Marathon Weekend 2025

[camaker]

Afternoon All!

Long time lurker and now I've joined I'm keen to ask - how serious do people take the Dopey?

I ask because I'm taking it very seriously (Dopey 2025 is my first ever Disney run). I ran a marathon in October and am desperately recovering and trying to get my mileage back up in time. I see people on here with pretty serious plans too.

But then I hear people say 'if you get a pb, you've done it all wrong' and 'the hardest part is getting up at 2am really'. Theres all the rides, character photos, pictures of people finishing with beers, along with photos of fancy dress and theres lots of youtube videos of people walking.

I'm going to try and be in peak condition regardless, but im still aching from the last marathon - Exactly how serious does the average Dopey participant take this and do I need to be in the shape of my life (I'm generally pretty fit - do average 1:45 HMs and 4:10 Marathons)?

There are generally 7,000-8,000 people running Dopey, so you're going to get a wide spectrum of approaches to the event. You've seen a good number of them relayed here already. The only real answer to your unstated question of "how seriously should I be taking Dopey?" is "do what feels right to you".

Personally, if I want to go flat out for a PR, there are a lot more single-event local races that are going to be conducive to that. I want to enjoy running through the parks and seeing the characters and other on-course entertainment. In addition, I usually target an ultra in March, so Dopey is a great extended duration training opportunity for that, plus it falls about mid-plan for me. That's just how I do it, though.

Ultimately, my answer for you is:

You do you and have fun doing it. Nobody can tell you you're doing it wrong.

 

[Baloo in MI]

Afternoon All!

Long time lurker and now I've joined I'm keen to ask - how serious do people take the Dopey?

I ask because I'm taking it very seriously (Dopey 2025 is my first ever Disney run). I ran a marathon in October and am desperately recovering and trying to get my mileage back up in time. I see people on here with pretty serious plans too.

But then I hear people say 'if you get a pb, you've done it all wrong' and 'the hardest part is getting up at 2am really'. Theres all the rides, character photos, pictures of people finishing with beers, along with photos of fancy dress and theres lots of youtube videos of people walking.

I'm going to try and be in peak condition regardless, but im still aching from the last marathon - Exactly how serious does the average Dopey participant take this and do I need to be in the shape of my life (I'm generally pretty fit - do average 1:45 HMs and 4:10 Marathons)?

Welcome! This is likely a generic response, but I think people are just running their own races. You will see folks simply out to have fun, stop at all the character/photo ops, try to ride some rides, etc. Others will be going for PR’s and running hard. There is room for both and everything in between. Do what will make you happy with the race - following race etiquette of course .

Great times btw!

 

[Disneyhanna]

Most people take the training seriously, but if you have trained hard recently for a “serious” marathon, then I believe you will be ready for Dopey… unless you are planning to run all 4 really hard.

This is so true, at least for me! I train for just the marathon with a relatively low milage plan (Higdon Novice 2) that really just focuses on preparing me to cross the line and not at any particular pace. I train at my normal training pace that I'd train for a race outside Disney. Then at WDW I go and run the races at my training pace, but then stop for photos and rides etc. So my chip pace usually ends up being closer to two minutes slower than my actual running pace.

Everyone's body is different, but for me, running the races at a slow/easy training pace and taking all those brief breaks means I haven't had any issues with fatigue or soreness like I do when I race for time. I hated back to backs in training and didn't do them for my second Dopey and it ended up being easier than my first Dopey where I did a few back to backs, so now I don't train them. I just show up trained for the marathon, and take the first three races nice and easy with tons of character breaks. I would say I get to the point in training where running 13 miles at a training pace is a piece of cake and doesn't leave me sore, so the 5k-10k-half at WDW doesn't impact me too much. (If I were to race the full for time, I'm sure I would feel more of the fatigue of course.)

 

[Jason Bryer]

Afternoon All!

Long time lurker and now I've joined I'm keen to ask - how serious do people take the Dopey?

Lot's of great answers already. I have done 6 MWs, 4 of which were Dopeys. First, I always take the training seriously. I follow a marathon training plan but don't do anything special for Dopey (I don't do the multi day simulations for example). I have approached MW both ways: to have fun and to run fast. My fastest marathon time was in 2022 as part of a Dopey (sub-4 marathon, sub-7 Dopey). Other years I stopped for characters and rides. This year I'm running Dopey with my oldest son (who turns 18 the day before the expo so I suspect he may be the youngest Dopey, at least this year) and we plan to have fun. If you have good coral placement I have found that you can still stop for characters and not loose much time. This year I stopped for a few characters pics past AK and there literally is no line. I run up, take a photo, and keep running. Adds maybe 5 seconds.

 

[kps7795]

This year I'm running Dopey with my oldest son (who turns 18 the day before the expo so I suspect he may be the youngest Dopey, at least this year) and we plan to have fun.

Happy early birthday to your son! What a great way to celebrate his 18th birthday by running Dopey 2025. The two of you will have great core memories to cherish.

