Date: 18 February 2005

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2005 WDW Inline Marathon Course Change Update

As many of you are aware, we have made some significant changes and enhancements to the WDW Inline Marathon course.  Through feedback from the participants and our consultants’ input, we believe that we have created a course that every inline skater will enjoy and excel in here at the Walt Disney World® Resort.

Skaters will continue to enjoy the scenic tour of the Walt Disney World® Resort on a course that takes them through two of Disney’s world-famous theme parks – Disney-MGM Studios and Epcot.  The out-and-back course starts and finishes at Disney’s Wide World of Sports® Complex, with the Half Marathoners completing one loop and the Full Marathoners skating the course twice.

Major changes to the course include the elimination of the boardwalk surface at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort (about one-quarter of a mile stretch).  The skaters will be taken from the Disney-MGM Studios walkway through Disney’s Yacht & Beach Resorts (which still has about 100 yards of boardwalk surface, and will be monitored as a “Caution Zone”).  As the skaters go through Epcot World Showcase and Future World, they will begin a stretch of higher speed roadways back to the Sports Complex utilizing Epcot Center Drive, World Drive and Osceola Parkway (there is a stretch along World Drive that is approximately a two-mile straight away).

To alleviate any confusion at the Marathon and Half Marathon split, the Event Team has put a plan together, which will include specific race instructions and diagrams about this part of the course.  This information will be communicated through several vehicles – on our website (www.disneyworldsports.com), direct email to each registered participant, and in the race packet that will be provided to each of the participants at the mandatory check-in at the Health & Fitness Expo.  The Race Director will also review this information at the Expo’s Speaker Series Course Talks.  Along with this communication, we will utilize audio messages, low level signage and additional coning patterns to alleviate any confusion during this stretch.

We will have a contingency plan in place – in case of inclement weather.  If there is any part of the course that is unsafe to participants and event staff, we will convert the event into a 13-mile skate tour (“fun skate”) that will allow the skaters to experience the race course at a safe pace – providing fun for everyone involved.

As we plan for the arrival of the skating community, we will continue to enhance the race weekend and ensure that everyone has an exhilarating experience here at the Walt Disney World® Resort.

Sincerely,

The Endurance Sports Team

Disney Sports Attractions

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