Hi Lori, and welcome to planDisney!
Marathon weekend is one of my favorite runDisney events, both as a runner and a spectator. The supportive energy is lots of fun. So I’d be happy to chat about transportation so you can cheer on your athlete!
Since you mentioned taking the last resort transportation bus at 4:30 a.m., it sounds like you’re cheering someone in the half marathon. While you can use a ride share service, it’s usually safest to stick with Disney transportation because of road closures. The
regular bus to EPCOT and the
boat to Magic Kingdom (where you can then board the
monorail) don’t start running until about 45-60 minutes before
Early Theme Park Entry, so that might be too late for you to catch your runner at the finish line.
If you don’t want to risk missing any of the action, I’d recommend taking one of the last resort transportation buses to the finish line area (located in the EPCOT parking lot). Since you’ll be there so early, you can take the monorail to Magic Kingdom and watch your athlete at the mile 5.4 spectator viewpoint on Main Street, U.S.A. This is such a magical place to watch the race. It might look crowded, but everyone is great about letting people move to the front when their family and friends are close. Once you see your athlete run by, head back to the monorail to catch them at the finish line! The race transportation schedule, list of spectator viewpoints, and course map can be found in the
Digital Expo & Event Guide for the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.
Before I go, I wanted to share some tips that were helpful when I spectated during past runDisney races. First, use your runner’s bib number and expected pace, along with the course map, to estimate when you should be at the different viewing spots. Then you can use the
unofficial live results on the day of the race to see when they cross the start line and pass certain milestones. If you have iPhones, I’ve found it extremely helpful for runners to share their live location so you can see where they are in real time. Both the unofficial live results and the iPhone Find My feature can lag, so make sure you start looking for your athlete before it looks like they’re getting close! And finally, once you’re at your spot, text your runner to let them know where to look for you. The course can get crowded, so that’ll help make sure they don’t miss you!
I hope you have a magical time watching the half marathon this weekend! And if you have any other questions, you’re always welcome at planDisney.
JoAnna