwalk stop is closest if you cut across the entry and tennis courts or go through the pool and out the back.

I was definitely able to walk to the starting line in 2021's Wine and Dine when the start was in the Magic Kingdom parking lot and I stayed at SoG. I wish they would do MK parking lot starting lines again!

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I also wish walking to the start line was easier. I have read that you used to be able to walk from OKW to the Epcot start lines, but not anymore. For the 2023 W&D half I stayed at OKW, and I could hear the start line music/announcements from my room, but wasn't able to walk there! That was annoying.

People used to, from either OKW or Port Orleans. It was frowned upon but Disney didn’t do anything to stop it. My dad walked from FQ one time. Then Boston happened and we all have to go through security now.