Disney ran out of pixie dust for a group of about 200 joggers
and walkers during the January 9 Walt Disney World Marathon and Half-Marathon
when they were refused entry outside of the Magic Kingdom without warning
and left abandoned with no water or restroom facilities.
The Walt Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon held every January are
known for their fun atmosphere, with participants cheered on by cast members
and Disney characters as they wind their way through the theme parks before
they open. The event has built a reputation for being a beginner-friendly
course, with Disney actively marketing to non-elite joggers and walkers—leading
many people to choose the races as their first official distance challenge.
The race rules state that participants must keep up a 16-minute-per-mile
pace and reach the half-marathon distance in 3.5 hours, or be picked up
by a “sweeper bus” and transported to the finish area without
a chance to complete the course. The rules also state that “the time
it takes the last entrant to cross the start line will be added to the
overall [time] limit ensuring all participants a 16-minute per mile pace.”
Disney determines who gets positioned last in the pre-race holding area
based on past performance (or lack thereof).
With 24,000 participants for the races this year, it took over 15 minutes
for everyone to cross the starting line when the races began at 6:00.
By all accounts, those who were on their 16-minute-mile pace were encouraged
throughout the course and ensured repeatedly by volunteers and staff that
they were on pace to avoid being swept, while those who took longer were
stopped and swept at designated spots (often coinciding with aid stations)
on the course.
At approximately 8:45, a group of around 200 passing the Contemporary
Resort (who were now at the back of the pack, with the slower runners
having already been swept off the course) were told that they were just
behind pace, and if they picked up the pace a little, they could make
the cut-off to get through the Magic Kingdom. They all hurried and got
to the backstage gate at the Magic Kingdom at a couple of minutes before
9:00, only to be greeted by a closed gate and cast members telling them
that the gates had closed at 9:00 exactly so that they could open the
park.
Since the gate was not an official aid station or a designated sweep
spot, participants were stranded with no water, no shade, no seats, no
snacks, no porta-potties for over 40 minutes, and this has people crying
foul.
Some individuals who were caught in this impromptu shut-out are angry
because they believe Disney closed the gates prematurely. One such person
is Terry from St. Louis, Missouri, who says she did not cross the starting
line until 6:17, with a number of persons still well behind her. According
to Terry, she averaged a 15-minute-per-mile pace, but was held up right
after the 3-mile-mark near Epcot along with others (many of whom ended
up at the mile-10 shut-out) who had to wait while medics treated a man
who had collapsed on the course.
“We hit the 10-mile marker at 8:50… We were at the very front
of the people getting stopped,” said Terry, who says she wished she
ignored the order to stop, and continued on with other individuals who
kept walking.
Heather Thornburg from Colorado said, “What upset me most about
being stuck in the area and swept, was not the lack of water or facilities
although inhumane, but the fact that not once did any race official or
volunteer say to us or the large group I was walking with to speed it
up. Everyone we asked said, ‘You’re doing good.’”
For Jennifer Roglitz of Salisbury, Maryland, the challenge to do the
Disney Marathon was the culmination of a long and dedicated process. Jennifer
lost 60 pounds and raised $3,600 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s
Team in Training program as part of her training for the Disney Marathon.
As with Terry, Jennifer felt she was on pace, and the response she got
from all the course staff she could find along the route was that she
was on pace.
“I even saw my Team in Training rep around mile 9, I think, and
she said I was fine,” Jennifer said. Yet for her, the worst part
was not her inability to finish the course. “The worst part was that
my little girl was waiting for me just inside Magic Kingdom with a special
sign for her mommy saying how proud she was. I called my mom on my cell
to let her know what happened, and my little girl said she wished she
could get the Fairy Godmother’s wand to help me get to her and finish
my race. It was very hard,” she said, noting that she still has difficulty
talking about her experience with others.
It is unclear whether cutting runners off at mile 10 was technically
correct (both in location and in time), but Disney has been traditionally
known for not enforcing this cut-off so rigidly in the past, with the
slower participants being allowed to at least complete the course, even
if they could not cross the finish line before the official clock was
dismantled.
What has upset many of those caught in this impromptu shut-out is not
that they were swept, but what they claim was uncourteous, unprofessional,
and unDisney-like behavior by those who told them they missed their cut-off.
One such participant is Andrea Seitzman-Seizel of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Andrea is a seasoned marathoner with over five full marathons (the fastest
at a respectable time of 4:30) and eight half-marathons under her belt.