 

[cburnett11]

How are your feet by the time you get to the marathon?

My feet were fine last year all 4 races. I did run/stop /run method… running pretty fast between all character stops. My feet have only hurt a couple times in a marathon: 1) my first when I inexplicably wore racing flats and 2) the first one I did with my wife. It was probably the cumulative effect of run/walk that morphed more into walk/run. I just wasn’t used to it so my feet were tired, but my overall body wasn’t too bad.

 

[dobball23]

Afternoon All!

Long time lurker and now I've joined I'm keen to ask - how serious do people take the Dopey?

I ask because I'm taking it very seriously (Dopey 2025 is my first ever Disney run). I ran a marathon in October and am desperately recovering and trying to get my mileage back up in time. I see people on here with pretty serious plans too.

But then I hear people say 'if you get a pb, you've done it all wrong' and 'the hardest part is getting up at 2am really'. Theres all the rides, character photos, pictures of people finishing with beers, along with photos of fancy dress and theres lots of youtube videos of people walking.

I'm going to try and be in peak condition regardless, but im still aching from the last marathon - Exactly how serious does the average Dopey participant take this and do I need to be in the shape of my life (I'm generally pretty fit - do average 1:45 HMs and 4:10 Marathons)?

As you have seen from other responses, there is a wide range of goals and for Dopey participants. I've done Dopey four times and have always tried to do as well as possible. I don't stop for characters, but I enjoy seeing them as I run by.

I run the 5K and 10K hard. I take the half a little bit easier. And then I run the marathon hard.

Disney races are a slower field than a "normal" race since a lot of people aren't aiming for PRs. For example, I just finished 94th out of 558 runners in a local marathon. At January's WDW Marathon, I finished just inside the top 200 out of 5,700+ men with a time more than seven minutes slower.

 

[runwithperseverence7]

I’m loving all the responses to @Lemon Head post. It’s a great boost in confidence right now. I’ve been having some tough runs lately and the thoughts about can I really do this have been creeping on me. But I know there are plenty of people in the same boat and we can help each other get through this.

 

[BigEeyore]

@Lemon Head this will be my 9th MW and I always put in the training for one primary reason - I want to be able to get through the races, ENJOY them, and celebrate in the parks. I do not care what my time is - leave that for other races. At Disney PR in FUN!

And don't dismiss the "hardest part is getting up at 2am 4 days in a row". That is legit! The first day or two, excitement and anticipation will get you up and going but then it gets tough! Not to mention making sure to get to bed early enough to allow for some decent sleep (hard to do at Disney - choosing sleep over having fun in the parks isn't always easy!)

Allow your body to heal from your marathon, pick up the distance when you can - you will be fine!

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

@Lemon Head this will be my 9th MW and I always put in the training for one primary reason - I want to be able to get through the races, ENJOY them, and celebrate in the parks. I do not care what my time is - leave that for other races. At Disney PR in FUN!

And don't dismiss the "hardest part is getting up at 2am 4 days in a row". That is legit! The first day or two, excitement and anticipation will get you up and going but then it gets tough! Not to mention making sure to get to bed early enough to allow for some decent sleep (hard to do at Disney - choosing sleep over having fun in the parks isn't always easy!)

Allow your body to heal from your marathon, pick up the distance when you can - you will be fine!

What she said. There are plenty of cheaper races for a PR, and ones without all the fun along the way. Space Coast and Gasparilla are a couple that come to mind that are flat and should be conducive to a PR.
My Dopey experience was that for the 5K, starting at the back of the pack, it was tough to do any real running. The Dopey runners are the only ones timed for the 5K, so most everyone else is walking/strolling. Plus, since everyone else was already in the park, by the time I got there the character photo lines were insane. And Epcot lit up at night is something to see, so tough to just run through it without stopping to gawk a little bit.
And that it what it all boils down to: the race environment is such that you want to take it all in and savor it, not have it go by quickly. It's like eating a juicy steak slowly instead of wolfing it down.
Due to the 48.6 miles, I jogged the 5K and 10K, did about a 50/50 run walk for the half, and then run/walk for the full. The 5k and 10K are going to go by quickly enough anyway, no sense in rushing through them, and you definitely want to take it easy enough on the first 3 days to leave plenty in the tank for Sunday. As for the half and full: did I stop for every character? No, and with my kids grown, I don't know half of the characters any more. Did I ride a ride during the full? EE was closed in 2022 (jerks) and by the time I got to HS, I was concerned about sitting down, so I just kept going. I did ride a ride this past year because where else can you do that during a race? So for me there's a lot to be said about the whole race experience, not seeing how quickly I can finish. I've wanted some new PRs and qualifiers, but I'm doing those more locally and much more cheaply than doing so at WDW.
As for the training? Oh, yeah. Definitely be trained up for the Dopey. Your body will thank you later.
And definitely have fun. I don't know if/when I'll invest the time and $$ for another Dopey, but it sure was fun to do and swagger around the parks afterwards and later after I got home watch my friends eyes bug out when they heard what I did .
My 2-cents. YMMV.

