[RACE REPORT] Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, Pt.IV: Course Preview (w. Virtual Run)

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Home > Course Previews Database > Walt Disney World Half-Marathon (2015)

This is part four of my six-part series on the 2015 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. Part four covers the course preview, including Virtual Run feature.
Part 1 (Introduction) can be found HERE.
Part 2 (History of the Race & Registration Process) can be found HERE.
Part 3 (Training & Planning) can be found HERE.
Part 5 (Travel, Event Expo, & Pre-Race) will be posted on Race Weekend.
Part 6 (Race Day & Post-Race) will be posted after Race Weekend.

The event's official website can be found HERE.

By now, training should be in full swing for all participants in the half-marathon and greater. Part of training, though, is knowing the course, and tailoring your training to meet the demands of the route (namely, elevation profile). Luckily, for those with limited outdoor training access (it is winter-ish, after all), this course is pancake-flat. So treadmill training should be relatively adequate.

OF IMPORTANT NOTE, however...treadmills are softer, and require less effort. A weekly long-ish run outdoors is HIGHLY recommended so that your joints and bones are also trained for the blacktop-and-concrete race route. Additionally, on treadmill runs, increase the incline to about 0.5%, which should require enough extra effort to mimic the demands of race day.

With that, let's take a look at the race route, with Virtual Run photos (courtesy of Google Earth Street View; most of the interior shots of the Walt Disney World parks are not on Street View, and are photos I took myself, unless otherwise noted).

Course Preview
The Google Maps route can be found HERE.

The Google Earth view of the Course.

          Intro
For this course preview specifically, the half-marathon distance will be covered. Maps for the full marathon course, and 5k/10k course can be found using the links right here, or at the marathon weekend's official website, which is linked at the top of the page. Official half-marathon map can be found HERE, or at the marathon weekend's official website.

          Course Basics/Metrics
Here are the basics for the 2014 half-marathon route...

• Distance: 13.18mi
• Route Type: Loop
• Terrain Type: Park Streets, Highway (Blacktop, Concrete)
• Start Location: Epcot Center Drive, just off the Northeast corner of Epcot's parking lot.
• Finish Location: Southeast lot of Epcot Center.
• Start Elevation: 93ft
• # Major Climbs: 0
• Tot. Elevation Gain: 56ft (est.)

          Climbs

Not a single damned one. Although, climbing up the freeway exits provides a notable incline each time, but they aren't quite open for analysis via Google Earth. And speaking of Google Earth, the elevation shows as completely flat, which is not quite the case -- this is why I gave both a Google Earth (above) and TrainingPeaks (below) screenshots of the maps.

TrainingPeaks gives a little bit more a detailed look in to the very mild undulations that make up the course
(albeit still likely inaccurate, mind you).

          Virtual Run
Start Line through 2.5mi: The half-marathon and full marathon routes start in the same place, along Epcot Center Drive, just Northeast of Epcot's parking lots.

Mile Zero: Approximately where the start line would be. Epcot's parking lots are just beyond the tree line to the left.

The first several miles are wide open: no real elevation change, and very little as far as visual stimulation goes. Simply enough, you're just running on highway.

Just short of mile marker 1, you see really the only "incline" of the day: a run up a highway exit, transferring from Epcot Center Drive West-bound, to World Drive North-bound.

0.9mi: Stay to the left on this exit, and it will swing you North on to World Drive towards the Magic Kingdom.

1.3mi: This is about the extent of the course's "hills." Things do get quite narrow on this exit, however.

North on World Drive looks very much the same as Epcot Center Drive, save for the occasional Disney World attraction billboard.

2.0mi: One of the many attraction billboards that adorn the trek along World Drive North.

2.5-3.5mi: It isn't until roughly 2 1/2 miles in that things start happening. At just past mile 2.5, you come to the parking lot entrance for the Magic Kingdom.

2.6mi: The entrance to the Magic Kingdom, although really it's just the entrance to the parking lot.

Passing by the Richard Petty Driving Experience, runners will keep to the right, eventually cutting across the Southwestern-most corner of the parking lot. Even this run-in, from the parking pass booths to the actual parking lot, is...well...long.

2.85mi: Just short of the 3-mile marker, keep to the right to head in towards the parking lots.

