A Marathon & Family Vacation?

I ran my first marathon at Walt Disney World in January 2024, and my wife and I decided to turn this trip into a family vacation. It had been over 12 years since I visited a Walt Disney World theme park, and my family had never taken an extended trip there and stayed at a Disney resort. As I researched integrating a family vacation with the race, one decision that needed to be made was whether to attend the theme parks before the marathon or the week after the marathon. The plan was two days at Universal Orlando and four at Walt Disney World.

Both options felt viable but had some negatives. Attending the theme parks the week before the race meant a higher chance I would be tired during the race, especially since most people walk a significant amount of miles when visiting. This was true in my case, as I walked an average of 11.17 miles (24.6K steps) during my visit to the parks, excluding the day of the race, where I probably ran/walked 30-35 miles between the marathon and Universal Orlando.

Visiting the theme parks after the marathon meant I would be fresh for the race, but I was worried I wouldn't feel well enough to attend a theme park on the same day as the marathon. While training, I felt fine after most runs up to 21 miles, my longest run. However, I felt nauseous hours after my last 20-mile run during training, which gave me concerns that I would feel awful the day of the race and be unable to do much. With six theme park days planned over seven days, I did not want to start that period unable to attend a theme park. It would mean that my kids would have another day of lounging around, as the day before the marathon was a relaxation day, no matter which choice we made for the theme parks. Or, it would be an expensive sick day for me, as I could not take advantage of my park ticket if sick. Potential weather was also a factor, as I didn't want to be a reason we needed another relaxation day and then need to adjust our schedule further if we had terrible weather later in the week.

Which did we choose? We prioritized the race first and planned to attend the theme parks after the marathon. This decision was made for several reasons that may or may not apply to you. First, this was my first marathon, and in training, my longest run was 21 miles. I was concerned with running 26+ miles after days of being on my feet 8-10 hours each day and walking 10-12 miles. Second, staying at Walt Disney World after the marathon was cheaper. Starting January 9th (the race was January 7th), Disney offered a significant dining credit, making the trip slightly more affordable.

Was it the right decision? Eh, I'm not sure, as I think adding a week-long 6-park vacation after running a marathon was a flawed idea. One reason why people run marathons is because they are challenging. 1% of the population ever runs a marathon. It is grueling and mentally challenging. It taxes your body. My body hurt for days after the race. The below TikTok perfectly sums up what it was like for me for three days after the marathon.

Even though I'm unsure I would recommend a weeklong vacation after a marathon, I'm delighted we added a Disney vacation as part of this trip. As I stated above, it has been over 12 years since my last trip to Walt Disney World, and I have never had the opportunity to go with my entire family on an extended trip and stay on property. As a child, I went on one big family vacation, and it was to Disney World. My father still has many memories of that trip, even though it was over 30 years ago. I have so many memories from this trip that I will cherish for the next 30 years. That is the magic of Disney.

Would I do this again? The answer to this question depends on what "this" refers to. Would I run another Disney marathon? Absolutely! I hope to complete the Dopey challenge in 2025 or 2026. Would I include a family vacation at the same time? The answer is "Yes, but..." I would shorten the trip and perhaps move some park days before the big race. With my first race done, having some park days before the race is an acceptable compromise, as I would not feel like I have to do everything in the park each day.