Marathon Weekend 2026

[marty3d]

SAFD: It is serendipitous that my first Marathon is still my favorite medal, the previously pictured 2013 20th Anniversary medal. The key to that medal is that all the spinners had a purpose and the medal was improved by their inclusion. The last few years they’ve just been adding stuff to add stuff. They don’t improve the medals and, in many cases, make them look cheaper. We don’t need a spinning acorn just to have something that moves (not their worst sin, but it jumped in my mind because it’s so silly and trivial).

Agree - but I can't help feeling that the colours, lights and spinners are driven by IG and TikTok influencers. As much as we like the simpler medals as they spend most of their time hanging on the wall - they aren't as flashy in a small video you're watching on your phone.

 

[WDW 4 ME]

See this just goes to show how mostly oblivious I am when I run. I have no recollection of this at all. But I do recall the 20th mile “spectacular” in 2013….or rather I recall the lack of it being…..spectacular.

SAME! I always think “I’m going to soak all this in and remember it forever”. Yeah, right! I do tend to remember my favorite snack stations, if that counts.

 

[WDW 4 ME]

My DH is also titanium
My guess is they are holding a room block for an event. If it doesn't sell out, they'll release what's left. IIRC that's 60-90 days out, so don't give up yet!

Fingers crossed!!

 

[WDW 4 ME]

SAFD: I love my Hercules 10k from this years springtime surprise. The back on it was actually my favorite part, as it was a front and back medal. It was simple yet felt important. I HATE the ones with the springs on them. Why do I need a bouncy 3-d accessory on my medal? And I agree on the weight. I absolutely want to wear mine around but let’s be real….sometimes my chunkier necklaces can give me neck strain by the end of the day. Let alone a 5lb medal swinging around my neck. (NOT 5 lbs but after running and walking around all day, every ounce feels hefty).

 

[jrsharp21]

SAFD: Was thinking about medal designs and how they could get creative with simple designs. I would love to see some medals in the theme of the penny press machines around the resort. I think they could make some cool medals that look like replicas of the pressed pennies.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Agree - but I can't help feeling that the colours, lights and spinners are driven by IG and TikTok influencers. As much as we like the simpler medals as they spend most of their time hanging on the wall - they aren't as flashy in a small video you're watching on your phone.

I definitely believe social media plays a factor in their insistence on putting bells and whistles onto every medal. These races sell out in minutes, but for some reason rD appeared to invite multiple influencers to Marathon Weekend last year for some reason (this message board is the only form of social media I have, so that’s anecdotal, but I saw it mentioned here). They certainly prioritize their online engagement.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

SAFD: I’m for simpler designs as well. Whole spinners and other “enhancements” look good when we first get them, all of that novelty is lost the minute it goes on the wall or in a shadow box.

 

[radiodome21]

SAFD: these are the only medals I’ve collected. Only been running seriously for less than a year with the exception of the neighborhood Turkey Trot. While not technically a medal I did get a Miller Lite can (or a few) at the end of those races that had just the right number of features I needed. BTW the bottle opener on my Cinco de Miler is comical; security at the race allowed only cans

 

[accm]

SAFD: Like almost everyone else here, I also prefer the simpler medals. I hate having to baby my medals after the races so they'll still look good by the time I get home and hang them up. I also wouldn't mind if they made the medals slightly smaller - some of them are getting out of hand big.

 

[BigEeyore]

SAFD: Another vote for the less is more medals. I really wish that they would stop making the medals so dang big and heavy because I like to wear my medal in the parks after the race.
Favorite medal of all time is still the 2013 marathon one that @FFigawi posted earlier.

 

[accm]

SAFD: Another vote for the less is more medals. I really wish that they would stop making the medals so dang big and heavy because I like to wear my medal in the parks after the race.
Favorite medal of all time is still the 2013 marathon one that @FFigawi posted earlier.

I couldn't wear last year's wine and dine challenge medal to the parks. Between the weight and the fact it clacked anytime I moved, it was completely unwearable.

Fingers crossed for wearable medals for marathon weekend!

 

[KCO5988]

SAFD: Add me to the wanting simple design team. However, I can definitely see this year's medals being books that open.

 

[Baloo in MI]

I really wouldn’t mind throwing it back to this one at some point. Maybe you modernize it somehow, but for example the one I got for NYC last year is becoming one of my favorites and it’s very simple:

View attachment 1002266

Nothing fancy, just a nice gold with small color accents and it pops.

Beautiful medal. Simple but elegant. And congrats on NYCM, it is a tough course!

 

[Dopey 2020]

SAFD I’ll pile on to the Keep It Simple Stupid rant, but I doubt Disney will listen. I can’t stand the paint and springs and lights, not to mention the obvious lack of quality compared to even five years ago. Most of my runDisney medals from the past few years are in a box (I still hang the marathon because well… marathon) because space is at a premium and they just aren’t that nice. I like simple, you can still go with a classic spinner to up it a little, just stop with the easy to break extras and crumbling paint.
My favorite is the 2019 marathon, just enough weight to know its quality, just enough color that is properly applied. Most are unaware that when you spin it, Mickey is jogging similar to one of those flip the pages sketches. Used to be some imagination that went into them.

 

[Herding_Cats]

another Monday with no medal reveal.....

 

[marty3d]

another Monday with no medal reveal.....

Thinking next week now that DL is done? Maybe….

 

[accm]

spinoff SAFD question - when will runDisney reveal marathon weekend medals. Whoever is closest gets a dole whip!

I'm going with Sep 22.

 

[Zutroy]

As for this years medals I don’t see them leaning too heavily on the book theme itself. I think we’ll see the individual themes more so than anything directly related to books. Just please don’t give us anything like that Moana medal from PW 2022. That was huge and ugly.

I ran PW in 2022, and I remember the reaction to the medal reveal was less than positive. The Moana challenge medal had nothing on the Mulan medal. To this day I can’t look at this medal without referring to it as “burn victim” Mulan.

 

[fatmanatee]

I could see them disregarding the usual "Medal Monday" thing and just releasing later this week if they're ready. That said, I'll go ahead and make a safer guess of 9/15.

(There WAS a Medal Monday post today... about the DL Halloween medals)

 

[SheHulk]

I ran PW in 2022, and I remember the reaction to the medal reveal was less than positive. The Moana challenge medal had nothing on the Mulan medal. To this day I can’t look at this medal without referring to it as “burn victim” Mulan.

View attachment 1002512


View attachment 1002511

Don't forget it was a spinner with, inexplicably, basically nothing on the other side. It's Mulan! Do Ping on one side and Mulan on the other! It's a no-brainer!