Hi Amanda,
Welcome to planDisney!
How exciting that you are going to be at the Walt Disney World Resort during a
runDisney race weekend! We had a similar surprise with our last trip. Not long after I booked it, I realized that it was
runDisney Marathon weekend. I am happy to report that we just returned from that trip earlier this week and had a fabulous time. Although it was busy, the race events were quite organized. There were signs up with posted information for runners at the resort hotels. Our plans were not disrupted!
Once you arrive, I do suggest that you check the posted signs that provide info for the race weekend. We were at Disney's Bay Lake Tower during our stay and the Marathon Weekend signs that were posted were for Bus Route #5 (yellow). On the signs we saw, runners had a 5:00 a.m. time to report and event buses started running by 3:00 a.m. My family was still asleep at this time! While at Magic Kingdom one day, I noticed that quite a few runners and families started arriving in the park about 12:30 p.m. So, we had a lovely time in the park with reasonable attraction wait times in the morning.
Amanda, given the anticipated crowds, I do strongly recommend making
advanced dining reservations. We saw several guests walk into restaurants to inquire about seating only to be told that there was no availability. Given that you may have other plans and more specific transportation questions, I do also suggest that you check with a cast member at the resort hotel when you arrive. Sending a little extra pixie dust your way trusting that your trip is as uninterrupted as ours was!
Magic and memories,
Donyell