Disney World Marathon Review

Yesterday, I participated in the Disney Marathon with a few thousand of my closest friends (22,000 to be exact). For years, I participated in other marathons and skipped the local favorite at the Walt Disney World Resort. As a Disney fan and a travel agent selling Disney World vacations, I thought this year I should participate in this marathon. It was a great event and ranks as my favorite marathon!

The marathon started at 6 AM at Epcot and ran through Magic Kingdom, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and then ended at Epcot. A marathon runs 26.2 miles, so it was interesting to run Disney World by foot, instead of my usual car or Disney Transportation. Disney did an excellent job of keeping us entertained on the long run from park to park. They had many Disney Characters, lots of bands, and even DJ's to keep us moving.
My favorite part of the marathon was running down Main Street USA at Magic Kingdom, with Cinderella's Castle in the background. Magic Kingdom opened a little early, just for the spectactors to cheer us on, as we entered the park. There was something extra magical about running into Magic Kingdom with the Castle in the background and hundreds of people cheering us on. It gives me goosebumps whenever I think about it!

Another highlight of the run was jogging through the backstage entrance of Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Many of the Disney Cast Members were there cheering us on with some of the animals from the park including a tortoise, sheep, goat, and parrot. This was fun to make a quick stop for pictures with these animals and then heading into the Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park.

The Disney Marathon, that is run by Disney Endurance Sports, did a great job of taking care of the runners during the race. They provided lots of water stops to keep us hydrated in the hot Florida sun. They even offered extra fun stops like a chocolate candy break. It was a great marathon! We were happy to have completed the race and are wearing our Mickey Mouse medals proudly. If you ever consider running a 1/2 marathon or marathon; you should check out the Disney Marathon.