Below is a brief description of the half as I remember it. Hope you
enjoy!

Its 2:30 in the morning and the phone rings. You are not really
sleeping as today is the WDW Half Marathon. You answer the phone and
Stitch is laughing as he goads you out of bed. You stumble out of
bed and begin preparation for the day, just like you have during the
many weeks prior to this January morning. For me it's a cup of
coffee or tea, orange juice, cereal or bagel. Then it's a quick
shower and dress for the day.

You are still rubbing sleep out of you eyes as you go out the door,
making your way out to the bus stop. You are amused as the resort
seems busy as you make your way to the bus. Most rooms seem to be
lit or have some activity going on. You get to the bus stop and
there is a crowd. Most of my years, the crowds have moved fast, but
make sure that you are not waiting for the end of the time as every
year one or two resorts have transportation issues.

The bus ride to the staging area is eerie as quiet conversations make
their way through the bus. Everyone seems a little nervous as we
make our way through traffic to the start. We are making our way to
the Epcot Parking lot. We pass through the parking lot turnstiles
and follow a long line of cars and busses to designated areas.
Finally, the bus stops, lights come on and we begin to exit the bus.
It's not 100% clear where we should go, but the bright lights to the
east hold the answer. We make our way to the holding area has
several small tents and recently a stage with entertainment. Many of
the tents are labeled with sections of the alphabet; these are family
meeting tent for after the race. They are also great tents to meet
friends prior to the race. Other tents hold a worship service and
most important are the series of larger tents that are labeled with
ranges of bib numbers. These tents must be passed through as you
make your way out to the start line. You received a clear bag at the
expo for dry clothes, etc. As you pass through these tents you hand
off your bag to an attendant; making sure that you have tied the bag
tight and placed your runner number on the bag with the large zip tie
provided in your race packet. Only runners are allowed past this
point; you must show your bib to get through. As you pass through,
the light is a little dimmer, the feels cooler, and you enter porta-
potty heaven. This section of the holding area is ringed with
hundreds of potties. After taking care of business, make your way
east (left and back from where you pass through the baggage tents.)

This end of the holding area is fenced off to keep you from leaving
the area. About 45 minutes before the start, the volunteers open the
fence and allow the crowd to start making their way to the start
area. This year we will have a three wave start. I am not sure
exactly what that means but its easily assumable that the first two
waves will include the elite runners and those who are less speed
challenged and are able to demonstrate proof of capability of running
a sub-2:15 half marathon. We are lead out of the staging are, we
make a left turn and follow the parking lot around its perimeter
moving east and north. We take a parking lot exit to Epcot Drive and
cross the median to the north bound lanes of Epcot. We continue
moving north to the start line.

The half start is along a one-lane section of Epcot, so the corrals
are narrow and long. You may not be able to see the start line if
you are in a back corral. Maybe this year Disney will offer a
separate set of fireworks to the third wave. We gather in our
corrals and time seems to go by slowly. The level of excitement is
so much greater than on the busses. Folks are stretching, napping,
chatting or just trying to keep warm.

The start line is near the exit where the Epcot entrance exits from
north bound Epcot Drive. Again, the corrals stretch around the curve
in Epcot Drive and the start may not be exactly visible. At about
5:55, a small set of fireworks goes of for the wheelchair segment of
the race. Excitement comes up in the crowd as the fences separating
the corrals are removed. Any remaining free space minimizes of the
next few moments as the crowd packs up to the line. At 6, the
fireworks are seen and heard and every one begins to yell and clap.
We move forward, for about 3 feet and stop. It's stop and go for the
next few moments as we move towards the start line. As we near, we
hear Donald and Mickey bantering about the race; wishing everyone
well. As we near the start we hear a chirping sound as the champion
chips cross the mat. It really is a chirping sound, though with
volume of folks crossing the start line, it sounds line a continuous
off-key tone. The chip is issued to you at the race expo along with
a small zip tie. Use the zip tie to secure the black chip to your
shoe; preferably mid foot and not near the laces (you would hate to
lose your chip if your shoe comes untied.)

