The 2018 WDW Marathon weekend was certainly a memorable one.  From the unusually cold weather,  to the very controversial and frustrating changes made to packet pick up and the runDisney merchandise store, along with the fact it was the 25^th Anniversary of the Marathon and 5^th Anniversary of the Dopey Challenge, and a few other unexpected things made for a weekend of surprises. Some good and some not so much.

After many months of training and preparation, I participated in, and finished the Dopey Challenge (all 4 races, 48.6 miles in total) and my first marathon.  I was excited to attend the expo and kick off this amazing weekend and purchase some merchandise to help me remember this once in a lifetime race experience.

I will review each race individually.  However, it makes sense to start with a review of Marathon Weekend with the Expo.  It was a memorable one for sure.  Knowing what to expect, and how long you should budget to be there, can make or break your expo experience!

The WDW Marathon Weekend Expo

The Expo is held at ESPN Wide World of Sports.  It begins the Wednesday before Marathon Weekend, which begins on Thursday with the 5K, so one day before the first race.  Information about the vendors, where you go to pick up your bibs and shirts, and maps of the different buildings as well as hours and transportation are all available in the official event guide, which is emailed to participants about a month prior to the race weekend.

I’ve attended two other Run Disney Expos in the past 3 years at the World and one at Disneyland.  The east coast races and expos are quite different than the west coast ones.  This was by far, the most frustrating, time consuming, and poorly organized of them all.  Social media was ablaze with complaints, so I was not the only one who thought so!

Transportation

There are basically 3 options to get to/from the expo.  If you are staying at a WDW host resort (which for marathon weekend is pretty much any on property Disney resort), coach buses are provided to/from your resort and the expo.  These are not the Disney transportation buses, they are contracted luxury coach buses and the same ones they use for race transportation.  You cannot go from a park to the expo.  You must go to/from a resort.  We spent the morning at the Animal Kingdom, so we took a bus from there to the Animal Kingdom Lodge to get a bus to the expo.  From the expo, we took the bus back to our resort, Port Orleans Riverside.

The buses began running a half hour before the expo opened.  There is a bus dedicated to each resort. It is by far the most convenient and stress-free way to travel.  The buses drop you off as close to the ESPN complex as you can get by vehicle and pick you up in the same place.  They probably run about every half hour or so, depending on traffic.  They are easy to identify with a number and the name of the resort prominently displayed.  They also tend to stop right in front of your resort, not at the park bus waiting stations.

You can also drive.  Be prepared for traffic and a loooooonnnngggg walk from your car to the actual buildings where the Expo is held.

Uber of Lyft are also options.  I am not sure how close they can get to the walkway to the expo for drop off and pick up though.

Traffic getting to ESPN was crazy this year.  They are doing construction for the new skyway gondolas, so maybe that was a factor, but I really think it was mostly the sheer volume of people trying to get there for the opening time.

My sister and I went to the Animal Kingdom in the morning and planned to take the bus from the Animal Kingdom Lodge to the Expo at 11:30 and meet our parents there.  Our parents were running late and we were cold and wet from the rain and hungry, so we opted to grab lunch at the AK Lodge first and warm up a bit.  We were on the bus around 12:30. We arrived to the Expo around 1.

I thought this was smart, because all the folks who were there before 12 in line waiting for it to open, would be through the line and we wouldn’t have to wait long.  This has held fairly true in the past.  I could not have been more wrong!

Bib and Packet Pick up

The 2018 Expo opened on Wednesday January 3^rd at noon.  If you had registered for race retreat or the Runner’s World VIP, you were granted early entry at 10 am.  Typically, there is a line of people to get in prior to expo opening, but it’s usually for the Run Disney merchandise.  It was cold and pouring with rain all morning until about 1 pm.  Rumor is they let the non-VIP folks in a bit earlier than noon, so they didn’t have to stand in the rain as long, but there was still a line outside!

In the past, bib and T shirt pick up were in the same place for all races.  You picked up your bib and then you picked up your T-shirts right around the corner.  If you needed to exchange a shirt for a different size, it was right there.  Not so this year.

