Marathon Weekend 2026

[Herding_Cats]

SAFD:
DH has been surprisingly supportive of the enormous time-suck that running has become since I tumbled down the rabbit-hole of marathon+ running. (To the point of saying to book camping trips near the trail I'm racing on at the end of the summer for the weekends that I want to preview the course.) I think that it also helped that running has a pretty fast impact on mental health stuff for me as well, and I was able to become a lot more "me" shortly after I started running regularly.

And, as stated by others, these boards have been tremendously helpful with basic information for beginners (you shouldn't run all of your training runs as hard as you can?!) and finding how to make running not suck when you're starting out and everything is hard. Or when you've been running for a few years and everything is somehow difficult again. The comradery here is why I kept running after that first Goofy weekend, and the fact that we can commiserate, encourage, offer sound advice, and maybe harass each other a little bit makes it feel like more than just a group of strangers on the internet who like to talk about running.

 

[Dopey 2020]

SAFD No story of inspiration here, just decided to start running when I couldn’t really do anything else for exercise after a couple shoulder surgeries. Being physically active since forever I had to do something along with the fact that I like doing different things rather than sitting on the sidelines led to this awful habit.

After 8 years I definitely have to thank my wife and daughter who think I’m nuts but offer unending support (it may just be for the trips to the races) so I will continue to challenge myself.

Also have to thank this very group right here and runDisney for making it fun, otherwise I would have stopped short of many goals.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I think that it also helped that running has a pretty fast impact on mental health stuff for me as well, and I was able to become a lot more "me" shortly after I started running regularly.

The comradery here is why I kept running after that first Goofy weekend, and the fact that we can commiserate, encourage, offer sound advice, and maybe harass each other a little bit makes it feel like more than just a group of strangers on the internet who like to talk about running.

This! About mental health. I'm sure that my fam members would question whether my mental heath is any better, but running is a natural anti-depressant and really helps improve my outlook on things when life and work are causing angst.

Ditto on the camaraderie. And getting to harass certain fellow rD-ers is just gravy.... ;-)

 

[rick1zoo2]

I will place all of the blame squarely on my wife, it's completely her fault...

...and I am grateful for that and so many other things about her, things that she has made me do that I am thankful for, but might not admit...

Plus, I think she would agree that the people we have met here have helped and inspired us tremendously. We got started around the time we retired, coming up on two years ago. We were already Disney World addicts so runDisney has added to that in a positive way, the runDisney race weekends have been awesome and we feel fortunate to be able to do them.

 

[smileyanna]

SAFD: I started running with a charity marathon training program that used the Galloway method 23 years ago. Dragged my siblings, dad, boyfriend-then-husband in too, and we are forever grateful for the run-walk method.

My mom is forever supportive, even as she thinks training for a marathon is crazy. My husband for putting up with the added layer of Disney on top of regular races.

 

[DianaMB333]

SAFD: I started running/walking because I saw the 50th anniversary medals … so it was a debate between trying to earn them or buying it online… LOL

Thankfully I did try it and I loved it!

From the (48yrs) couch to doing Dopey in the span of 2.5 yrs.. which was probably irresponsible but I did it!

Now, I added rundisney to my already full-on Disney addiction and feel blessed that my body is capable of doing it, and my job allows me to go and to pay for it

Without these boards I would have probably given up…

Side note, last Friday I went for my very first ever 5K outside of Disney… never again LOL.. it is not fun… I don't like running; I like Disney and that gives me the incentive to train/run …

 

[accm]

I know its way too early to start speculating about course changes, but I just saw this aerial photo and it got me thinking. The path we usually take is still there, but covered in dirt. From looking at the pictures of Tropical Americas, it looks like those buildings are staying there. Maybe they'll just clean up the path and open up the fencing and there will be no changes to the course? It would be cool if we got to see a behind the scenes preview of the new land while running past!

 

[matt and beth]

SAFD: Would have to be DW. She hated my ultra phase when we were much younger, but she was a fantastic team member at the aid stations. Always encouraging and supportive. Running took a hiatus when the kids were born because time didn’t allow. Now DD is in her 20s and we are both RunDisney fanatics DW is there to support us again. At Main Street and at the finish line. She joins us on some races but she’s the best cheerleader ever.

 

[mmm_texas]

I'm going to throw out a question...

SAFD - Inspired by Mother's Day, who is the person (or people) who have inspired you or you would want to thank for their help/support on your running journey?

SAFD: I was already a sporadic, recreational runner, just around the neighborhood for health, had never entered any sort of race. Also, I was a Disney fan (although somehow I had never heard of runDisney) and fan of almost any science fiction, starting with Star Trek when I was a kid but definitely including Star Wars. So in 2019 when my wife learned about the upcoming 2020 Star Wars runDisney event, she told me all about it and insisted I should do it. That one didn't work out of course, but quite a few have since then. Next up: Dopey 2026!