She ran her full Disney marathon in 2002 and had such a wonderful experience
that she brought her family from New York along to be spectators in 2003.
The excitement rubbed off on Andrea’s sister, Erica, who after working
as a marathon volunteer in 2004, decided to do the half-marathon with
Andrea this year. They recruited Lisa, another friend> They chose to walk
the event instead of run it because Lisa was 15 weeks pregnant.
Andrea knew they might get swept, although they knew their pace would
be close. She had confidence that they were doing OK, however, because
a number of coaches and trainers for various fundraising organizations
were among their group, motivating and cheering their participants on
to ensure that they maintained their requisite pace.
“When we got to mile 10, the guy was so rude,” Andrea said. “He
just said, ‘That’s it, you have to stop and there’s a bus coming. I’ve
spoken with marathon managers and you have to wait for the bus.’ So they
kept saying the bus was coming, but instead, the police came. They leave
us there for 45 minutes with no water, no explanation, no bus.” For Andrea
and Erica, the hold-up meant their parents (who had vacationed in Walt
Disney World for two weeks before the marathon) had to head home to New
York without being able to wait for them to cross the finish line, as
they had carefully timed their departure to the women’s anticipated finish
time.
Adele Puccio from Bayonne, New Jersey agrees. “They stopped us past
the Contemporary [Resort], after walking up the steepest hill on the course,
at the back security gate into the Magic Kingdom. We were stopped by the
Orange County Sherriff’s Department, not Disney employees. There was no
water, no food, no medical tent, no potty, and no transportation available
to us!”
“It was unprofessional, extremely upsetting, and was especially
dismaying for the people who were walking or running for charity. There
were so many who were in tears over this,” Adele said. Her husband,
Lance Krubner, who also went to Walt Disney World to support her, said,
“Mickey Mouse might’ve been sponsoring this race, but now it seems
like he’s in charge of it.”
The frustration of the situation was almost too much for those caught
in the shut-out, but it was worse for those who were participating as
part of a fundraiser. These programs involve months of hard work, not
only in physical training but in raising money, often for loved ones whom
they lost to the particularly illness or disease. Such an emotional investment
makes the completion of a marathon special, but failure that much more
of a disappointment.
One woman finally had a chance to meet with her parents who were worried
about her whereabouts and waiting for word at a family reunion tent. The
woman wore a shirt identifying her as an official fundraiser participant
for the Train to End Stroke program of the American Heart Association,
but what was unmistakable was her sheer anger as she screamed, tears flowing
down her face. “I was walking fast enough but they wouldn’t let me
finish! They wouldn’t let me finish!” Many standing near her were
visibly shaken by the woman’s account of her treatment.
Some of the official coaches and trainers representing fundraising groups
(including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training, American
Heart Association’s Train to End Stroke, and Joints in Motion’s Team Arthritis)
themselves were also caught in the mile-10 shut-out. Since it is their
professional responsibility to ensure that their volunteer participants
(those who raised funds to participate in the event) finish the course
on time, many witnesses believe that this is evidence that Disney closed
the Magic Kingdom gate prematurely. A number of witnesses noted that the
trainers were some of the most vocal of those who had been locked out,
because they had been monitoring their pace and making sure they would
not be swept. Officially, however, the organizations are mum on the subject.
Andrea Greif, Director of Public Relations for the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society, would only state to MousePlanet that, “Disney has very well-established
time limits for the course, which we inform our participants about throughout
the training period. And if there are any other concerns, we’re referring
them to Disney.”
Regardless of whether the mile-10 shut-out was premature or not, everyone
we have spoken to who were caught there agrees that the worst part was
the sheer lack of support exhibited by Disney in the hour following the
shut-out. When considering that these participants had already gone 10
miles, and were then forced to wait over 40 minutes in the sun with no
water, shade, sunscreen, or restroom facilities, it is surprising that
the participants did not require emergency medical attention from heatstroke
or exhaustion.
There is some irony; because of the predicted weather for the
day, official announcements made in the waiting area before the marathon
started repeatedly urged participants to go slower than usual to avoid
dangerous heatstroke. So those who may have otherwise made the cut-off,
by heeding the official urgings of race officials, may have very well
found themsleve not allowed to finish the marathon.