If you had pre-ordered commemorative merchandise, it was previously handed to you with your bib.  There was also a small runDisney merchandise store with a larger one on the expo floor with the other vendors.  It worked great, everything flowed nicely and most of the waiting was indoors.

Not so this go round.  What a fustercluck!  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!  *sigh*

To save time, print your race waiver (which also has your bib # on it), sign it, and bring it with you to the expo. If you forget, you can print out another one, but it will take longer. You also need your driver’s license or form of ID.  In the age of magic bands, people don’t always carry their wallets, but you will need it for the expo.  You can use your magic band or Disney gift cards in the runDisney store, but the rest of the vendors only take cash or credit.

You must pick up your bib(s), race shirts, gEAR bag, and any pre-ordered commemorative items at the expo. They are not available the morning of the races.  You also need ID and must pick up your own bibs, you cannot have someone else pick it up for you, even with written authorization.  You will need to sign a book when you pick up your bib, so double check and make sure it’s yours and you have everything you are supposed to have before you leave the expo.

It’s important to read the event guide and know where you need to go at WWOS to get all of your items.  There are 3 different locations within the complex (in relatively close proximity to each other) that you may need to go to.  If you are with a group, and you are all running different races/challenges, it makes sense to split up and meet at a designated time or place to save time, or if you have no time constraints, to experience it all at your own pace.

Be prepared though, if you are getting there between 12 and 2 on the first day, it will be mobbed.  All the Dopey and 5K runners must go on Wednesday, and those who want runDisney commemorative merchandise line up hours early to get in.  Expect lines for merchandise, both to get into the store and to check out, although the lines at the bib and shirt pick up usually move much more quickly than the lines at the runDisney store.  They typically have a lot of cashiers for the runDisney store, the longer wait is to get in to shop.  They do re-stock, so if there is something you want that appears to be gone, ask a cast member.

At the HP Field House (Josten Center)

• Official runDisney merchandise (lower level)
• Pre-purchased commemorative items (lower level)
• Dopey and Goofy race bibs and shirt pick up
• Runner’s World VIP pick-up
• Runner relations for 5k, 10k, kids races, Dopey and Goofy challenges only

At Champion Stadium

• 5K and 10K race bib and shirt pick up
• kids race bib and shirt pick up
• race retreat pick up
• ChEAR squad pick up
• Exhibitors

At the Visa Athletic Center (Expo exhibit floor/vendors)

• Half marathon and full marathon bib and shirt pick up (individual races, not the challenges)
• Castaway Cay race bib and shirt
• runner relations half and full only
• shirt exchange
• exhibitors
• runDisney HQ (event info, transportation info, runner tracking, etc.)
• There is a list in the event guide of what exhibitors/vendors are scheduled and a map of their locations

Packet pick up for the Dopey and Goofy (the two multi-race challenges) was in the Josten Center building upstairs.  In the past, it was on the lower level, where there is much more space.  When I arrived at about 1 pm, there was a crazy long line of hundreds of people outside in the cold just to get in to pick up those bibs.   It moved quickly, but it was still ridiculous.  I probably waited outside a good 20-25 minutes.  This is a photo of the line I was in.  It had 3 switchbacks the length of the building and stretched to the entrance gate at one point.

The line was not well managed in that when I arrived, it was unclear where the end of the line was and signage was poor or just plain wrong in places, both inside and outside of the buildings used for the Expo.  I expected more from Disney, who is the grand master of managing hundreds of people in lines!

For this bib pick up area, once you were inside the building, printers were available to print waivers if you forgot, and a volunteer reminding folks they needed their waiver to get their bib.  It appeared that the line was so long outside because there simply was not enough room inside.

Once you got into the area where you picked up your bib, it was very well organized by bib number and race.  You just found the right line and picked up your bib.  There were 3 people in front of me and the line moved quickly.  You needed your ID and to sign that you received the correct bib when obtaining it. We were also given two unexpected gifts with our bib.  A 25^th anniversary rubber luggage tag and Run Disney bib clips.  I’m not sure if everyone got them or just the marathon and challenge runners.

