Marathon Weekend 2025

[The Expert]

I don't carry any liquids or food for these races as I find Disney has more than enough water stops for my needs.

I just want to reiterate this as my experience, too. Even far back in the pack, rD is great about making sure every last runner has water and Powerade. During the extremely hot races they've also been proactive about adding additional water stops and providing ice bags.

 

[SheHulk]

SAFD: I've run a lot of distance races and have been all over the map on nutrition. Everybody has given good advice here, but my contributions are:

• Make sure you are getting enough water to process whatever gels or other carbs you are taking in. It's way more water than I thought! I used to wonder why I got so nauseous with Gu but DopeyBadger's training journal opened my eyes to how much water you need to take with the gels. I wasn't taking nearly enough. So I switched to Maurten hydrogels, which helped with that problem, but the taste and consistency especially got too gross for me to take in quickly. I literally gagged if I tried to take them in too fast. Now I've been using Tailwind, which helps a lot with getting in enough fluid. Not sure this is a long-term strategy either because I hate carrying fluids in a race. All of that to say that water is just as important as the carbs.
• Beware the runDisney race start area coffee! I bought a coffee at the start before the Princess Half this year, and it seemed really strong. Undeterred, I chugged it so I could get it in with enough time to process it before race start, but it came back to bite me about mile 6 with an unscheduled potty stop. Maybe this is obvious now that I'm saying it, but, I guess the lesson there is, if the prerace coffee seems strong, water it down or just don't do it!
• My other big runDisney nutrition fail at the start was to get one of those giant Simpsons-esque donuts (are they from Joffrey's?) before the start, one year. That definitely did not feel like a good idea, an hour or so later.
• If I have to use gels, I've been using Huma gels. The apple ones are really good.

Like everyone else has said, try a bunch of different things! That's what training is for.

 

[sandam1]

In-race fueling has been covered, so I’m just going to mention (for anyone newer to distance running or running their first full/goofy/dopey) that post race fueling and figuring out how your body responds to long runs is important.

THIS!! After my first half marathon, I inadvertently didn't eat anything (other than the tortillas and plastic cheese) for about five hours. Then I ate a large, heavy celebration dinner. Big mistake that had me sitting on a park bench for the rest of the evening saying "go ahead and go on those rides. I'm just staying here." Now I know that I need to eat something as soon as I get to the reunion area (something bland from the race box usually works) and then a substantial meal with protein as soon as I get back to my hotel room.

As far as the night before a race, my goal is to time my dinner so that I can do the last solid trip to the bathroom before I leave my hotel room. For me that usually means no later than 6:30 p.m. (preferably 5-6) for a 5 a.m. race morning. If I wind up eating later than that (I'm on vacation, it happens), I try to eat less than I normally would to help move things along if you get my drift.

Thankfully, I have a pretty sturdy stomach, but I've found what works for me and I try not to stray too far from that. Nothing new on race day, right?

 

[Barca33Runner]

I just want to reiterate this as my experience, too. Even far back in the pack, rD is great about making sure every last runner has water and Powerade. During the extremely hot races they've also been proactive about adding additional water stops and providing ice bags.

I also never pack liquids for Disney races, although I am careful to rely on my own electrolyte replenishment rather than their Powerade for the longer races. My experience is that on course Powerade can vary wildly from station to station in concentration, from basically water to a sugar/sodium explosion. Most seems to be a little weak and generally mixed pretty well, but it’s a gamble.

I also am disgusted by any non-citrus based flavoring in electrolyte drinks. Although I generally remember them using lemon-lime, it is another reason why the Powerade isn’t worth the gamble for me.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

100% THIS!!!

At the end of my first marathon, I took the chocolate pieces that they had in Hollywood Studios and they were revolting to me. Normally, I love Dove chocolate, but at that point, It felt like old chewing gum in my mouth. I managed to (barely) swallow the first piece, but that was it. After I finished, I handed the rest to my friend and vehemently told her that I didn't want to see them.

Interesting note, I tried chocolate at another race with similar results, which surprised me.

SAFD: I have tried different things... at the end if the day I really just like real food. So I eat jellybeans and peanut butter MnMs with electrolights in water and salt chews. I also tend to run to places and to do a mid stop to eat and go the bathroom in fast food restaurants. I am highly food motivated, lol.

