Marathon Weekend 2025

[GollyGadget]

I would suggest that if you find bottles on belts to bounce, slosh or spin, you probably haven’t found the belt with the right fit for you. The same can probably be said for vests, too. I gave up on belts for a while because the Nathan options spun and bounced, but the Ultraspire snugs in comfortably and doesn’t move at all on me.

Thank you so much for this comment! It was exactly the advice I needed this week. Long story short, my Nathan belt of many years started dropping bottles a few weeks ago. Tightened it up before my run today and everything stayed put! Good thing too because it was already 85 and full sun when I woke up at 6 am this morning

Regarding sunglasses and belts while racing: I shove my sunglasses in a pocket for the WDW marathon. As mentioned, the portion between AK and HS is straight into the sun for me. I don't typically wear a hat but did wish that I had one during the rain this year. The races have enough water for me so I don't carry my own. That just leaves me needing to carry my own carbs and my phone. Those fit into my shorts/bra pockets so no need for a belt at races.

 

[camaker]

Good morning RunDisney All-Stars! Welcome to this week's edition of Sundays are for Disney (SAFD). We've spent a lot of time talking about the parks, their attractions and their food this year, but there's more to Disney World than the parks. What are your favorite things to do at the World outside the parks?

SAFD: This is a tough one for me because I tend to spend my time either in a park or in my room. As a result, I'll have to take the easy route out and just say "Disney Springs". It's still hard for me to refer to it as Disney Springs and not Downtown Disney, too. I enjoy the shopping there, although I do miss the days of the eclectic collectibles shop Hoi Polloy and feel like replacement of shops like that with generic Marvel and Star Wars storefronts has been a net loss to the area. Raglan Road is one of our favorite restaurants and a trip just doesn't feel complete without a Ghirardelli dark chocolate fudge sundae. Pro tip, don't indulge in the sundae the evening before a half marathon! I know there's much more to do outside the parks than DS, so I look forward to everyone else's answers.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

SAFD: I like to people watch so lots of opportunities to do that around the World. If I'm staying near the Crescent Lake resorts, I'm good with grabbing something to drink and sitting somewhere along the path and relaxing for a bit. The other thing I like to do in that area is to take a trip to no where on the Skyliner. Similar to a monorail loop, which I like as well, but we usually aren't near the monorail unless going to a park. Beyond that, we are typically on the go within the parks so have never taken full advantage of all the other options out there when visiting the World.

 

[matt and beth]

SAFD:

Favorite thing outside of the parks? Running WDW races of course! Outside of that Springs, hang out at the pool, and nightlife at the Boardwalk. And some of the dining is amazing.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

SAFD:
My fav thing outside of the parks is spending it at our resort. We normally stay at AKL so pools, animals, eating and drinking at our resort. What more can we want? This time we will be staying Cooper Creek Cabins... so should be fun too at the pool, eating and drinking.

 

[marty3d]

SAFD: We like to stay at the Crescent Lake resorts for the diverse options we have. Whether that’s food, hanging by the pool or simply stretching our legs for an evening walk and drink. So much to do.

 

[princesspirateandrunner]

SAFD: We enjoy Disney Springs, of course, but also resort exploration, trying restaurants we haven’t before, visiting the horses at Fort Wilderness, riding the boats and skyliner, and checking out the new merchandise. I used to enjoy pin trading, but that, sadly, isn’t what it used to be, so we usually just buy a couple of new pins each trip. We did see the Cirque show last fall, and that was fun. We’ve been to several others, but had not seen the Disney ones.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

there's more to Disney World than the parks.

There is??

But seriously, when I'm visiting WDW, I'm staying at my parents' house, so normally I just spend a few hours at one of the parks and then head back. I actually really like being able to just drop in, do a few things, and then leave before I get too tired/overwhelmed by the crowds.

 

[superchime]

SAFD: I'll get in early for a change and say: monorail crawl! One of my favorite things to do is a progressive meal, where we get off at each resort and have a snack or drink or something, wander around, maybe shop a little, then on to the next resort. I also love the little photopass area at the Grand Floridian.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

SAFD: I love shopping at Disney Springs, and mini golf! Fantasia Gardens is so fun, when there’s nice weather.

 

[MissLiss279]

SAFD:
On a solo race weekend, I really enjoy spending some time reading a book on the balcony at my resort - for instance SSR.

 

[Novatrix]

SAFD:

Outside of hanging out at the resort pool, I really enjoy resort hopping. It seems like there's a theme to fit any mood.

Want a laid back, quiet chill hang-out? Head over to Geyser Grill at Wilderness Lodge and afterwards check out the train room in BRV, maybe do the latest scavenger hunt and enjoy the main building's fireplace.