 

[Herding_Cats]

are we feeling a group costume this year? (DD will ultimately determine my family's 5k costume, but I'm up for helping organize something if we have interest here.....even if it's a repeat of the flag shirts that maybe we wouldn't have to wear parkas over this time?!)

 

[nancipants]

are we feeling a group costume this year? (DD will ultimately determine my family's 5k costume, but I'm up for helping organize something if we have interest here.....even if it's a repeat of the flag shirts that maybe we wouldn't have to wear parkas over this time?!)

I was planning to do Star Wars for the 5k since it's space themed. Was thinking Clarabelle for the marathon but I'm not married to the idea.

 

[The Expert]

I don't like running; I like Disney and that gives me the incentive to train/run …

EXACTLY this!

I know its way too early to start speculating about course changes, but I just saw this aerial photo and it got me thinking. The path we usually take is still there, but covered in dirt. From looking at the pictures of Tropical Americas, it looks like those buildings are staying there. Maybe they'll just clean up the path and open up the fencing and there will be no changes to the course? It would be cool if we got to see a behind the scenes preview of the new land while running past!
View attachment 964913

Considering the construction mess they had us run through this year over by Poly/GF, it wouldn't shock me if they didn't change the course.

are we feeling a group costume this year?

I'm always in!

I was planning to do Star Wars for the 5k since it's space themed.

I was planning this too.

 

[marty3d]

are we feeling a group costume this year? (DD will ultimately determine my family's 5k costume, but I'm up for helping organize something if we have interest here.....even if it's a repeat of the flag shirts that maybe we wouldn't have to wear parkas over this time?!)

I’m doing Goofy so would be open to it for the half and/or full.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

SAFD: I started running/walking because I saw the 50th anniversary medals … so it was a debate between trying to earn them or buying it online… LOL

Thankfully I did try it and I loved it!

From the (48yrs) couch to doing Dopey in the span of 2.5 yrs.. which was probably irresponsible but I did it!

Now, I added rundisney to my already full-on Disney addiction and feel blessed that my body is capable of doing it, and my job allows me to go and to pay for it

Without these boards I would have probably given up…

Side note, last Friday I went for my very first ever 5K outside of Disney… never again LOL.. it is not fun… I don't like running; I like Disney and that gives me the incentive to train/run …

Yes, the bling is the thing.
Many kudos for getting off the couch. Double kudos for the Dopey
Irresponsible? Us? Never.....
Sorry to hear about the non-rD 5K. It makes me wonder if the weather was bad or if it just wasn't well organized. There are ton's of them every weekend, often for a specific school/church/charity/group fundraiser and many of them have fun themes or rewards (like donuts at the finish line!). Friends of mine just did a bubble run 5K and had fun with that (and half of them were walking it). And 5Ks can be a casual training target in between rD events. YMMV.
And amen to being blessed with a body and joints that allow for this activity.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

Maybe they'll just clean up the path and open up the fencing and there will be no changes to the course? It would be cool if we got to see a behind the scenes preview of the new land while running past!

Never say never, but considering how conservative Disney is from a risk prospective, I think the chances of following the same course are very small. If someone happened to get injured in that area, "Disney made runners pass through an active construction site where plaintiff was injured" might not be be the first line in my lawsuit, but it would be near the top.

 

[The Expert]

Never say never, but considering how conservative Disney is from a risk prospective, I think the chances of following the same course are very small. If someone happened to get injured in that area, "Disney made runners pass through an active construction site where plaintiff was injured" might not be be the first line in my lawsuit, but it would be near the top.

They literally did this for the half and full during MW though. That road by Poly and GF was TERRIBLE and not very well lit (at least during the half). I was SHOCKED they had us run through there.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Never say never, but considering how conservative Disney is from a risk prospective, I think the chances of following the same course are very small. If someone happened to get injured in that area, "Disney made runners pass through an active construction site where plaintiff was injured" might not be be the first line in my lawsuit, but it would be near the top.

But they made us run past the construction at the poly?

I agree with you though. I think we'll get routed around the construction, but not that we'll get routed in such a way that we get to run through other parts of AK *cough cough Pandora cough*

ETA: looking at a map, I can see them sending us down Restrauntosaurus Rd. which would send us past the entrance to Dinosaur, and then around behind the building for it, and then continuing on as usual. And the only thing they'd have to do is adjust one of the loops in the MK parking lot to account for the change in distance.

 

[Herding_Cats]

They literally did this for the half and full during MW though. That road by Poly and GF was TERRIBLE and not very well lit (at least during the half). I was SHOCKED they had us run through there.

JINX!

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I'd be open for the half. For the full, it would depend on the costume.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

They literally did this for the half and full during MW though. That road by Poly and GF was TERRIBLE and not very well lit (at least during the half). I was SHOCKED they had us run through there.

Difference is I think those roads were technically still open, although maybe I'm wrong. They were in awful shape from the construction, but not closed. Given how bad that was though (and I agree it was bad, especially the lighting), makes me think they would be even less inclined to do it again