Disney Marathon Hotel

Welcome to Disney World Hotels for the Marathon Hotel Guide. We offer hotel and lodging services at over 50 Hotels around Orlando for the Disney World Marathon on January 10, 2010. All of our Orlando hotels have been approved by AAA and Mobil Travel Guide for quality and your safety.

Many of our partner Orlando/Disney World Marathon hotels offer 45% off regular hotel rack rates. Our marathon website offers last minute availability and our rates are often available up to the day of arrival. Whether you are running the Disney World marathon or cheering on those participating, let the Marathon Hotel Guide be your guide to the world's best marathons.

Registration for the 2010 WALT DISNEY WORLD® Marathon Weekend presented by CIGNA events is now open!

From the moment you cross the start line, you know crossing the finish line will be one of the best moments of your life. It's the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Marathon Weekend presented by CIGNA - with spectacular races through the most magical setting in the world. It's an entire weekend filled with competition and fun starting with Disney's Health & Fitness Expo and ending when you cross the finish line to earn the exclusive Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, or Goofy medals! If that doesn't motivate you to new levels of character, nothing will.

Weekend Events include:

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Walt Disney World® Marathon
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Walt Disney World® Half Marathon
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Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge
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Family Fun Run 5K
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Mickey's Marathon Kids' Fest and Mickey Mile
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Disney's Health & Fitness Expo


Walt Disney World® Marathon
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The final race of the weekend, you will complete the most magical 26.2 miles on Earth. The course takes you through all four Walt Disney World® Theme Parks starting at Epcot®, continuing on to the Magic Kingdom® Park, Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park and Disney's Hollywood Studios™ and then back to Epcot®. for an exhilarating finish.

Each participant's $125 registration in the Walt Disney World® Marathon will include:
Race Registration Official Race Handbook Commemorative Champion® Race Tech Shirt Specially themed KODAK single use camera Goody Bag Disney's Health & Fitness Expo including our world-class Speaker Series Event Weekend Transportation for ALL Walt Disney World® Resort Hotels Personalized Bibs (Register by 11/1/09) On Course Refreshments On Course Disney Entertainment Post-Race Refreshments Family Reunion Area with live entertainment and characters Post-Race Celebration Post-Race web site with direct access to your race photos, results and custom finisher certificate

**Dates, times and prices subject to change. All races are subject to capacity limits and may close at any time.**

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Disney Marathon Reviews

Distances : Half Marathon, Marathon, Ultra Marathon, 5K, and 1 Mile
Weather : Local Weather
Description: From the moment you cross the start line, you know crossing the finish

line will be one of the best moments of your life. It’s the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Marathon Weekend presented by CIGNA – with spectacular races through the most magical setting in the world. It’s an enti...re weekend filled with competition and fun starting with Disney’s Health & Fitness Expo and ending when you cross the finish line to earn the exclusive Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, or Goofy medals! If that doesn’t motivate you to new levels of character, nothing will.

Race Reports

I loved running this marathon. It was flat, sunny and nice temperature for running. (Started in the upper fifties and ended at about seventy degrees.) I am running this race again in 2010 and am very excited looking forward.

I loved everything about the race except the cost. Disney seems to hit you up for everything for extra $$$. They increase the price of lodging just for this week. Also, to get some of the nice amenities before and after the race, you have to fork out extra money for that as well. To guarantee your family can watch the race and reserve a spot for them to see you, you need to also fork out some extra dough. They can obviously watch the race along the course in several spots for free.

There were plenty of people cheering you along the race. Also, the water stops were so plentiful I was sloshing by the end of the race. The porta-potties were plentiful as well along the course. Before the race, there were lines for the porta-potties like any other race. The runs between EPCOT,Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom were a bit boring, but you would expect some distances to be that way when running 26 miles. I was so pumped that I didn't even notice the "boring" sections anyway. There were many places to stop and get your picture taken with characters - mostly going in and out of the them parks. Several runners took their cameras and had Disney staff take their picture.

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Disney/Pixar UP & Away Family Fun Run 5K

Adults, teens and tweens will enjoy a fun-filled and exciting 5K. Everyone in the family can be a part of this official Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend event. Experience a 5K course that winds through Epcot® with an unforgettable finish!

Each participant’s $40 registration in the Disney/Pixar UP & Away Family Fun Run 5K will include:

* Disney theme t-shirt
* Personalized bib (Register by 11/1/09)
* Disney's Health & Fitness Expo including our world-class Speaker Series
* Goody bag
* Post-race refreshments
* Finishers medallion
* Event Weekend Transportation for ALL Walt Disney World® Resort Hotels
* Disney entertainment
* Disney magic you won't find anywhere else!

**Dates, times and prices subject to change. All races are subject to capacity limits and may close at any time.**

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A message from the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Marathon Race Director

Dear WALT DISNEY WORLD® Marathon Weekend race participants:

Race weekend is almost here! Our team is making final preparations for your arrival, and we wanted to take a moment to provide you some information to help you pack for your trip.

The weather forecast for Marathon weekend is for cooler than normal temperatures across Central Florida. Temperatures at the start of both the Half Marathon on Saturday and Marathon on Sunday are projected to be in the low 30s with highs reaching the low 50s each day. The best approach is to plan to dress in layers so that as you warm up during your race you can remove layers as needed. (All clothing that is discarded on the race course will be donated to charity.) In addition to extra layers of clothing, other items you should consider packing include gloves and hats. Mylar blankets will be available for runners at the finish line on both Saturday and Sunday.