Also I agree that I thought I would love chocolate they gave out during the marathon... but I could not stand the taste of it by that point in the marathon.

 

[jrsharp21]

So no one is going to take a full rack of ribs to eat during the marathon? Not sure if you guys saw the runner on IG, but he essentially had a rack of ribs in a zip loc bag and ate them while running a full marathon. The comments in his post from runners who saw him on the course eating are pretty funny.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

So no one is going to take a full rack of ribs to eat during the marathon? Not sure if you guys saw the runner on IG, but he essentially had a rack of ribs in a zip loc bag and ate them while running a full marathon. The comments in his post from runners who saw him on the course eating are pretty funny.

I mean... now that u mention it... I could have my mom hand me some ribs at MK though lol. I do loove ribs.

 

[Zutroy]

So no one is going to take a full rack of ribs to eat during the marathon? Not sure if you guys saw the runner on IG, but he essentially had a rack of ribs in a zip loc bag and ate them while running a full marathon. The comments in his post from runners who saw him on the course eating are pretty funny.

Food is fuel. That’s why I love the story of the first Ironman in 1978. One guy led the race during the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and the first 20 miles of the marathon. But his crew ran out of water, so he switched to beer for the last 10k, and came in 2nd. The founder of the race ate a bowl of chili, and one racer hydrated with coke.

https://www.wearethemighty.com/migh...em was,Naval Reserve Lieutenant Gordon Haller.

 

[sandam1]

So no one is going to take a full rack of ribs to eat during the marathon?

That's a hard no from me! I did a half marathon where they were giving out bacon and beer at the halfway point. I declined!

I could have my mom hand me some ribs at MK though lol.

Actually, this does bring up another serious consideration - if you want something, but don't want to carry it, and have family spectating, use them as a mobile refueling station. My friend carries my stockpile of pre-mixed Tailwind and apple sauce packets and I just swap out stuff when I see her at the Magic Kingdom. I've also been known to hand her gloves, malfunctioning head phones, etc.

If you don't have someone, ask on list closer to race day and someone here might have a family member that is willing to be a "rent-a-sherpa."

 

[Naomeri]

on course Powerade can vary wildly from station to station in concentration, from basically water to a sugar/sodium explosion.

I can’t remember if it was a local race or a Disney race, but one race I did this year had one of their electrolyte stops mixed so strong that I could smell it from a distance

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I also never pack liquids for Disney races, although I am careful to rely on my own electrolyte replenishment rather than their Powerade for the longer races. My experience is that on course Powerade can vary wildly from station to station in concentration, from basically water to a sugar/sodium explosion. Most seems to be a little weak and generally mixed pretty well, but it’s a gamble.

I also am disgusted by any non-citrus based flavoring in electrolyte drinks. Although I generally remember them using lemon-lime, it is another reason why the Powerade isn’t worth the gamble for me.

I used Disney's powerade at the stations for the ten miler last year, and supplemented with salt chews. I find the salt chews actually have more electrolytes than the energy chews I've been trying, which is why I'm sticking with them. Helps keep my fingers from swelling too.

 

[Let's Get Kronk]

SAFD: I mainly use GU gels during training and races, mainly because I'm lazy and don't want to try anything else and they tend to work well for me. I probably should try something else just to see if I find something better, but the thought of it is frankly overwhelming. I've also found that I can only really do the fruity flavors. A chocolate or vanilla gel really makes me sick because I don't want those flavors while I'm exercising. Although, birthday cake GU gel seems to work ok, but I LOVE birthday cake anything.

For pre-race fueling, I'll usually eat a banana for anything longer than a 10K. For a half marathon, I eat half a bagel with peanut butter and a banana about 1.5 hours before the race, and for a full marathon I eat an entire bagel with peanut butter and a banana in the same time frame. Post-race I eat just about anything that sounds good.

I will echo the importance of figuring out how to fuel in the days leading up to the race, especially at Disney where certain foods can really upset your stomach if you aren't used to them. I tend to eat the same meals each race weekend for fueling that work well for me (noodle bowl at Satu'li Canteen for lunch the day before the half and a pizza at Via Napoli for lunch the day before the full, for example). I also curb my drinking back in the day or two before the longer races to avoid tummy trouble on the longer distances. It really is an individual thing that takes a lot of practice and testing, but I think I've generally gotten it down.