As we cross the line, momentum picks up. The road is a little narrow
for the first mile and many runners are taking to the grassy shoulder
to have room to run. As we begin to warm up we hit the first hill on
the course. This is a Disney hill otherwise know as an overpass.
The overpass hits us at about a half mile into the run. It's a quick
up and down immediately followed by the second overpass at World
Drive at about the .7 mile mark. We are running on the north bound
lanes which are the opposite set of lanes that the full marathon
takes through this area. The course makes a long bend to the left
just as though we were driving along Epcot Drive and exiting to World
Drive southbound (or leaving Disney ). We hit the first mile maker
in this bend. It's time to take inventory of how we feel and what
our pace is. The first mile sets the rest of the run up.

We near the merge point with World Drive. We have lost elevation
from the second overpass to elevation of the road below that
overpass. At the merge point with World Dr, we make a sharp and hard
left to onto World Drive, headed north; against what would be the
normal flow of traffic. The course opens up to three full lanes of
traffic as we head under the overpass we just crossed over. It is
relaxing to have running room to more easily pass, or be passed, at
this point. There are cones blocking the far left lane as we start
heading north on World Drive, though it is advisable to not move into
the far left lane for two reasons. First is simply a matter of
geometry, it's a longer distance to take if you get too far off
tangent. Second, the elite runners and wheel chairs will be using
that lane before most of us get off World Drive. The first water
stop is located just after clearing the over pass immediately
followed by Mile 2. It's still dark as we move north up World
towards the Magic Kingdom. The next ¾ mile goes quickly as we pass
the palm trees and little beaches placed in the median of World
Drive. On the left we see the back of the billboards touting the
Tower of Terror and other there are no elevation changes or sites to
draw your attention as we pass along this stretch of the course. At
about 2.8 miles we make a left hand bend. To our right is the WDW
Speedway. Mile 3 is along this stretch of road.
To our left is the Hess station and to the right is the Speedway. We
take the roadway that leads us into the Magic Kingdom parking lot.
Once we cross into the parking lot, we head north along the western
perimeter road of the parking lot. As we approach the trees that
line the drainage canal in the parking lot, we make a right turn
heading for the center of the parking lot complex. Here is the next
water stop along the course. At the center of the lot, it's a left
turn as we follow the tram road towards the Ticket and Transportation
Center then veer to the right along the forested wetland area in the
center of the parking lot. We zig and zag right and left as we near
the tram underpass the lies under Seven Seas Drive. Just before the
underpass is Mile 4. We are almost a third of the way through the
race.

Just after mile 4 we head under Seven Seas Drive. The slope is not
too bad and is very short lived. As we exit the underpass the crowds
thicken. The new half course does not draw much of a crowd until we
hit the TTC and we have now arrived. Dawn is also approaching as we
enter the TTC area. We make a slight right as we approach the
monorail station. We pass just right of the station; between the
restroom facility and station. The crowds are thick along this
stretch; enjoy and take in the energy! As we pass the TTC we are
following a back road known as Topiary Lane. The next water stop is
located along Topiary. It's a brief quarter mile run until we merge
onto N. World Drive. There are no crowds here to speak of on this
section of World Dr, but can be a lot of traffic. We run on the left
hand lane of the road and traffic is on the right hand lane. It is
separated by thousands of tall traffic cones and is controlled on
either end by flagmen; much like a construction site. Another
quarter mile on World Dr and we approach the Seven Seas Lagoon
underpass. If you are mid to back of the pack, expect the pace to
slow as you approach the underpass. It's a relatively steep down and
up. The slow down is created by the many folks who stop to walk the
uphill segment of the underpass.

As we clear the underpass a few folks are usually located along the
roadway. Immediately to our right is the Contemporary Resort. As we
pass the Contemporary we also pass Mile 5. As you look forward you
can see the Space Mountain off to the left. You may hear the train
engineers blowing steam as they warm up and test the train engines
before putting them in service for the day. About a quarter mile
after the Contemporary we make a sharp left hand u-turn onto a cast
member road for the Magic Kingdom. We are following the outer
perimeter of the Magic Kingdom headed for a back gate. Another
quarter mile finds us at the security entrance for this gate. Watch
out if it is moist as the gate has security rams underground that are
made of steel and painted. They can be slick if wet. Wave to the
security guard as you pass. The course makes a right, going under
the rail road then makes a left as we traverse back stage parking
lot. We are approaching Main Street. As we near the end of the
parking lot, Tony's is to our left. Tony's cast members usually are
out cheering us on.

