Marathon Weekend 2025

[Mr_Incr3dible]

What is funny is for me.... not wearing a costume running would be the one out of habbit... lol I run my local races with costumes too, some times tone down but I cant help myself. It makes running more fun for me.

I was slow to come around on the costuming, and still don't always do it, but it does make the races more fun.

 

[nancipants]

Character lines get shorter the further into the race you get. The first 10ish miles will be a lot like the lines in the 10k/HM. I feel like after MK, a lot of runners get into “let’s just finish this thing” mode and aside from rare or super popular characters (Jafar, Hades, etc) the lines get a lot shorter. We’re talking 10 people instead of 50. By HS, there are sometimes NO lines ime.

Thanks! The only "mandatory" characters for me are anyone from the Haunted Mansion and CLARABELLE. It seems she's always out in a different race from the one I'm doing.

 

[The Expert]

Has anyone run with a pace group at Disney but also stopped for photos/characters? I feel like running with a pace group would help for my first marathon, but I know I’m going to want to stop for a castle photo and possibly some characters depending on who’s out. And of course, bathroom stops and a fuel swap with my husband. I know the groups never stop, so I guess I could try to catch back up with them? Just trying to think of how it would work logistically, and how long the character lines/etc usually take at the marathon.

The advice here is spot-on, but I will add my experience from DL last January. I jumped in with a pace group during the HM just outside the parks where it started to get really boring and hot. I ran with them through the Honda Center parking lot and then had to stop for a porta. It was a nice distraction during a time when there was little else to focus on and nothing I wanted to stop for.

Following your journal and IG, I'm going to guess you'll be doing a similar pace as me, possibly @Herding_Cats and a few others. We can all compare paces and intervals a few weeks out and plan to hook up on the course for whomever is interested and up for it. Absolutely no pressure or expectation, but ime there are lots of us who end up in the same part of the pack regardless of where we start -- especially after AK when it gets pretty tough. It's nice to have the distraction and camaraderie, at least for me.

 

[cburnett11]

The advice here is spot-on, but I will add my experience from DL last January. I jumped in with a pace group during the HM just outside the parks where it started to get really boring and hot. I ran with them through the Honda Center parking lot and then had to stop for a porta. It was a nice distraction during a time when there was little else to focus on and nothing I wanted to stop for.

Following your journal and IG, I'm going to guess you'll be doing a similar pace as me, possibly @Herding_Cats and a few others. We can all compare paces and intervals a few weeks out and plan to hook up on the course for whomever is interested and up for it. Absolutely no pressure or expectation, but ime there are lots of us who end up in the same part of the pack regardless of where we start -- especially after AK when it gets pretty tough. It's nice to have the distraction and camaraderie, at least for me.

@The Expert makes a good point. For people interested in running in a group AND possibly stopping for some pics or bathroom breaks, it makes more sense to find some kindred spirits to run with. The pace groups will stick to their plan and if you stop for a pic and it takes 4 minutes, that’s quite a gap to try and catch up to and the marathon is usually not the distance you want to overdo your pace in spurts. But if you are with some like-minded runners, it may be the case that the group decides to make some stops together and that would be both fun and less stressful than trying to catchup to a steady pace group.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Following your journal and IG, I'm going to guess you'll be doing a similar pace as me, possibly @Herding_Cats and a few others. We can all compare paces and intervals a few weeks out and plan to hook up on the course for whomever is interested and up for it. Absolutely no pressure or expectation, but ime there are lots of us who end up in the same part of the pack regardless of where we start -- especially after AK when it gets pretty tough. It's nice to have the distraction and camaraderie, at least for me.

We can set up a group chat or something in the week leading up to the race. Not sure I’m going to make it to HH this time, but I’m 100% down for a dis-marathon-distraction group

@nancipants i can tell you my pattern with the marathon is to run 13-14mm until about AK and then do runner math to decide how slow we can go to the finish (it’s usually about 20min/mi with the buffer at that point.) And then play it by feel and have a good time to the finish.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

Has anyone run with a pace group at Disney but also stopped for photos/characters? I feel like running with a pace group would help for my first marathon, but I know I’m going to want to stop for a castle photo and possibly some characters depending on who’s out. And of course, bathroom stops and a fuel swap with my husband. I know the groups never stop, so I guess I could try to catch back up with them? Just trying to think of how it would work logistically, and how long the character lines/etc usually take at the marathon.

I have joined pace groups...

Disneyland half was perfect because after the park there is nothing else... they really do help. They keep you entertained and on pace. My fav part was when we were getting close to the finish area and they said hey if you have energy go run ahead... me and another person who have been chatting up while in the pace group did that it and it was great. So wonderful still having energy at the end to race it.

I also joined one for a good chunk during my 1st marathon... man it was great. Again they kept me on pace and entertained it was the part between MK and AK. My mom even committed later man your pace pick up there for quite a few miles so she knew something was up. But I had to go the bathroom at AK and was not able to get back up to them... so that is a problem. I think it is hard to catch back up... esp if you are running a group that is at your pace or you are pushing your pace a little.... if you are running slower than your pace I think it would be easier to catch up. But there is always a chance you can just join the next pace group....

So the way I do pace groups, is they are a great option when available but I do not actively search out for them. I run my pace and stop at my list of priorities.... if a pace group is near me then I join them for however long until I hit one of my priorities then I leave the group... then often times... I can still pick up another pace group later and do the same thing. What is great about pace groups you can join and leave them freely any point during the race...

 

[The Expert]

We can set up a group chat or something in the week leading up to the race. Not sure I’m going to make it to HH this time, but I’m 100% down for a dis-marathon-distraction group

@nancipants i can tell you my pattern with the marathon is to run 13-14mm until about AK and then do runner math to decide how slow we can go to the finish (it’s usually about 20min/mi with the buffer at that point.) And then play it by feel and have a good time to the finish.

Definitely, me too! I normally start in the back of B (club rD), stop for lots of photos, do slow intervals and hope @Herding_Cats catches up to me around or just past MK. My guess is it will be sooner than that this year with the course changes.

 

[DHSsenior007]

I will definitely be interested in running with others, though I have no experience with doing that in the past. I think the camaraderie will make the race so much more fun, especially the latter half of the race...

In other news, did y'all see the Cake Shop just had a soft opening at the BW? https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...tion-questions.3344344/page-737#post-65793492 As we'll be staying at the BWV, I'm very excited I can walk (or hobble) down to grab a tasty baked good post-race. Even if it costs an arm and a leg...

 

[Naomeri]

Agreed. When I did 2011 MW, it seemed they had ALL the characters out there. Cinderella's whole fam at the castle, Alice and the rabbit at the teacups, and then going into AK they had characters such as Zorro (on his horse), Davey Crockett, and other characters typically not seen in the parks. For some of them, I've never seen them anywhere before. LOVED that.

OMG! Nothing but the imminent arrival of the balloon ladies would stop me from stopping for Zorro--I used to stay up until the middle of the night in middle school to watch reruns of the old Zorro on Disney Channel