Disney Marathon Weekend Trip Report: Mears & Arrival

I ran my first marathon in January 2024 at Walt Disney World. It was a "bucket list" activity for me, as I have always wanted to run a marathon, and I was intrigued that the Disney World marathon course went through all 4 Walt Disney World parks.

While I intended that race to be a one-time event, I realized I enjoyed long-distance running, and a Disney trip is a tremendous carrot to help me train. So, in April 2024, I decided to run in the 2025 Dopey Challenge, which includes running multiple races over four days: a 5K (3.1 miles), a 10K (6.2 miles), a half marathon (13.1 miles), and a full marathon (26.2 miles).

I wanted to provide a trip report, as it may help others interested in RunDisney races. These are special events, and I feel RunDisney is a perfect starting point for someone interested in running or races. You may also be interested in signing up for the 2026 Dopey challenge and want to read about others' experiences.

This trip report is separated into seven parts, as I stayed at Disney for seven nights. Below is the plan for the trip report, and I will add links once each part of the report is released. The current part you are reading is in bold.

1. Mears & Arrival
2. Bib Pickup & Hollywood Studios
3. 5K & Epcot
4. 10K & Lightning Lane Multipass
5. Half Marathon & Hollywood Studios (Again)
6. The Big Race, Animal Kingdom, & Ohana Noodles
7. Check-out & One More Day of Park Hopping

I visited all four parks during my visit and was on my feet for 119 miles over 6 days, not including the day I arrived. This trip took a toll on my body, but I am proud that I completed all four races. I even set a personal record over my first marathon by 36 minutes. I feel blessed that I can do this, and I hope you enjoy reading these reports.

To get to the resort, I decided to take Mears Connect. I usually rent a car when traveling to Walt Disney World, but a rental vehicle seemed unnecessary since I was staying on Disney property and had no plans to leave the Disney bubble on this trip. While there are multiple ways to travel from the airport to your resort (car rental, Uber/Lyft, private car service), I chose Mears for several reasons. First, I was traveling alone, as my family was not joining me until later in the week. The cost of an individual trip on Mears is $16 one-way, less than what it would cost for a ride-sharing service. I was also not in a rush to get to the hotel, as I had no plans for the evening. I had read that the wait to leave the airport could be longer depending on when your bus arrived, but even the potential longest wait time (30-45 minutes) wasn't a big deal.

Mears Connect was an excellent solution for me. The day before I arrived, I received an email with a QR code and instructions on how to get to the Mears Connect area. When I arrived at MCO, I also received a text message with a link to the same QR code and instructions. I walked to the Mears Connect location, where someone scanned my QR code and told me a specific line to enter.

Fortunately, the bus for my group of hotels was loading at that time, so my wait in line was zero minutes. I handed my big suitcase to the driver, told him where I was staying, and hopped on the bus. The bus was about one-third full, so I had plenty of choices on where to sit. Within 5 minutes, I left the airport. The bus was clean and quiet.

I enjoyed the experience so much that my wife changed her plans and utilized Mears Connect when she and my kids arrived later in the week. Unfortunately, the wait for them was much longer. She told me they waited about 35-40 minutes at the airport. So your wait time will vary, and I guess that, while I was lucky and caught the bus right before it left the airport, my family arrived right after the bus left. Other than the wait, she said she liked Mears Connect and would use it again.

On this trip, I stayed at Disney's Beach Club Resort. I had never stayed there, but I love Epcot and Hollywood Studios, so the proximity to both parks made me want to try it out. The Mears Connect bus stopped at the Boardwalk Resort before Beach Club, and the ride took approximately 30 minutes.

Once I arrived, I checked in and set up my family's MagicBands as our room keys. I also went to the bell services desk to have my grocery order sent to the room. I needed coffee and bottled water on this trip. I'm an early riser and like to drink coffee before any quick-service locations are open, so I wanted a case of water for early morning coffee on race days. I brought a water bottle to save money in the parks, but I also figured I could use any extra bottles I had after the Sunday and Monday races.

Pro Tip: Bring a refillable water bottle. Dasani costs $4.00, and Smart Water costs $6.00 in the parks. Having a refillable bottle will save you a significant amount of money on your trip.

The day before my trip, my wife and I made an order on Instacart for delivery to the hotel. It was seamless, and the groceries were there when I checked in, as you give a time range when you want groceries delivered when ordering. Bell services will bring them to your room. I've read articles that state there may be a fee at certain hotels, but there was none at Beach Club. However, I did provide a tip.

Then, I walked around to familiarize myself with the resort and the boardwalk area. While the forecasted high temperatures were in the 50s and 60s the entire week, I hoped to find a time to visit Stormalong Bay, the main pool at Beach Club.

I picked up a sandwich from the Boardwalk Deli and returned to my room. It had been a long day. I plan to spend the day at Hollywood Studios and pick up my race bibs at the RunDisney Expo tomorrow.

After picking up my food, I stayed in my room for the rest of the night. I know I have a long week ahead.