Challenge participants had to get their photo taken with their bib, but this was not made clear with any signage, which would have helped.  If I had not seen someone taking a photo, and had participated in a challenge before, I’d have thought it was just a photo op, and very easily missed it.  There was also only one photographer I saw.  The volunteer that gave me my bib said to get my picture taken, but did not say why.  I imagine quite a few people didn’t realize why they were supposed to get their photo taken or why.  It was for ID verification when you picked up your challenge medals.  They had laptops that pulled up your bib number and your photo, to verify you were in fact you, and that you completed all the races before you received your Goofy or Dopey medals.

After getting your bib, you went around the corner and picked up your shirts.  For the challenges, they had pre-packaged all 6 shirts in a big roll inside of your clear runDisney gEAR bag (for bag check at the races).  That made it super efficient.

Commemorative Pre-purchases

When you register, you have the option to pre-purchase commemorative merchandise.  Options included a runDisney shoe ornament, a special running Mickey figurine, pins, magnets, kids race ears, and a pre-order jacket.  There are sometimes other options as well.  They are all blind purchases as you have no idea what any of them will look like when you buy them, and all but the jacket were also available at the runDisney store.

I had pre-purchased the jacket (this design is only available pre-order) and a commemorative pin set.  Know that Champion is the current vendor who makes the runDisney clothing, and it runs small!   I normally wear a small. For the race shirts I get a medium, for all the other clothing I get a large and it fits comfortably but is in no way too big!  Order up at least one size!!  In hindsight, I should not have purchased the pins.  I prefer the medal replica pins instead.

On the lower floor was where you picked up the commemorative merchandise.  Normally you’d just walk down the stairs to get there.  However, you had to exit the building after getting your bib and shirts.  There was a volunteer as you exited the building directing you where to go.  Even though it was downstairs in the same building, you had to exit the building and walk a short distance to access the area from the outside.  This was because the Run Disney merchandise store was on the same level and access was only from outside a different door (which also happened to be the side where the inside stairs were).

For this expo, 5k and 10 K pickup were OUTSIDE, but under the protective roof of the stadium, along with some vendors.  It was FREEZING, literally (with the wind chill for sure) outside!  And it rained the first morning into the early afternoon of packet pick up.  It was terrible for the volunteers, vendors, and race participants. Signage was poor and there were computers available to print waivers, but I saw a huge line at one printer and no one at another one, because no one could see it was there.  ESPN is huge, there has to be more indoor space they could use to house these vendors and bib pick up.

The half-marathon and Marathon only participants had their bib and shirt pick up in the same building as the rest of the Expo vendors.  I did not hear of any issues with that area.

The runDisney merchandise store, or, how runDisney created a nightmare of unnecessary proportions

Normally, when I’ve attended runDisney expos in the past, I allotted 60-90 minutes to do everything, and that was usually plenty of time to get my bib and T-shirts, shop the runDisney race merchandise, and tour the expo floor.  Transportation via bus from the resorts was quick and easy.

OMG, this was a nightmare!  I don’t think it had anything to do with numbers, because Marathon Weekend typically has the same average attendance every year and the same number of people attending the expo on day one at opening.  The problem was runDisney took a system that was working well in the past, and broke it.  Badly.

There is always a line to access runDisney race merchandise on the first day of the expo.  Particularly when it opens.  But that line has always been indoors and well managed with tape lines on the floor marking the queue. It was to manage the number of people in the store at any given time and to help manage the check out area, which always moves very quickly as they have 12+ cashiers.

This year, they only had one runDisney store.  It was huge, and fairly well-organized and well stocked with a variety of merchandise.  Because it was the 5^th anniversary of Dopey and the 25^th anniversary of the marathon, there were a lot of items specific to those two races, as well as generic marathon weekend items, the typical I did it! Shirts, and more.  It was organized by race distance, which made it easier.  They had employees constantly restocking as items were literally flying off the racks and shelves.

