The 2006 Walt Disney World Marathon may be in the record books, but Lani Teshima, editor of MousePlanet’s WDW Marathon Guide (link), continues to receive letters about next year’s marathon, as well as other Disney endurance events-related questions:
Bill Floyd writes:
I have enjoyed your articles leading up to the marathon this year. My wife and I looked forward to them as we were training as well.
I was wondering if you heard anything about the problems with the kids’ races on Saturday? It seemed like they were very unorganized and the directions for getting kids around weren’t that great. It surprised us since they usually are well run but this time it was definitely different.
Although I did not hear about the kids’ races specifically, I believe they are organized by the same people who put on the 5K fun walk. And more than a few people have written about how disorganized the 5K seemed this year. For one thing, the event started 20 minutes late with no explanation, and registration for it was in a different location at the expo, and so on.
Hopefully they’ve had a chance to do some post-project evaluations and will not be experiencing the same problems again next year.
Thanks for taking the time to write!
Raymond Frankoski writes:
Can you tell me where I might be able to obtain a 2006 “I did it Shirt” for her. She did run the full course but was unable to purchase the shirt. Her Size is large. Thanking you in advance for your help.
My suggestion is that you contact the folks at Disney Sports at disneysport@emmi.com. Oftentimes, they do sell the “I Did It” type shirts and merchandise after the event at the on-property stores.
Good luck!
Allen Fee writes:
I was wondering when the cut off date for marathon registration was. i.e. The latest you could register?
I am assuming you are asking about the Walt Disney World Marathon, held in January, and that you are inquiring about registration for the 2007 event?
Disney does not have an official published cut-off date for registration, as far as I know. This is because the event always sells out, and Disney halts registration when they reach capacity. Traditionally, this has occurred sometime in the summer.
In the past, the half-marathon event filled up much quicker because there was a lower ceiling on registration, but with the split of the half-marathon to Saturdays, the number has increased dramatically and registration should probably still be open through the summer.
Also, don’t forget that there is an inaugural Disneyland half-marathon this coming September, too!
Dana Struyk writes:
Please e-mail the 2007 Disney Marathon Application and information. I had a friend who ran in 2006 and told me how awesome it was. I do not want to miss this. Thank you.
I am happy to hear that your friend enjoyed the Walt Disney World Marathon.
You can complete your own registration for the 2007 Walt Disney World Marathon or Half-Marathon by going to Disney’s official Web site (link) and filling out the online form, or printing out their PDF form and mailing it.
While we provide extensive information about the event, since we are not officially affiliated with the Walt Disney Company, we do not provide registration services for their marathon event.
Thanks for taking the time to write, and good luck on your training!
Even MousePlanet staff writer Mark Goldhaber gets an occasional marathon question. Jennifer DeKievit writes:
Hello Mark! Sorry to bother you, but my dad and sister are participating in the Disney Half-Marathon in January and my Dad would like to know how many people are registered for the half-marathon. Would you by any chance have that information or know where I could look it up? He’s also interested in finding out how many participants there will be in his age group (he’s 69 years old!)
I can tell you that there are 16,000 people running the half-marathon (14,000 are running the full, nearly 3,000 of whom are running both races). As to the age breakdown, I don’t have that available right now. However, once the race results go up on the marathon site after the race, it should be possible to search by either specific age or age range, and you can get a count that way. Hope this helps!
The article “Dieting in Disneyland” (link), on ways to eat more healthfully on a Disney vacation by Adrienne Krock and Stephanie Wien prompted several readers to share their stories of visiting Disneyland while on a diet.
Inthia Seabrooks writes:
Hello ladies. I want to say ‘Thank You.’ I started Weight Watchers recently. I use Disneyland as an excuse to get out and be on my feet running around and earning some activity points. I love their fruit carts! It gets a bit hard when it comes to meals, but you offered some great ideas and tips. I’m going to use them my next time in the park.
Thanks for your letter and you’re welcome. Congratulations on taking a step toward healthier living!
Adrienne writes: We have a little support group of Weight Watching Disney fans at MousePad in our Team MousePlanet forum (link). Please feel free to join us.
Brenda writes:
Very good article! I have actually lost 30 pounds going to Disneyland on the weekends. I have used a lot of what you mentioned to lose this weight. It’s not what you eat, its how much you eat. And walking back and forth between Tomorrowland and Frontierland helps, too (I like to watch Push and Laughing Stock, Co., while riding a few rides in between)! Now to lose 30 more pounds! It’s not an easy journey but I’m up for it and why not do it at the Happiest Place on Earth?! Thanks for such a great article!
Congratulations on your weight-loss accomplishment! Have you ever worn a pedometer to measure how many steps you take during a weekend visit? Feel free to join fellow weight-watching Disney fans in our Team MousePlanet forum at MousePad to share your tips, tricks and accomplishments. Thank you for taking the time to write to us.
Bob Becker writes:
Great article, our family takes advantage of the fruit carts numerous times during the day. I’m especially fond of the giant pickles. There is a hole in the wall in Toontown that we like to eat lunch at (can’t remember the name) that’s not open all the time but they have terrific sandwiches, salads and fruit plates.
Adrienne reports that the “hole in the wall” in Toontown is called “Toon-up Treats” near Goofy’s Garage. Apparently, those in Anaheim are fortunate: They only have one single fruit cart in each of the WDW parks.
Monica Whitaker writes:
I wanted to thank you for the article on dieting at Disneyland. We go to Disneyland often and we have just joined Weight Watchers. By any chance do you know how many points a Monte Cristo sandwich is at the Blue Bayou? We love that sandwich but we don’t know how many points it has. Also where is the healthiest place to eat in the park? Thank you again for this helpful article. Have a magical day!
It’s hard to estimate the points in the Monte Cristo. According to the Weight Watchers recipe builder, they have 20 points in them, but that sounds a little low to us; the recipe builder doesn’t allow for the whole thing getting deep-fried in oil. The good news is that if you share it with someone, it’s half as many points.
As for the healthiest place in the park, that’s hard to say. Red Rockett’s Pizza Port has some great salad choices, and Tortilla Jo’s Taqueria has soft tacos a la carte. Remember, you can ask for cheese, dressings and sauces off of the food at most locations. Some readers have shared their opinions in a thread in the Team MousePlanet forum on MousePad that was inspired by your letter (link). Feel free to come join in the discussion.
Thank you for taking the time to write to us.
Finally, Stephanie Wien answers a question from Tim, who writes:
I was reading about Disney rides fitting large size adults. I started out at 395 pounds and fit everything at Disneyland, some barely, but I am dieting big time, and the one and only ride I could not fit on at California Adventure was the Orange Stinger.
What I would like to know is the dimensions of the seat (width, length, height of the pull down bar on the chains). I want to measure myself and not go again until I can fit that ride as a personal accomplishment. I am now down to 305. My sister used to be to large for this attraction but she lost over 120 pounds and now fits on it and she says it’s like freedom for a fat person to fit and ride it.
First, congratulations on your weight loss. Unfortunately, there is actually a weight limit for the Orange Stinger, although the signage isn’t obvious. You must be under 200 pounds to ride. I’m not sure of the dimensions of the seat.
Best of luck in your continued weight loss.
