Marathon Weekend 2026

[Herding_Cats]

Looks like there's also Princess Weekend pins in there, though they're not the usual medal replicas. I kind of like the idea of the characters wearing medals

those have already been pictured in the pre-order stuff, so those aren't a surprise.

 

[fatmanatee]

Going to posit a theory that the group that handles Disney pins in general also handles all of RD’s pins and they’re unaware that RD might not want some of these out just yet. The pic is part of a display where they have a ton of different upcoming releases.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Going to posit a theory that the group that handles Disney pins in general also handles all of RD’s pins and they’re unaware that RD might not want some of these out just yet. The pic is part of a display where they have a ton of different upcoming releases.

100%. Someone is probably gonna get yelled at.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Those Dopey and Goofy medals look like they could be quite unwieldy if the pins are anywhere close to scale. The ribbon tab on the Goofy looks like it would be particularly problematic if it is that large compared to the ribbon. Seems like it would constantly be at risk of falling out of balance to one side or the other.

Otherwise, they’re medals. They’ll probably look pretty good on the day. I hope the other individual races keep the round design of the 10k.

 

[Naomeri]

those have already been pictured in the pre-order stuff, so those aren't a surprise.

Forgot about that

 

[WDW 4 ME]

Anytime someone walks into a store and gets “fitted” by employees, they always seem to get sold stability shoes. There are a number of problems with the “gait analysis” these stores use to sell you shoes. They use unscientific methods like getting your foot wet and then stepping on paper to see your arch, or videoing you running on a treadmill. The problem is that proper running form comes from your core, hips, glutes, and then carries down to your feet, and these methods do not address actual running mechanics. There is nothing inherently wrong with pronation, and if there is a problem with form, a shoe isn’t going to fix it. Often pronation is a symptom of muscle weakness causing the foot to roll inward. A stability shoe is treating the symptom without addressing the root cause.

This makes me feel better! What you say just makes perfect sense to me. I did go to my local running store today, told them my issues. Asked for a neutral shoe. They Agreed the NB 860’s were probably an over correction. Tried several pairs out and needed up coming home with the NB 880’s. They didn’t seem very thrilled with it, and think I’ll have new problems. I certainly hope I don’t! There was a worker there who said she had IT BAND pain for 2 years and couldn’t run at all. She was in a stability shoe and now runs in a neutral. She said “put her in a neutral shoe!!!!”. I’ll keep you guys posted. I’ve only been able to run twice this week and not for very long. Even my walks were painful. Just feel so defeated…January is getting very close!

 

[fatmanatee]

Saw another higher res pic and kinda like the 10k medal, would be nice if the others followed that open book base theme but looks like that won’t be the case for all. I yearn for the continuity that we had with the 2022 medals.

 

[PrincessV]

This makes me feel better! What you say just makes perfect sense to me. I did go to my local running store today, told them my issues. Asked for a neutral shoe. They Agreed the NB 860’s were probably an over correction. Tried several pairs out and needed up coming home with the NB 880’s. They didn’t seem very thrilled with it, and think I’ll have new problems. I certainly hope I don’t! There was a worker there who said she had IT BAND pain for 2 years and couldn’t run at all. She was in a stability shoe and now runs in a neutral. She said “put her in a neutral shoe!!!!”. I’ll keep you guys posted. I’ve only been able to run twice this week and not for very long. Even my walks were painful. Just feel so defeated…January is getting very close!

With the caveat that I am not a medical professional, only another runner who’s battled ITBS, a few thoughts that I hope will be helpful…

1. DO NOT PUSH THROUGH ITBS PAIN!!! The pain is caused by inflamed bursas and they need to be allowed to calm down. Continuing to put tension on them won’t allow that to happen. When I had a particularly bad case, I stopped doing any activity that aggravated it for a week, then started walking and running again, but only to the point when pain began, then stopped. That enabled me to start building distance again without re-aggravating the ITBS.

2. ITB straps. I find them to wildly helpful! They effectively put tension in one spot to lift the offending tendon away from the problematic area. I rarely need it anymore, but it helped a lot to get through training when ITBS hit mid-training cycle.

3. Think about what you run on. I live in FL, where every surface - roads, sidewalks, paths, even dirt trails - is cambered for storm water runoff. The only time I’m ever running on a flat surface is on the treadmill. This means that even in neutral shoes, one leg or the other is always accommodating an outward lean from the running surface, which… puts tension on the IT Band, much like stability shoes do. I make sure I vary this so that one leg isn’t taking all of that cambered load by alternating sides of the sidewalk regularly. (The roads at WDW are VERY cambered, so this also helps prep for that.)

I promise, ITBS can be overcome! It just takes time. Hang in there!

 

[RuntheMouse]

2. ITB straps. I find them to wildly helpful! They effectively put tension in one spot to lift the offending tendon away from the problematic area. I rarely need it anymore, but it helped a lot to get through training when ITBS hit mid-training cycle.