The tour of the Magic Kingdom always seems way too short. It's down
Main, making a right into Tomorrowland through Fantasyland,
Forntierland and back stage. I may have left out a few details.
First, the crowd seems to roar as you hit main. We are running down
the right hand side of the street including the rails in the middle
and the sidewalk. If you elect to take the edge of the road, watch
out for uneven surface. Mainstreet is never this packed except
during the parade or at exit. So, I guess we are the parade. Smile
as you run down Main as several photographers are located along the
street. Music is loud and energetic as we pass down Main. All too
soon, we make a left towards Tomorrowland; hopefully taking some of
Main Street's energy with us. As we enter Tomorrowland Stitch's
Great Escape is located on the left this stretch is usually a
character hot spot so beware of runners going funny directions; or
have your camera ready if you want a photo. We veer left as we come
up to the Astro Orbiter, passing the Indy Speedway on our right.
It's eerily quite as we pass this part of the park. The music seems
to be more in the background, only a handful of cast members are
there cheering us on and all the attractions are clean and silent. We
bend left again and enter Fantasyland. Mile 6 is located in the
area. We pass the Madhatter Tea Party and Dumbo's Flying Elephants;
making another left into the back courtyard of Cinderella Castle.
The energy levels are once again high as everyone is excited and the
carousel is running as though it were the middle of the day. We
enter the castle and all of a sudden exit in the front of her castle;
making a sharp right and a bend to the left. This is photo op
central. Keep you spacing as you exit the castle as several
photographers are located here for an official photo. (Note though,
after running through the castle eight times, I have only one photo
of me so don't be extremely disappointed if they don't capture you.)

It's a down ramp from the castle followed by a right and we are off
into Liberty Square. The excitement seems to carry on as we pass the
Hall of Presidents and the Liberty Square Riverboat. From here it's
Fontierland with the Country Bear Jamboree on the left and Tom Sawyer
Island on the right. This is another character hot spot; though I
couldn't tell you who many of these secondary characters are. I may
bring a camera this year so I can take photos and ask my daughter
later. We are following the parade route as we near the west edge of
Frontierland. As you cross the point where you normally must either
go right for Splash Mountain of left for Captain Jack and other
pirates, you note that the gate is open. You hear the steam hissing
from one of the Magic Kingdom locomotives and the occasional clanging
of the engine's bell as we near the railroad crossing. The crew is
gathered in front of the train cheering us on as are several more
cast members. We head down about a 12-15' hill making a right bend
as we do. If you have never been on a backstage tour, this is an
interesting section; if you know what you are looking at. First, the
big building just after the tracks and on the left is the Pirates of
the Caribbean attraction. Seems like it would not be located there,
but that is the backstage view of the ride. On the left as we run is
the open air warehouse. Most of the time we will see the current
parade floats as we run by. Looking right is the backside of Splash
Mountain. It's a tall nondescript building. Don't look too long as
we have hit another water stop. Also, for the half, it's a food
stop. In the inaugural Saturday running of the event, we received
bananas. You may want to try eating a banana at mile 6 of your
training runs to see how the GI system will handle the food.
Otherwise pass on the bananas.

We hit the end of the road making a left and cross a steel grate
bridge. Be aware that the bridge is here as you cross that that it
can be a little slick. Immediately after the bridge is another left
and we are out on Floridian Way. As discussed in many posts, this is
one of the most unreal sections of the road. We have run through the
Magic Kingdom with all its emotional highs, passed a water stop with
their energy then its quiet and all we hear are the patting of
everyone's feet. We are given half the road though I have never seen
traffic on the other half; just note that its can feel a little
tight. Don't let the quiet ruin your day. It's no different than
the many training runs made to get here.

Mile 7 passes about a half mile before we hit the Grand Floridian
Resort. We do pick up some crown in the area of the GF, though not
much. The Grand Floridian passes all too quickly but with its
passing the view opens up from a forested roadway to one with the
Wedding Chapel on the left and golfing to the right. The Polynesian
Resort follows on the left at about mile 7.75. Here the crowds do
begin to increase. This is a great point for those who saw us at the
monorail area to walk over to see us once again. It's less than a
half mile for spectators who want to do this. We pass the main
parking lot for the Poly and veer right on Floridian Way as we
approach the intersection of Floridian and Seven Seas Drive. Note
this veering is the straight through lane. If we would stay left we
would approach the intersection in a left turn lane. Mile 8 is in
this area.

