How I Racecation at Disney

If you read the blog last week, you know I ran my first full marathon as part of the runDisney Marathon Weekend on January 7. I talked a little about racecations and some of my favorite runDisney tips, but today I thought I would go through the process of planning my racecation in a little more detail.

I am going to talk about this most recent race, but I have done many racecations where I did things differently depending on the distance and the city I was in. I am always thrilled to be able to assist you in planning a trip and I would LOVE to help you with a racecation to any destination!

I did not consider myself a runner when I booked my first racecation. One of the best things about runDisney is there are people of all levels participating so even if you have never run a race before, you will fit right in at Disney.

The first step in planning any racecation is registering for your race. You want to make sure you can actually run the event before you make too many plans. In the case of runDisney, registration happens well in advance of the race and sells out the same day. You need a plan and fast fingers to get in! Other races in other cities do sell out or even have a lottery to be able to enter (like the Chicago and New York City Marathons, for example).

Once you have secured your race reservation, it is important to get a room booked as soon as possible before resorts fill up and/or get more expensive. For a runDisney event, we can actually get your resort booked before your race registration since their cancellation policy would allow you to get a full refund if you didn’t happen to get into the race.

How do you decide where to stay? For a runDisney race, staying on property is the easiest because each resort provides transportation to and from the expo (where you pick up your race bib and t-shirt) at ESPN Wide World of Sports, as well as transportation to and from the race. If you do have a car, you can choose to drive and park for free at the expo and races, but I find the bus to be very easy.

Choosing which Disney resort you stay at depends on how much you are willing to pay for convenience. I have stayed in a resort in each category (value, moderate, and deluxe) for a race weekend and they are all pretty much the same minus a few key factors. 

For the marathon, I decided to stay at Port Orleans French Quarter because it is the smallest resort on property and I wanted to spend less time on my feet. I knew my husband would also appreciate the shorter walk for coffee. I didn’t plan to spend every day at the parks and I had a few restaurants at Disney Springs I wanted to eat at. French Quarter offers boat transportation to Disney Springs, which made eating there really easy for us. 

French Quarter on race morning

French Quarter also does some nice things for runners during race weekends. They had a table of little things you could take and a picture frame to snap a photo with as soon as you got off the bus. There were also plenty of cast members applauding and congratulating you. They also had a runner’s lounge area by the pool (I didn’t go, but I heard there were some snacks). 

For this race, I knew I didn’t want to be on my feet as much as my normal Disney vacations, but I still wanted to spend some time at the parks. This was easy since it was an adults only trip. My daughters are non-stop in the parks and I knew that is not what this trip was going to be, so we left them at home this time. We did go to 3 parks, but we didn’t spend all day or do everything. I got to see fireworks, ride a couple of rides, and eat some food. It was the perfect balance for me. Some people can do full park days and race, and I can and will do that when I race shorter distances, but when it came to me and 26.2 miles, I knew I didn’t want to start the race with super tired legs. 

My race weekend schedule looked like this:

Thursday: Travel day, Expo for race bib pickup, The Boathouse at Disney Springs for dinner

Iowans can eat outside in Florida during January (if there is a heatlamp) - at The BOATHOUSE

Friday: Magic Kingdom, rest, Steakhouse 71 for dinner, back to Magic Kingdom for fireworks

Saturday: Brunch at Disney Springs, rest (including finding a lovely bench by a fountain and reading my book outdoors), dinner at Rix at Coronado Springs Resort, early to bed

Sunday: RACE DAY! I rested just a bit at the resort, Epcot, dinner at Topolino’s Terrace at the Riviera Resort, back to Epcot for fireworks

Monday: Animal Kingdom, rest, Raglan Road at Disney Springs for dinner

Tuesday: Travel home (which turned into Wednesday due to a snow storm in Iowa…)

Stuck in the airport, but made it home eventually

Do I recommend doing a full Disney vacation with all the parks and all the walking during a race weekend? Probably not. I have not always followed this advice and won’t in April, but I know my family can handle it. If you aren’t sure how your family does Disney and what you need as far as rest time, that is part of what I help you figure out as your travel advisor. But if you are going for a racecation, especially your first one, I advise you to not overplan. 

Do you have any racecation questions for me? Put them in the comments below!