 

[Zutroy]

I run the 5K and 10K hard. I take the half a little bit easier. And then I run the marathon hard.

I did this for my first Dopey, finished the 5k in 20 minutes, and then spent over an hour waiting for the course to clear so the buses could leave. Now I usually run with someone who has a 13 min/mile pace, and I still end up waiting for the buses. It’s untimed, and now I just enjoy it instead of racing it.

10k is my favorite racing distance, and I go all out at the Dopey. The half I just let myself fall into a pace that feels right. A lot depends on the conditions and how my body is feeling. For 2023 it was a 1:38 half, and I still felt great for the full, which was around 3:26.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

THIS ^^^

As a GenXer I do not get the hype, but y'all knock yourselves out.

I qualify as an elder millennial and Ive never seen a Goofy movie.

 

[GollyGadget]

I qualify as an elder millennial and Ive never seen a Goofy movie.

I'm also a millennial and I have seen it but mostly because of my younger sister. I never really understood the appeal . I do enjoy them for the sake of seeing rare characters but I have no connection to powerline itself.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Please do tell about your experience at CBS aka the next Galactic Starcruiser.

Full disclosure I was a big Starcruiser fan - hands down the best $ we’ve ever spent at Disney. But I digress, a topic for another forum….

I wrote a review on the larger Cake Bake thread on the Restaurant Board… but it was basically just inattentive and slow service that left a poor impression. Food was just average, nothing I’d rush back for. I had more signature dining expectations given the “hype” and prices, when it’s really more of a nice sandwich shop with desserts, tea, and cocktails. Worthy of consideration for brunch/lunch/cocktails, but for dinner there are many better options around property if I’m going for something at that price point, in my humble opinion. Of course YMMV!

 

[runwithperseverence7]

I qualify as an elder millennial and Ive never seen a Goofy movie.

I’m so happy I’m not the only one. I just didn’t want to admit it. I did I just watch the Goofy movie like 2 months ago. It was cute. But I probably won’t watch again.

 

[fatmanatee]

Doing a brief scan of replies (in Japan so a lot of catching up ), in case it hasn’t been mentioned explicitly, there is no wrong way to do Dopey. You can do it for PRs, you can do photos, you can do rides, maybe you can do all three. As long as everyone is respectful of each others goals we’ll be all good.

Oh, and re: Goofy movie, also elder millennial, also no idea about that stuff. There’s definitely a sub-generational gap here.

 

[Naomeri]

I'm an elder millennial and I love A Goofy Movie

 

[Lemon Head]

I’m loving all the responses to @Lemon Head post. It’s a great boost in confidence right now. I’ve been having some tough runs lately and the thoughts about can I really do this have been creeping on me. But I know there are plenty of people in the same boat and we can help each other get through this.

Agreed. I'm really thankful for all the tips, stories and encouragement from everyone that shared. I'm feeling a lot better about it now.

 

[jenljeffers1989]

I can obviously only speak for myself, but I am pushing myself in training in order to have a "fun" marathon as part of my Dopey Challenge. Personally, I love stopping to take pictures with the characters and going on rides during a marathon. It's what really sets the Disney World marathon apart from any other marathon in the world. Hence, I have a plan to run at my marathon pace for the first nine miles in order to minimize wait times for characters. Basically, I am "racing" from character to character until I reach Magic Kingdom.

I mentioned this the other day about my race plan but in case you joined the board after that post I can repeat it again...at that point, I am going to see what time it is and run at my easy pace in order to to time it so that I get to Expedition Everest at 7:30 when they will start the ride. Then, it's marathon pace racing from character to character again until DHS where I will meet up with my daughter and go on as many rides as I can and take pictures until I rejoin the race at around 11:00-11:15. From DHS until Epcot, I'll likely go at whatever pace feels comfortable and maybe stop for a cupcake at the boardwalk bakery (DEFINITELY not the CBS!).

This will be my third Disney World marathon, but my first Dopey. Thus far, I have only ridden one ride (Everest) during a marathon which was in 2023. The most characters that I have taken pictures with was 21. Hence, I have ambitious plans for this marathon experience.

You have to figure out what your priorities are in order to maximize your enjoyment. Nevertheless, the great thing about this race is that there is something there for every runner whether you're trying to BQ, get a PR, see the characters as you run past, stop and take pictures with the characters and everything in between.

I have pretty much the same plan (as many character stops as possible, Everest, Tower of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster), except I'm going to try to get an ILL for Guardians of the Galaxy for immediately after the race so I can get a pic on my finisher ears on the best ride at WDW.

 

[kps7795]

I have pretty much the same plan (as many character stops as possible, Everest, Tower of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster), except I'm going to try to get an ILL for Guardians of the Galaxy for immediately after the race so I can get a pic on my finisher ears on the best ride at WDW.

That sounds like a great plan! Make sure to hold up your medals for the camera on Guardians. That should make for a really great picture.