As we hit the merge point of the intersection, we have the Magic
Kingdom Parking Lot on the left and golfing to the right. About a
third of a mile after the Seven Seas intersection, we pass a
nondescript entrance into the MK parking lot. This used to be Mile
13 of the last version of the half marathon course. Today, we still
have just less than 5 miles left. Another third of a mile and we
pass the intersection with Bear Island Road. This is where the
marathon makes a right turn tomorrow; we remain on Floridian Way
headed back to Epcot. On the left, we see the MK Parking lot exit
road. We were these earlier headed into the parking lot. Just
beyond the road is the race track. To our right is the Hess
Station. We are entering World Drive as we continue south. Mile 9
passes along with its water stop.

The next mile is uneventful as we are retracing ground run earlier.
The biggest difference is that it is now light and the surreal
feeling of the early part of the race has been replaced with the
reality that we have 4 miles to go. We get to see the front of the
billboards we passed earlier. You never really notice the detail of
these boards as you drive or ride the bus. The board touting "It's a
Bugs Life" has smoke coming from the back of the bill board! You see
all the cracks in the pavement and you see the monorails as they pass
us by.

We hit the water stop at Mile 10. It's located just before we exit
onto Epcot Drive. Cliff Shots are handed out along with the regular
water and PowerAde. From here it's a short 5k (3.1 miles) home.
However, note that this iteration of the half leaves the best for
last. Immediately after passing the 10 mile water stop we exit right
just as though we were driving to Epcot. We pass under the underpass
and begin a long right hand bend taking us up to an over pass and
through a 270º turn. This is a freeway style turn and a flat running
surface is at a premium. Expect to hunt for a spot to run that feels
good as we climb up to the elevation of the overpass. Finally, we
make the overpass, it's the opposite overpass from the one taken
earlier in the race. We are on the southbound lanes of Epcot Drive
headed towards the park and the finish line. As we cross the
overpass we pass mile 11 and get a little benefit of a downhill run
for a quarter mile or so. Once back to ground elevation we pass the
exit for Epcot, but the course stays left headed for the exit to
WDW. We immediately start up the next overpass hill. This overpass
seems higher than it did 11 miles ago. We cross over the overpass
and begin heading back down the other side. We level out at ground
elevation once again at about mile 11.4 and then start up a small
grade again. Around mile 11.8 the course makes a sharp right hand
turn onto one of the Epcot parking lot exits. It's almost a 180º
turn as we reverse course. A water stop is located at this turn
creating a little chaos as folks try to pick up drinks at the
corner. We drop a little elevation as we run onto the curved exit
road and immediately start up one more overpass hill. It's the last
hill on the course and it feels great to crest the top and start down
into the Epcot parking lots. Mile 12 passes as we work our way over
this last hill.

We follow the exit road into the parking lot, veering left as we
approach the drainage ditch that makes its way across the middle of
the parking lot. As we cross the drainage ditch we pass under the
monorail lines again. We enter the parking are that has the handicap
parking as well as the super secret AAA premium parking. (I guess
it's not so secret now.) Again we veer left as we approach the
Disney bus area, running just behind the stops for the DVC and Deluxe
Resorts. Once past the bus stops we follow a drive that makes a
right and left and finds the east cast member entrance gate. We pass
the old Guest relations windows and restrooms and enter the backstage
area behind the Living Seas (now called The Seas with Nemo and
Friends). We make a hard left on the Avenue of the Stars and head
towards SpaceShip Earth. We hit the park at about mile 12.5 making a
right was we pass under Space Ship Earth and head south towards the
fountains and Worlds Showcase Lagoon. It's early and the park may
not be open or just opening as we enter FutureWorld. As we run under
Space Ship Earth, the air is fresh if not cold as the winds always
seem to blow under the structure. Our mission is to run around the
Christmas Tree and come back. We pass the fountains and the music
picks up as we see Imagination off to the left we approach the lagoon
and the Christmas Tree at the end of the path. We make a u-turn and
are now on the home stretch. We have a quarter mile to go. Its
north again headed to Space Ship Earth. As we approach the globe, we
veer right and exit behind the guest services building. It's a short
jaunt on Avenue of the Stars again and we exit near the kennel area.
From there we make a few right and left turns following pathways back
into the parking lots, except now we are kept on course by
construction fencing. We hit the parking lot and it's a straight
shot to the finish line. The bleachers are to our left as we
approach the finish and they can be loud. We hit the finish line and
make sure to smile and look up as there are usually several
photographers and you don't know who will be shooting as you cross.

Congratulations, you have finished your half marathon.

The course as I ran it in 2006

Train Hard