We encourage you to keep checking weather forecasts leading up to the weekend on sources like www.accuweather.com so that you can plan to dress appropriately on race morning. We will provide updates throughout the weekend at Disney's Health & Fitness Expo as well.

We look forward to hosting you to a fantastic WALT DISNEY WORLD® Marathon experience this weekend. Best wishes to you for a great race!

Jon Hughes
Race Director

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Comments From Disney World Marathon Runner

I really had a good time at the 2009 Disney Marathon, so please don't let my comments below convince you otherwise. This is a very well organized event, but in many ways it is more of an event than a race. I made this trip with my wife and her cousin for their first marathon, but of course I had to run too....

Pros:
1. Everything I observed was very well organized - parking was easy, plenty of buses, etc.
2. Fun start (could use some more restrooms near the start)
3. Flat, easy course
4. Plenty of volunteers and fluids at water stops
5. The medical aid station at the finish is really first class
6. Transportation to and from the race was well done (buses)
7. Running through the parks was very fun - can't say the same for walking trough them the following day (ouch)!

Cons:
1. Long walk from the check-in area to the starting line; who wants to walk for 10 minutes before a marathon?
2. I knew this race started early, but geez... 5:40? I was halfway done before the sun came up, and it made the race seem really long....
3. After the finish you can make only one pass through the food/refreshment area and then you cannot come back in. This was very frustrating because I had to wait a couple of hours for my running buddies, before we could leave to get lunch.
4. It's pretty hot and humid for a winter marathon, though, of course, the weather is just a roll of the dice

My Perception:
I am from a competitive running background, and I know that my opinions are not shared by everyone. If you want to participate in a fun run and have a great time with family and friends, then this is an awesome event. This is why I made the trip, so mission accomplished. This is also a fun place to include family with running, and to make running fun. These are great things, but they do not make a competitive atmosphere. If you are a fast runner, don't expect a competitive environment at Disney for racing - do this race to spend time with family and friends, but if you want to run fast and be competitive, pick another race. I probably will not do this race again because it is a lot of work putting in all that mileage and long runs to go run alone in the dark through the Magic Kingdom....

I know this event is a commercial venture, and that Disney is in business to make a profit and sell tickets, so it makes sense to try and get as many runners to the starting line as possible, and by proxy as many family members and friends there to support them. This race really caters to Disney fans and large fund-raising groups - which is great - but this does not make a very competitive atmosphere. This becomes clear when you look at the results and see fewer than 100 people in a race this large (flat course) who crack 3:00. This is a good marathon for a first-timer who is looking to complete the distance somewhere in the 4-6 hour range. You will have plenty of company. This is a "slow and steady wins the race" atmosphere. Disney does a great job putting this event together, but it is not a competitive marathon.

How about you...?

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Disney World Marathon

Walt Disney World Marathon is staged in Orlando, Florida (Fl) January each year. A full marathon and half marathon sets the stage of fast and fun running. This past January saw the fifteenth running of the Waly Disney World Marathon. On that occasion, the races occurred on separate days for the first time in the event's history, and Disney Sports Attractions has introduced Goof's Race-and-a-Half Challenge.

It is a little something they dreamed up for registered participants who complete both races, and the overall 39.3 miles running across Walt Disney World Resort during the two days.

As Walt Disney World is located in Central Florida, you have easy access to Kissimmee, St. Cloud, and Orlando. These areas have more fun, activities, food, and shopping than you could possibly do in any ten trips! Along US 192 (the highway that runs along the entrance to Walt Disney World) there are hotels, restaurants, and shops.

Generally, the hotel prices can be quite high; so you may want to look at staying in a place a little further from the parks. Living with a twenty or thirty minute drive to the parks is well worth the money you will save.

Now, in terms of restaurants, the best deals can be found closest to the parks. The businesses there know that people are anxious to get into the parks for fun, so they offer great deals on buffets.

In terms of local entertainment, you can take your pick from other theme parks - Universal Studios, SeaWorld etc. - local fun: Gatorland, Wet 'n' Wild, and some great dinner shows: Medieval Times, Pirate's Dinner Theatre, and many others.

Then there is the shopping. Places like Millennia Mall tend to cater to the high-priced; so, if you want to shop bargains, go to the discount malls like Belz's Factory Outlet Mall.Those are the stores that give great prices on just about anything you want to buy.

Wish you all the best with your Walt Disney World Marathon experience !

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Disney Marathon Results

Disney Marathon Results

Disney Marathon results from the years 2008, before and after show faster times almost each year on the fairly flat course. Over the history of the race, the men have finished in fairly good times; just under two and a half hours is a typical winning result. The women, their times have been a little less than three hours.

The winners have been from the United States and Brazil. That is a rather limited cross-section of the world, but that is how the race has resulted. The 2008 winner for the mens race was from Brazil, that happens to be a major force in current marathon running - with the Olympic medals and World Record results in the last 5 -10 years.

If we take a look at last years results, you'll see the winner finishing in a 2.20 for the mens and a 2.47 for the womens :

Mens Results

ADRIANO BASTOS 2:20:56
JOHN GARTON 2:35:02
LANCE JONES 2:37:57
MATTHEW DOBSON 2:41:03
KEVIN LYONS 2:42:00

Womens results

MELANIE PETERS 2:47:29
SONJA FRIEND-UHL 2:49:25
CHRISTA BENTON 2:52:49
JANINE PEART 3:02:50
CONNILEE WALTER 3:06:45

After the race, you'll find the results usually posted at active.com fairly fast after the last finisher crosses the line.

How about Disney Marathon results 2010?

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