3.35mi: Another half-mile later, you finally get to the actual entrance in to the parking lots. Sheesh.

3.5-5.0mi: Past 3.5 miles, at the North end of the lots -- closest to the ticketing counter -- you run under the bridge that normally is reserved for the parking lot trams. Beyond this bridge, you finally come to the ticketing booths and entrance in to the monorail stations -- but you're not at the actual park yet!

3.85mi: Nearly another half mile later, and runners pass through the tram entrance tunnel
to the ticketing booths and monorail station.

Passing along the right-most side of the line of ticketing booths, runners continue to keep right, running past the Eastern-most edge of the actual monorail station. This section of road takes runners past a bus station, and back on to World Drive North-bound.

3.85mi: The line of ticketing booths. Runners run through this line, just to the right of that
building (merchandise, I believe) (photo credit: Evelio de Feria).

3.85mi-4.25mi: The section between the tram tunnel entrance to the monorail station,
the stretch of road past the bus park, and the intersection running back on to World Drive.

Along the Northern trek on World Drive, things become less uneventful as previous. First, runners are hoofing it along the Eastern edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon, a pretty backdrop in its own right. Ahead the massive Disney Contemporary Resort lay on the horizon. This stretch is the final bit before reaching park gates.

4.25mi: Back north along World Drive, with Disney's Contemporary Resort on the horizon.

4.5mi: The water bridge under the Seven Seas Lagoon. Yes, UNDER the lagoon.

Magic Kingdom, 5.0- The final bits of World Drive come at right near mile marker 5. From here, runners will turn left in to a employee/maintenance entrance towards the park.

4.95mi: The left-turn off World Drive (red line), with Space Mountain dominating the horizon ahead.

Then, a quick quarter-mile along a maintenance lot. At roughly 5.30 miles, finally, you come to a side entrance on to Main Street, USA of the Magic Kingdom.

5.00-5.35mi+: The short stretch of road from World Drive to Main Street, USA. The disc-like structure in the
upper right-hand corner is Space Mountain. The one in the center is the Carousel of Progress.

5.20mi: Runners will enter the park through a side entrance at the popular Confectionery
store front at the mouth of Main Street, USA in the Magic Kingdom. (photo credit: Scott Hanko)

5.25 miles or so is when you jump on to Main Street, USA, and the first steps on actual Disney park. Runners run straight North on Main Street, USA towards the Walt Disney statue that marks the crossroads of the park.

5.25mi: The view straight down Main Street, USA towards Cindarella's Castle.

At the Disney statue, barely a tenth of a mile later, runners take a right in to the aptly-themed Tomorrowland section of the park.

5.35mi: The aforementioned Disney statue. Take a
right-hander BEFORE this, heading in to...

...Tomorrowland! (photo credit: Scott Hanko)

From here, it's a run through the Eastern and Northeastern sections of the park, first with, of course, Tomorrowland, then Fantasyland, including a bit of the former (or is it still??) Toon Town.

In Tomorrowland, participants run past the Monster's, Inc. Laugh Factory before taking a left short of the central pavilion (the one with AstroOrbiter on its rooftop). From there, head along the stretch of walkway past the Tomorrowland Speedway. This runs you in to the Eastern-most section of Fantasyland, marked by the Mad Tea Party ride straight ahead. This section, from the opening of Tomorrowland to the opening of Fantsyland makes up about only 0.15mi, from 5.30 to 5.55 miles in to the race.

5.30-5.55mi: The trek through Fantasyland.

Within Fantasyland, take a right going around the back side of the Mad Tea Party, with the newly-built Cars-themed coaster on your right. This runs you in to Fantasyland's merry-go-round. Again, keep to your left and head straight towards Cindarella's castle. This section of Fantasyland, again is short -- not even two-tenths of a mile -- and runs you up to mile 5.75.

5.55-5.75mi: The run through Fantasyland.

5.70mi: The Fantasyland merry-go-round straight ahead. Stay to your left and you'll head back South though the castle.

Finally, at 5.75mi, runners get to hoof it through the famed Cinderella's Castle, the dominant centerpiece for the Magic Kingdom. The run-in will be from the North end of the castle, which is really the back side heading back towards the park entrance. Like before, head towards the Disney statue and take a right just before it, heading in to Adventureland.

