Welcome to planDisney, Alyssa! I still cannot believe runDisney Marathon Weekend is THIS weekend. Time to start packing! I'm glad you came to planDisney with this question. I have been trying to figure this out myself, as I make plans to cheer for my friends in the Half Marathon on Saturday. You are right that getting there and getting back to your resort require slightly different strategies.
As you know, you can take the bus from Pop Century and then the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. It is really easy to make the trek to Magic Kingdom as the buses drop off at the same location you are used to when visiting EPCOT, not far at all from the Monorail station. Buses to the event run from 2:30 to 4:30 am. Seeing runners on Main Street USA is a very popular location, so I would tend to be on the earlier side to arrive at Magic Kingdom and find your spot.
You can get back to Pop Century by reversing your path. Take the monorail back to EPCOT. The buses heading back to the resorts after the race, however, are not where you were dropped off: they are in the Reunion Area, near the start and finish lines in the EPCOT parking lot. You can easily follow signs directing runners and spectators to the runDisney staging and viewing locations to find your way. The
runDisney Marathon event site has super helpful maps if you are a visual person like me. Buses are available to take you back to Pop Century between 7:30 am and 1:30 pm.
While on the marathon event site, be sure to check out the "Unofficial Live Results" page for a link where you can see your husband's progress to get an idea of when he might be getting close to the Magic Kingdom. And check the back of his bib for the directions on how to link his bib number to connect to
Photo Pass so you can find all of the amazing pictures from the race and character stops.
I'll be running on Sunday, too. While you are looking forward to seeing your husband, I can assure you, he will be even more excited to see you. After all the training and the commitment to get to the Start Line, the race is a celebration, and seeing all the cheerleaders and familiar faces who know your journey to get there: priceless beyond words. I am thrilled for you both to have this experience at the Most Magical Place on Earth.
Every Mile is Magic! Wishing him the best on his run and send my congratulations for all the strides to train and courage to cross the Start Line. Please come back to
planDisney if you have any additional questions and know I'll be cheering for him on Sunday too!
Jana