^This!!! I used one to get me through ITBS a couple of years ago. In fact I have it on in more than one runDisney race picture

Strength training has been a life saver for me and has kept it at bay.

 

[SheHulk]

@WDW 4 ME I have had ITBS issues on and off too. Most recently it screwed up my Chicago Marathon training block in 2023. I agree with all of what everyone said, especially:

• Don't try to just run through it, you'll only aggravate it more
• Strength training is the best inoculation long-term, especially your glute medius
• I have scoliosis just like @PrincessV and just like her, my wonky mechanics must not be contained by a stability shoe. I just let my body go with the flow. Yet another reason why strength training is important
• I have had success when it's just a little flare-up (i.e., BEFORE I have tried to power through and made it worse), foam rolling all the way down the side of the affected thigh. It hurts like a mofo and I made sounds I have never made before, but after a few sessions it really worked.

 

[camaker]

Good afternoon RunDisney All-Stars! Welcome to this week's edition of Sundays are for Disney (SAFD). There's been a lot of talk about medals, potential medal designs and medal reveals lately, so let's continue with that theme. What do medals mean for you when it comes to races? Are they a draw (or turnoff) to registering for a race, if designs are available ahead of time? Do you prefer not to see them until the finish line, as a last surprise? What do they mean to you after the race is done and dusted?

SAFD: Medals meant a lot more to me early in my running career. I'd look for races with fun medals to register for and look forward to displaying them afterwards. Nowadays, they really don't do much for me. After the race has been run, they pretty much go straight into storage unless they're really special or stand out for some reason. Still, it's fun to anticipate the Marathon Weekend medal designs and critique them when they come out. It's a nice, fun way to engage with the race weekend during the doldrums of mid-plan training.

 

[Barca33Runner]

SAFD: I used to be very into the medal designs and, while they were never a reason for signing up for a race, they were something I looked forward to seeing in the run up to a race and receiving at the finish line. Now, it’s still a bit exciting to see them; but there is only so much that can be done with them (particularly when they have to be manufactured at relatively low cost). It’s a very rare medal that brings something unexpected and exciting to the table. I still display all of mine and do enjoy looking at them, but they aren’t as important as they were when I began running.

 

[DianaMB333]

SAFD: I don't really mind the medals; I mind the theme a bit more - as a driver to decide how much I will love the photos, but likely will still sign up regardless LOL..

On the ITBand topic, in addition to all the comments… consider doing aquajogging while you go through the PT/rest period… that way you can continue training

 

[pluto377]

SAFD: Medals aren't make or break for me. I definitely enjoy getting a nice one and putting it one display later to have as a memory of the race. I did a 10K yesterday with no medals and I felt kind of sad at the end to have no memento. I'm a bit concerned about the size of that Dopey medal. And not sure how I feel about a rectangle shape.

 

[AZMermaid]

SAFD- medals don’t make me want to sign up but I do appreciate a nice one! I do agree I generally like to receive one so I have something to show for my race… but they also end up in a drawer!

 

[princesspirateandrunner]

SAFD: I agree with most of the comments here, especially @Barca33Runner. When I first started running, medals were a very big deal to me. As I collected more and more, they became less important. That said, I would certainly miss it if there was no medal at the end. I’m always excited to see the designs, and I enjoy wearing the rD medals around after the races. The Disney medals always get hung up with my past ones. I wouldn’t sign up for a race solely on the medal (or shirt) design, but I would feel free to complain if they’re ugly (and have—ask DH!)

 

[Herding_Cats]

SAFD: I agree with most of the comments here, especially @Barca33Runner. When I first started running, medals were a very big deal to me. As I collected more and more, they became less important. That said, I would certainly miss it if there was no medal at the end. I’m always excited to see the designs, and I enjoy wearing the rD medals around after the races. The Disney medals always get hung up with my past ones. I wouldn’t sign up for a race solely on the medal (or shirt) design, but I would feel free to complain if they’re ugly (and have—ask DH!)

All of this. Yep.

I will likely have FOMO with the medals are shown for next year's trail run (the one I just did) because they've already closed registration, and they're either doing faux stained glass, or stained glass inspired and they'll still be enormous, but there are too many unknowns this far out and that weekend is tricky with having another kid going to college, and the unknowns of DS3's fall sports choices.

 

[radiodome21]

SAFD: well I only have a few medals but couldn’t care less about them. I actually like the running shirts much more as they’re something that I would like to continue using. I love the Brooks shirt I got from the SS 10k I ran in April; just ran in it last week.

 

[The Expert]

SAFD: The Kessel Run medal is what motivated me to keep running after my first rD 5K, so yeah, I was definitely medal-motivated early on. I did a LOT of race weekends in 2017 for those C2Castle and C2Chateau medals! Less so now, but I do have all my medals displayed and I do get excited about a nice design that I like. The ones I don't love -- meh, no big deal, but I'm still going to hang it up if I've done the race.

 

[Naomeri]

SAFD: I started running because of virtual medals, so design was really important to me then. Now, it's less about the medals and more about the experience. But I still want cool medals!