In the meantime, the race staff and volunteers stationed in the area
apparently were unsure about what to do. With the trainers and coaches
enquiring aggressively for a solution, suggestions raised included sending
the particpants in reverse 3.1 miles in order to do the entire half-marathon
distance or busing them to the 23.1-mile mark to let them finish the last
3.1 miles of the full marathon course (both of which were nixed as unfeasible).
After 40 minutes, Disney managed to bring a single bus to the shut-off
area. However because of the number of stranded participants, the bus
capacity was wholly inadequate to carry everyone. Unbelievably, those
who did not fit on the bus were then told to find their own way back to
the finish area by taking the monorails. One person noted that with all
the extra walking they were forced to do by walking to the Magic Kingdom
monorail station, then walking from the Ticket and Transportation Center
to the Half-Marathon finish area, their pedometer indicated that they
had walked 16 miles (instead of the 13.1 of the half-marathon course).
Cast members were not informed as the participants were shuffled from
place to place, unsure what to do with the sudden mass of people still
wearing their running numbers, many of whom had been crying and visibly
upset. Terry from St. Louis said, “The gates were reopened and we
were told to walk to the monorail. [We] get to the monorail, [and] they
have no idea why all of these people are trying to get on the express
monorail to the TTC. Finally we get to load. We arrive at the TTC and
are told just to walk to the finish area. Get to the Finish area and are
told we are not allowed in the finish area! Go to Information—told
they don’t have the medals – why are you here? Finally we are allowed
to walk to the finish area where the food/drinks are. We received our
medals, chips are removed.” [Each participant wore a computer chip
through their shoelace to mark their correct course times, and they were
required to return them or face a $35 fine.]
All of those persons we spoke to who were shut out of the Magic Kingdom
and who received medals feel the medals were Disney’s way of trying to
appease them. A participant named Kiena said, “We did receive medals
but it didn’t quite feel right.” One participant even overheard a
race staff person near the finish line referring to the group as “disgruntled
runners.”
“Everything was being torn down, but they decided to give us the
medals because they knew they were in the wrong. Big deal. The medal really
doesn’t mean anything to me,” Adele said.
So far, Disney has not issued a formal apology or announcement about
the incident. However, MousePlanet has learned that the shut-out was due
to an unprecedented decision from an operations manager at the Magic Kingdom,
who for the first time in the marathon’s 12-year history, issued a directive
that no runners be allowed to enter after the park opened. Unconfirmed
at this time is the reason for this order: Over 100,000 conventioneers
(the largest ever for a convention in Orlando) were scheduled to attend
the International Builder’s Show, and park officials wanted to make sure
no straggling walker would affect the experience of the conventioneers
attending the Magic Kingdom.
This information has angered Heather Thornburg enough to write a letter
to Disney. In it, she writes:
“We were told he was shutting the gate because it was time to
open the park to the ‘paying customers.’ ‘Paying customers?’ Last time
I checked, I was included in that group. I paid over $80 just to be
in the marathon. That is more than the cost of one day in the park.
I paid for a room on WDW resort property for four nights: two at All-Star
Movies and two at Port Orleans. I bought overpriced WDW food. Rode WDW
buses. Wore WDW accessories purchased at WDW stores. I had a $26 WDW
‘I Did It’ shirt waiting for me in the car. I had an $8.50 ‘My First
Disney Marathon’ pin & a $20 Disney Half-Marathon hat. I had two WDW
refillable mugs; one from each resort we stayed at on this trip. I even
paid the ridiculous price of $2.95 in the gift shop for a half gallon
of milk for my son. Also $4 for a Stitch antennae topper. On top of
all the money we spent at Disney, there were the expenses Disney is
not directly involved in like airfare for two adults and one child.
Parking costs at the airport. Gas and tolls to and from the airport.
Car rental. I was a ‘paying customer.’”
According to one source involved in the racing community in Florida,
marathon officials were not even aware that its participants had been
shut out from the Magic Kingdom until approximately 15 minutes after it
happened. At that point, officials began the mad scramble to locate and
arrange for sweeper buses to pick up the stranded.
Many are now questioning the purpose of the 3.5-hour cutoff. Is it to
discourage extremely slow walkers? If so, this event should not be touted
as being beginner-friendly. If it’s to make sure the Magic Kingdom is
open at 9, some suggest that Disney should consider starting the marathon
at 5:30 instead of 6.
