Review: Magical Miles

"Magical Miles: The Runner's Guide to Walt Disney World"

Krista Albrecht & Megan Biller

Destination races can be stressful, especially in a place as hectic as Disney World, but Krista Albrecht and Megan Biller have put together "Magical Miles," a travel guide with all of the information a runner would need to make the experience memorable and hassle-free. With a shared passion for running and all things Disney, the pair have completed every runDisney event at least once, and have become experts on the logistics of planning a running vacation at either of the Disney properties. Since Albrecht and Biller have always declined offers of free race entry and discounted accommodations in favor of being able to provide honest and candid reviews, you can be sure that the information contained in "Magical Miles" is not only thorough, but trustworthy as well.

"Magical Miles" reads like most other travel guides. The various options for accommodations are covered extensively, and each of the numerous restaurants throughout the resort are described in terms of their price, location, and offerings. Once you get past all of the general information though, you get to the sections that set "Magical Miles" apart from other guides, the sections that make it uniquely suited for runners. Albrecht and Biller cover everything about participating in a runDisney event, from getting to the starting line to celebrating the accomplishment afterwards.

Some of the information that the pair provide, like the transportation on race weekend and the detailed descriptions of the courses, are just reiterations of the information one would receive prior to their race, but Albrecht and Biller also provide insights that are not as readily available. "Magical Miles" does a great job explaining how to successfully navigate the expo and which of the pre-race and post-race activities are really worth the investment, and while the book is billed as "The Runner's Guide to Walt Disney World," some of its best tips and advice pertain to those spectating an event.

Despite offering a wealth of knowledge, "Magical Miles," is certainly not without its flaws. The two most obvious weaknesses are the numerous typographical errors throughout its pages and the fact that it gets fairly monotonous at times. The first is definitely easy enough to fix, and will hopefully be taken care of during the editing for future editions, but more effort will need to be put into making a few areas of the book sound more organic if the book is to become truly great. There are parts in the accommodations and dining option sections that are literally copied and pasted, making these sections read as though they were ripped straight from a brochure; the book would certainly read better if these reviews were written with as much personality as is brought forth throughout the rest of the book.

With information so readily available on the internet, travel guides appear to be on the decline, right alongside travel agents and in-flight freebies. In fact, Albrecht and Biller update an awesome blog regularly with all of the information you could ever want on runDisney happenings. Despite the odds though, the authors have put together something special. Like most guide books, "Magical Miles" is not really the kind of book you would read cover to cover, but as a resource that caters to the small percentage of people that love runDisney events and still use travel guides, it is unmatched. If for nothing else, "Magical Miles" would serve as a good book to peruse on your flight to Florida or as a convenient resource to throw in your bag while exploring the parks.