Want to spend some time with the animals? Head over to AKL, grab take out from Sanaa and find a look-out spot to hang out.

Want some good food, hijinks and typically a conversation with fellow Disney fans? Head over to the Poly, put your name on waitlist for Trader Sam's, spend the wait grabbing dinner at the Tambu lounge or grab take-out from Kona cafe and hang out on the beach. Maybe grab some Dole Whip.

 

[Naomeri]

SAFD: I don’t do much outside the parks other than Disney Springs or a little time at the resort pool. I’ve thought about doing mini golf, but it’s not much fun to do alone. So I’ll hang onto that one until next Springtime when I plan to have my grandma along

 

[Barca33Runner]

SAFD: It’s pretty much Disney Springs and hopping to different resorts for meals for me. I really enjoy spending a few hours looking around Disney Springs every trip. I’m a not much of a shopper; when I’m shopping I know what I want and go get it, so much more than a couple hours is overkill. We have always enjoyed going to movies at the AMC during our Marathon Weekend as well. Used to be a great time to catch the later run of the December release Oscar hopefuls. Now the industry is such a mess it’s hit and miss whether there’s anything we want to see.

Disney pricing extends to more than just the Parks when it comes to additional experiences around property; so, although I’m aware of the existence of some interesting things to do outside of the parks, I usually stick to the ones that are free. That ends up being mainly the resort pools, Skyliner, etc.

 

[jrsharp21]

SAFD: Like most have said, we like to head overt to Disney Springs. Shopping has become a little boring with all the generic stuff, but walking around and watching some of the bands playing can make for a nice evening. I do like to order a little something from Ghirardelli’s. Usually a Nob Hill Chill.

We also enjoy taking round trip rides on the Skyliner. One of my favorite memories of WDW was when the parks had just opened up after Covid. We were in Ft. Meyers for a baseball tournament and had a day off. We drove up to WDW to just hang around Disney Springs for the day as we didn’t want to go into the parks. We took a round trip ride on the Skyliner to just get some of that Disney magic.

 

[Herding_Cats]

SAFD:
Disney Springs (we like to spread out what we do there, and go for shorter trips instead of just one day there) like many others have already said. The people watching cannot be beat! Staying at SSR makes it extremely easy to walk over to the resort busses at DS and do things such as go check out resorts for holiday decorations (if they're still up), go to AKL and see the animals, go to any of the skyliner resorts to ride the skyliner around, or find an activity at a resort that sounds fun. For DD's birthday last year we took the Ft Wilderness bus over and she did the kids' pony ride. Of course there's always the resort pools.

A goal for the upcoming MW is to take the boat to POFQ and get beignets one morning.

 

[Cabius]

SAFD:

Sitting on the Poly beach, dole whip in hand, watching the Electrical Water Pageant with my kiddos. Or going to see Hoop-Dee-Doo. Or Yeehaw Bob. Or visiting the animals at AKL after breakfast at Boma. Or...

 

[PrincessV]

SAFD: I just had the most wonderful week at WDW doing a whole lot of nothing for a good chunk of the time - it was glorious! Okay, it wasn’t really “nothing”, but it went like this:

Mornings: woke up whenever my body felt like it, which was usually hours later than my usual. Took my sweet time eating breakfast in my room whilst watching the Tour de France. Took my second cup of coffee or tea to the nearby quiet pool, where I continued watching TDF in the shade and swam some laps during commercial breaks.

Early afternoons: walked over to my resort’s QS for lunch, which I ate whilst reading a book. Went back to my room to shower and relax some more with a movie or reading.

Late afternoons: headed to a park for the evening, but left some days to eat dinner at a resort - which made a nice break from the action - whilst listening to a podcast. Bonus: boozy Dole Whip at the Poly beach before heading back to MK.

So I guess to summarize, my favorite things to do outside the parks are: sleeping, pool time, watching TV, reading. All things I never have enough time for in daily life and enjoy to their fullest on vacation!

 

[Dopey 2020]

SAFD Definitely enjoy fantasia gardens for something different. Spending a day by the pool doing nothing for relaxation. One thing we really enjoyed is sadly gone and I don’t think coming back, the small power boats to rent and have fun with out on Bay Lake. The area was expanded to all of Bay Lake when they got rid of the parasailing then Covid came and the boats went away. It was a good time each getting a boat for an hour or so, though with Disney pricing lately I’m not sure I want them again.

 

[azrivest]

SAFD:

Sitting on the Poly beach, dole whip in hand, watching the Electrical Water Pageant with my kiddos.

You win Nothing beats the EWP on Poly Beach.

Otherwise for me it's a good character meal like Topolino's or Cape May Café. It's a great way to get that Disney fix without paying for an extra park day. I'm a big character person, whether it be in the parks or on cruises, I'm always on the hunt for that great character meet.