Historically, runDisney has run out of the high demand merchandise (like Dopey and anniversary items) within the first hour or two of the expo, which has in part, created this rush for merchandise and long waits.  But this was ridiculous.  I’ve always said they should allow pre-ordering of these things, so they can be delivered to your house and they’d know how many they needed and would be far less likely to sell out so quickly.  This is a small part of the merchandise they teased pre-expo.

The part that they broke, was the way they managed the line to get into the store.  Because of the new location, and the size of the store, the line inside could only accommodate maybe 100 people.  So they queued everyone up outside.  There was an area under a tent that held maybe 200 people, and then the line stretched probably ¼ mile down from there.  By the time I got in line, the sun was out but it was quite chilly and windy.  We waited in that line over an hour just to get into the building!  They would let people in 30-50 at a time.  Once inside, you still had to wait to be let into the actual store.  This was after it had taken me over an hour just to get my bib, T-shirt, and commemorative pre-ordered merchandise (I had to wait 20+ minutes in line for that, too!)

For a while, Rudy Novotony, one of the race announcers, was interviewing people in line and it was being broadcast on a big screen.  It was somewhat entertaining.

Once we finally got into the store, I spent about 25 minutes shopping.  I knew what I wanted, located it, and then got in line to check out.  That line was maybe 10 minutes at the most.  I purchased the medal replica pins, two magnets (one Dopey and one 26.2), three shirts (one Dopey, two marathon), two sweaty bands (dopey and marathon), and a Tervis 25^th anniversary marathon weekend tumbler.  I paid with my Disney Visa rewards card and Disney gift cards.  Easy peasy.

The EXPO floor

The expo floor was in the Visa center.  It’s a short walk from the Josten Center.  We made quick work of the expo.  They no longer have a speaker series.  They had several running related vendors, but the busiest might have been the weather shield throw-away pants and jackets for $10 each, which were selling like hotcakes given the really cold weather predicted.  Jeff Galloway was there as well at his booth.  We actually purchased the weather shield products and they worked great!  Definitely recommend them!  Worth every penny.

After the expo we made our way to the bus back to our resort.  They had banners up with each race distance, so we stopped and took some photos at them.  It was fun.  At this point, we had abandoned our plan to head back to the Animal Kingdom since we’d missed 2 off our 3 fast passes already and had to get up crazy early the next morning.

 

Our bus was waiting and we had a somewhat slow, but much faster return trip to our resort.

Expo advice in a nutshell

Given my experience, this is my overall recommendation for attending a runDisney expo.  Dedicate your afternoon to it if you are going the first day.  Don’t plan on a park that day.  Expect it to take several hours, bring a snack (you can eat there, too) and water, dress for the weather in case you are outside for any length of time in line, and take the time to visit the vendors.  There are many and they offer a great chance to talk to reps, try on shoes or accessories, and many have giveaways and raffles.

If you want specific merchandise, you really do need to go the first day, and early.  Sizes on runDisney merchandise runs small, so either try things on or size up at least one size, possibly two.    I was in the store a few hours after it opened, and the worker who was stocking the rack with the Dopey women’s long sleeve shirts said he was putting out the last of the inventory and women were taking them out of his hands!  It was nuts.  I don’t know if it was truly the last of that particular style or not, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.

If you are driving, expect traffic.  Even if you are taking the resort transportation, expect traffic.  It was awful.  A 10-minute ride took 30, and I heard parking for those that drove was also a nightmare and a crazy long walk from the parking to the expo area.  At least the resort buses drop you off as close as you can get by vehicle.

If you don’t have to go the first day (5k and Dopey runners have no choice), and you don’t care about specific high demand merchandise, wait until at least late in the day the first day, or any other day.  The demand is all about the runDisney merch and that is what consumes the most time.

There is lots to see and do at a runDisney expo.  If it’s your first time, take the time to explore and take advantage of all that is available.  It’s much less stressful if you are not in a rush to get somewhere else!

Now, on to the races!!