Hiya Danielle - welcome to
planDisney!
I'm so excited to hEAR that you'll be visiting Walt Disney World Resort in just a couple of weeks! Plus, it sounds like your marathon training is kicking into high gEAR - are you running in the 30th Anniversary of the
runDisney Walt Disney World Marathon in January?!
Danielle, while we all know how easy it is to log miles and miles of
walking in the magical Theme Parks, running is not permitted with the Theme Parks, Disney Springs, and some other areas at Walt Disney World Resort (e.g., pool areas). The good news is that there are still plenty of places to get in a great training run. With the distance you need to hit, you'll just need to get creative ... or repetitive!
Most Disney Resorts Collection hotels offer a formal running trail or will provide you with advice on good routes, but in most cases, these are less than two miles long. One popular longer option is to run from the Transportation and Ticket Center to Disney's Contemporary Resort. The new path that recently opened between Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Magic Kingdom Park makes this possible. Keep in mind that this route does take you near the entrance to Magic Kingdom Park, and Cast Members may ask you to walk for a short time if they deem it necessary for the safety of other Guests, especially if it's busy. You'd want to map it out yourself, but it's around three miles one way. There is currently some construction between the Grand Floridian and Polynesian along the path, so the scenery there isn't very magical right now.
Another longer option can be found in the EPCOT Resort Area. The formal running trail around Crescent Lake, passing Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts and Disney's BoardWalk, has fantastic scenery but is only about one mile long. Luckily, there are a few ways to significantly extend it! You can add a leg running to Disney's Hollywood Studios, and there are also sidewalks along Epcot Resorts Boulevard and a small portion of East Buena Vista Drive. These would take you the "long way" around the exterior of several Resort properties, and while I haven't mapped it out for distance, using these sidewalks would
significantly reduce the number of laps you'd need to undertake to get to 18 miles.
Danielle, keep in mind that even in December, Florida can get still get quite hot and muggy. If the weather gets in the way, many
Disney Resorts Collection hotels offer fitness centers with treadmills as a last resort!
I hope this information is helpful -
run by any time with more questions!Ryan J.