People train to maintain the 16-minute-per-mile pace. Historically, Disney
has allowed the slower walkers to complete their course even if they did
not make the cut-off time, sometimes letting walkers finish without an
official finish time or a medal (just to allow them to complete the distance).
For those who have trained months for the event, it is not necessarily
the official finish time or even the medal that matters, but that they
were able to meet their challenge and go the distance.
Regardless, many of those prevented from completing the course—and
fulfilling their dreams—are unsure about whether they will return
for another Disney marathon.
Adele said, “If I received an apology I think it would soften my
views towards Disney. Not sure about returning for another marathon, though.”
Another person wrote, “Would I do it again? No, not after the way
Disney treated us this time.”
Andrea says she felt like she was not a valued race participant at all.
Her sister, Erica, feels like she didn’t count for anything, even though
she increased her involvement with the marathon over the past four years.
Their friend Lisa was disappointed with the negative experience as well.
All three have decided that they will not participate in the Disney marathon
again because of this experience.
Others, however, understand that this was an anomaly, and plan to return
to Disney in the future, assuming that Disney offers assurances that this
does not occur again in the future.
This will not affect people who are fast enough that they can racewalk
or jog most of the distance of the marathon. However for those who are
slow enough that the 16-minute-mile pace is a challenge, we now believe
that they should train for a quicker 15-minute-per-mile pace to add an
adequate cushion to accommodate restroom and character meet-and-greet
stops—or find another event that is truly beginner-friendly. This
is unfortunate, because everything else about the Disney Marathon—from
bride and groom mouse-eared cast members cheering in front of the Grand
Floridian wedding pavillion to the many characters and animals out on
the course—is so magical.
If you were caught up in the shut-out, you can contact Walt Disney
World and let them know how you feel:
Walt Disney World Guest Relations
P.O. Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Although Disney has not publically acknowledged the incident, we hope
they are at least forthcoming with an apology for the 200+ participants
who were directly affected. While we believe there should be no expectation
or demand for financial compensation, we think a free registration for
the 2006 event (or even just a special personal invitation to return)
next year might go a long way towards healing broken hearts and restoring
some Disney magic.
Are you one of the 200 who was shut out? We would love to hear
from you about your thoughts. Does the medal feel like a hollow victory
to you? Do you plan on returning to do another Disney marathon, or will
you opt for another event?
If the shut-out at mile 10 weren’t enough of a headache, others have
informed MousePlanet of yet more problems with the event.
As part of the preparation for shutting the Magic Kingdom gates, park
officials, apparently acting on their own, decided to create an unplanned
backstage detour to bypass Main Street altogether for those who were ahead
of the mile-10 shut-off, but whom they thought might get in the way of
the dismantling of the marathon route. Those participants were directed
to run through the backstage area directly into Tomorrowland using what
is most likely a shortened distance. This is a disappointment to participants
who were hoping for a magical experience down Main Street, but the bigger
concern is that park officials tampered with a certified course. While
this does not affect fast runners who planned to use their Disney Marathon
time to qualify for elite and seeded spots on events such as the Boston
Marathon, the USA Track & Field organization probably frowns on such practices.
In addition, MousePlanet has been contacted by a number of individuals
who were negatively impacted by overzealous bureaucracy by those managing
the traffic flow at Epcot. Shirley Crews writes:
My family and I were volunteers that arrived at 2:25 a.m. om Sunday
January 9, 2005, to work the Start-Finish yellow crowd control. We worked
hard but had a blast. I am employeed at Sprint and was scheduled to
work overtime from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at our Altamont Springs office.
Our assignment for volunteering was over and we were told that we could
leave by our team lead. We checked out and returned to our cars. While
trying to leave the Epcot parking lot, we were stopped by a volunteer
and was told that we couldn’t leave until the county sheriff came to
open up the exit to leave. We sat there in our cars for over 2 hours
until after 8:40 a.m. trying not to get upset because this event was
for a good cause. I have volunteered in the past without ever experiencing
anything negative. I now have a negative mark on my attendance, missed
4 hrs of 30.00/hrly ot pay all because of an obvious humane error. I
just wanted someone at Disney to understand that volunteering is what
makes life fun and interesting however it should never affect your personal
job negatively (financially). Thanks for letting me let someone know
how frustrating the end of our volunteer day was. I will volunteer
again for future events. I don’t expect a answer but one would be nice.
