Marathon Weekend 2019 Part 4: Marathon Spectating

After my half, race weekend wasn't over yet! Will was running the marathon (his first!) and I wanted to cheer for him. So Melissa and I slept in till 3:30 am on Sunday and then hit the bus to the start line. I had read a lot about Disney Marathon spectating so I had a good idea of where all of the common spectator points are. Depending on how fast your runner is, you can see them multiple times on the course. Will was not planning on stopping for character photos and I was planning on using Disney transportation so I decided to just spectate in Magic Kingdom (around mile 6 just like for the half) and then catch him at the finish line.

 Early morning race buses only run between Disney resorts and the Epcot parking lot where the race starts; however, the monorails are up and running so spectators can get to Magic Kingdom. And spectating inside the park is free,  no park ticket required before official park opening. It was still crazy dark when we arrived at Magic Kingdom and chilly! I definitely wore some extra layers since I wasn't going to be running but standing around.

Everything was all lit up and beautiful! I don't usually stay super late at Magic Kingdom so it was a real treat to see the park in night time mode. And I got to soak up the ambiance a lot more than when I was running through it. So we picked a spot about half way down Main Street to cheer. We still had a bit of time to wait before the race started so we chatted with our cheering neighbors and tried to decide who's runners would arrive first so we could let them have a good spot for cheering.

I had learned from Star Wars weekend 2018 not to panic if you can't get a good spectating spot right away. People will leave as their runners pass and you can move forward. People are also willing to let you move forward if you have been tracking your runner and know that they're coming up soon. I've been really impressed with how nice everyone is. We're all their to support the runners!

Before we knew it the hand cycle division came rolling down Main Street with the elite men and women not too far behind. It was really awesome to get to see those amazing athletes! Disney races attract a lot of beginner runners but there are also some really experienced runners who participate too. Cheering was really fun but I soon realized why the chEAR squad package comes with a cow bell. Your hands get tired from clapping after a while!

I had quite a few runners set up for runner tracking so I could have a better idea of when they would pass by. (For reference, I got start, 5 mile, 10 mile, half marathon, 20 mile and finish updates for each marathon runner.) Pretty soon I saw Will running down the street towards me! Melissa and I cheered loudly for him and he came over to give me a big sweating kiss. Everyone around us awwwwed and it was really sweet. I could tell he was so excited to see me cheering for him.

After Will passed, Melissa and I went to get some dark castle selfies, something neither of us managed to do during our race. Then it was back to our cheer spot for some more spectating. I got to see Laura and Jackey of Joyful Miles but they were on a mission for predawn castle photos and didn't see me.

Soon after, we decided it was time for breakfast and some caffeine so we headed over to the Polynesian resort. I know a lot of people like to get breakfast reservations at one of the nicer restaurants upstairs but they do have a quick service downstairs which serves the tonga toast as well. I ended up getting pretty much the same allergy friendly breakfast that is served at every resort but it came with Mickey waffles so I was happy. And a nice steaming cup of tea really hit the spot! Next time, though, I want to bring a travel coffee mug and my own tea bag and just get hot water from somewhere.

Since we were not going to try and catch Will at Animal Kingdom, Wide World of Sports or Hollywood Studios, we had some time to kill. Will was moving pretty fast (too fast, as it would turn out) but it's still a marathon. We were both tired and decided to hang in the lounge of the Polynesian and chill. We weren't the only ones as we saw a few people napping on the couches across the way! Our entertainment was looking up fun races to add to our race wish list for 2019 and 2020.

On the way over to Epcot and the finish line, Will texted me to let me know that he wasn't feeling that great. I kept encouraging him through the end of his race and he did end up coming back and finishing strong after some walk breaks. Once back at Epcot, however, I had my own issues. I had not thought to bring any water and I was not prepared for how warm it was going to get, even while just spectating. I ended up buying a pricey bottle of water and finding some shade behind the bleachers to wait until Will was closer to the finish line.

We were able to get a good seat for when he crossed and I was so proud of him for finishing strong even though I knew he was struggling! After meeting him at the reunion area, we all headed back to the hotel for some much needed naps. I had felt up to a full park day after my race, but that second early morning wake up call really did me in! It's good practice for the 10k/half marathon challenge during Star Wars weekend though.

Melissa had to head home at this point since she had to be back at work Monday morning but Will and I hit Hollywood Studios with our bling! Walking around Disney with your medal is awesome. Everyone congratulates you and you get to meet a lot of fellow runners. We ended up at Baseline Tap House for some celebratory beverages and we had a great time just relaxing there. It's an amazing place to just chill and get away from some of the Disney hustle and bustle. Will also finally got his hands on the AT-AT popcorn bucket which is now proudly displayed at his desk at work with his Star Wars Pops.

Later, we headed over to Epcot to grab dinner with some fellow runners. I had a really nice time chatting with everyone one more time before the weekend is over. I know I've said it before but I'll say it again, the runDisney crowd is amazing and you'll have so much more fun if you connect with people during race weekends! After dinner, we went straight back to our rooms to sleep because we still had a full day of Disney planned for Monday.

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WDW Marathon Weekend 2019

Part 1: The Expo
Part 2: Joyful Miles Meet Up
Part 3: Half Marathon Race Recap
Part 4: Marathon Spectating- you are here!
Part 5: Park and Photo Day