 

[Cabius]

SAFD:

For long runs and races, I typically use a mix of

• Gu waffles (mostly pre-run)
• Gu gels (mostly for training)
• E-gels (mostly for races)
• Cow Tales candies (all the time -- I mostly run to justify eating cow tales)

I usually carry a backpack of water, and some smaller electrolyte drink. Historically this was Liquid IV, but I tried a bunch of others w/ less sugar (I like LMNT!). I also picked up some Tailwind, but haven't tried it yet.

 

[kps7795]

SAFD:

For long runs and races, I typically use a mix of

• Gu waffles (mostly pre-run)
• Gu gels (mostly for training)
• E-gels (mostly for races)
• Cow Tales candies (all the time -- I mostly run to justify eating cow tales)

I usually carry a backpack of water, and some smaller electrolyte drink. Historically this was Liquid IV, but I tried a bunch of others w/ less sugar (I like LMNT!). I also picked up some Tailwind, but haven't tried it yet.

I've never even heard of Cow Tales before. I'll have to check them out.

 

[disneyrunnergrl]

SAFD: I think it’s been covered but I’ll add carbs and nutrition leading up to the race. I realized last year how few carbs I was eating. I thought I could eat a bowl of pasta the night before and be fine. I used Featherstone Nutritions carb calculator for a goal race and realized how under fueled I was going into races. For that specific race, I never bonked and ran an almost 5 minute half PR. I also used the calculator for a 50k earlier this year. The end of that race was rough but I never felt like I bonked. I plan to use this for all future races!

 

[Let's Get Kronk]

SAFD: I think it’s been covered but I’ll add carbs and nutrition leading up to the race. I realized last year how few carbs I was eating. I thought I could eat a bowl of pasta the night before and be fine. I used Featherstone Nutritions carb calculator for a goal race and realized how under fueled I was going into races. For that specific race, I never bonked and ran an almost 5 minute half PR. I also used the calculator for a 50k earlier this year. The end of that race was rough but I never felt like I bonked. I plan to use this for all future races!

I think this doesn't get mentioned enough either. Carb-loading before a big race takes effort, especially for those of us who don't eat a ton of carbs on the regular. And it's not just stuffing your face with whatever carbs you can find; there are foods that are better fuel come race day. For a half, I start consciously upping my carb intake and lowering fat intake about 2.5 days before the race. For a full marathon, I start about 3.5 days before the race.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

SAFD: I think it’s been covered but I’ll add carbs and nutrition leading up to the race. I realized last year how few carbs I was eating. I thought I could eat a bowl of pasta the night before and be fine. I used Featherstone Nutritions carb calculator for a goal race and realized how under fueled I was going into races. For that specific race, I never bonked and ran an almost 5 minute half PR. I also used the calculator for a 50k earlier this year. The end of that race was rough but I never felt like I bonked. I plan to use this for all future races!

To piggy back on this, for new runners, there's only so many carbs your body can process the night before a race. Don't carbo load to the point where you feel sick the next morning. I had a coach recommend upping carbs a little bit with each meal during the week leading up to the race. This way your body has time to store those carbs and I can eat some complex carbs early in the week, then switch to quick carbs a couple days before the race.

 

[GollyGadget]

SAFD: I use dates and haven’t had any issues. I did find them too sweet the first time, so now when I put them in my snack baggie I also add some sea salt. I find it’s quite easy to just eat one every mile or so which is has a few great benefits.
1 it gives me something to countdown
2 I don’t have to consume a large quantity at once
3 if I forget one, it’s not that long until my next dose.

 

[Cabius]

I've never even heard of Cow Tales before. I'll have to check them out.

They're chewy vanilla/caramel candies. Just pure sweetness. I can't vouch for them actually being good, but they tickle a very nostalgic bone for me.

I bought this absurdly large box a few months back: https://www.amazon.com/Large-Caramel-Vanilla-Tales-Lovers/dp/B0BS9TLLTP

 

[Kerry1957]

Speaking of carbs, are there any other diabetics in the group? I'm a very in control type 2 diabetic; in control because I eat almost no carbs. So carb loading for me is a bagel.

I have found almost no good information on the internet as to if, and how, I should carb load before a race. I usually will eat a bagel with peanut butter before a half or longer. I have no, or almost no, carbs before or during training runs even if they are over 6-8 miles.