5.75mi: Look up! The view of Cindarella's Castle from its rear entrance (North side). (photo credit: Robert Lam)

The stretch of walkway from the Disney statue through to the Western-most edge of Adventureland makes up the final quarter-mile of the Magic Kingdom experience for runners, from miles 5.75 through to 6.10. Mile marker 6 comes right within Liberty Square.

5.75-6.10mi: The course as it runs through Liberty Square, mile marker 6, and Adventureland.

6.05mi: Just past mile marker 6, runners pass by the
Southern edge of Frontierland, including the ever-popular
Splash Mountain.

6.0-7.0mi: The route exits out a maintenance entrance along the Western edge of the park, right next to Splash Mountain (as a matter of fact both the runner's entrance and exit from the park are where the many Magic Kingdom parades also enter and exit). Pass by the many maintenance and storage buildings against the West side of the park on Caribbean Way, and back on to regular Floridian roads. Don't worry! This boring stretch doesn't last long.

6.0-7.0mi: Mile marker 7 comes at just near the end of this Stretch of road, on Floridian Way.

6.35mi: Out of Magic Kingdom's storage area along the Western edge of the park (left side of image), and on to
Floridian Way South-bound (right side of image).

7.0-8.0mi: This stretch of road along Floridian Way becomes a little more exciting, as the route runs just to the West of the massive Grand Floridian Resort. However, most of this road is lined by trees on both sides, so many of the beautiful views from the road are obstructed. Disney execs reeeeally don't want you to enjoy the scenery unless you are guests of the hotel.

7.0mi: About where mile marker 7 would be. Just beyond the trees on the right, you can just see a bit of the Grand Floridan.

8.00-9.00mi: Now in this bit of course, there seems to be some confusion as to what is the correct route. All of the past half-marathons recorded (by the GPS watches of participants, i.e.) give it one way, yet the "official" course maps on the runDisney website have it another way. I'll give you both. Regardless of which is correct, the conditions are the same: flat. The only real difference is that the past-reported route runs to the south of the Richard Petty Driving Experience track, and the future-planned route (reported by runDisney) runs back through the parking lot and to the North of the track (basically, past mile 8, the same way out the way you came in). Additionally, near the end of this section of road -- about mile marker 9 -- is where full-marathoners break away from the half-marthoners. 

8.0-9.0mi: Excuse my freehand (blue and green). The route in red represents the most oft-reported half-marathon
route by past participants. The blue represents the planned half-marathon route (at least, planned for 2014) as reported
by the runDisney website. The green is also via runDisney, but represents the full marathon route.

9.0mi: If the race route posted on the runDisney site is correct, half-marathoners continue straight back through
the entrance (red line), and full-marathoners take the right-hand exit pictured.

9.0-12.0: Remember that boring highway you ran at the beginning of the race? It's time to do it again. Past the Magic Kingdom parking booths -- and mile marker 9 just beyond it -- it's the same stretch of World Way, this time Southbound back towards Epcot. Again, nothing really remarkable, until the exit back on to Epcot Center Drive, which, again, gives really the only incline seen on-route.

10.0mi: About where mile marker 10 would be is the bridge exit back on to Epcot Center Drive.

10.2mi: Stay to the right to exit back on to Epcot Center Drive. What little incline you see here -- that's pretty much it.

The run-in would seem the same as run-out, but luckily, for the final miles, it isn't. A quick switch-back on Epcot Center Drive puts runners in to Epcot's main lot, headed straight on in to the park. Surprisingly, from this switchback, and along the Western edge of the main lots, is nearly a mile long and more before reaching the first stretches of park.

10.5mi: A quick switch-back on Epcot Center Drive. This will take you in to the Western-most portion of Epcot's main lots.

Epcot Center, 12.0mi to Finish: Mile 12 comes just as runners are exiting the car park and in to the park's main bus drop-off area.

10.4-13.1mi: The final bits of route, through Epcot park. Runners enter on to the park grounds via the Southwestern-most
corner of the car park, and then along the Eastern-most edge of the bus drop-off area.

12.0mi: About the location of mile marker 12, at the Eastern-most edge of the bus drop-off area, after just exiting the
car park. The central attraction, Spaceship Earth, is clearly visible from here.