Marathon Weekend 2026

Picturing you loading up a bunch of shoes in your car makes be both envious and curious... this is my first Dopey and I'm wondering what everyone's approach is to rotating shoes over the weekend. I am planning on taking my Mizuno Neo Vista (great for easy pace) and my Nike Alpha Fly (great for speed). I was thinking I would do the Mizunos for the 5k and 10k and the Nikes for the half and full, but wonder if I should just save the Nikes for the full. I'm planning on taking the first three races slow and having fun, then just see what happens on Sunday. Any advice from experienced Dopeys? Thanks!
I'm also on Team Every Other Day. I bring the two active pairs of Brooks Ghost I have in service at the time and use one pair for the 5K and half and the other pair for the 10k and marathon.
 
I'm going to echo the "try it out on your simulation weekend" comment. Those weekends aren't there just to train your body for multiple days. It is your best test what your equipment (clothes, shoes) should look like, what you fueling (days leading up to, pre-run, during, and post-run) should be, and what works best to recover properly by the next day. My goal for the final simulation is for it to a complete simulation and where I put everything together and do a final check. If I've tested everything on previous runs, I should be able to walk away with a complete plan.

Then the hard part is the self-control to stop overthinking and resist the urge to tinker with the plan. :laughing:
Bolding from me for emphasis, because I don’t think this can be emphasized enough! 4 Dopeys under my belt, plus more other multi-day challenges than I can count, and I swear every training cycle, I tried something in a b2b2b (or b2b2b2b) simulation that would have been miserable during the actual races: poor shoe choice for that day, a pair of tights that were fine for 3 miles but I hated after 18, learning that yes I really did want to start with gloves on with the temp under 60º, even if it meant discarding them 2 miles in (which sometimes meant needing multiple pairs of cheap gloves for a multi-day challenge), discovering that I craved a Pepsi/Coke/Sprite around mile 20ish, finding that I needed a plan for dumping Tailwind out of a tiny baggie into my bottle with a strong wind blowing, etc. Not once have I not learned something new that would help on race day by testing things in training!
 
Bolding from me for emphasis, because I don’t think this can be emphasized enough! 4 Dopeys under my belt, plus more other multi-day challenges than I can count, and I swear every training cycle, I tried something in a b2b2b (or b2b2b2b) simulation that would have been miserable during the actual races: poor shoe choice for that day, a pair of tights that were fine for 3 miles but I hated after 18, learning that yes I really did want to start with gloves on with the temp under 60º, even if it meant discarding them 2 miles in (which sometimes meant needing multiple pairs of cheap gloves for a multi-day challenge), discovering that I craved a Pepsi/Coke/Sprite around mile 20ish, finding that I needed a plan for dumping Tailwind out of a tiny baggie into my bottle with a strong wind blowing, etc. Not once have I not learned something new that would help on race day by testing things in training!
Totally agree with testing everything out... but I never would have thought of the impact of wind on reloading an electrolyte drink!
 
Totally agree with testing everything out... but I never would have thought of the impact of wind on reloading an electrolyte drink!
Oh yes! I started doing what I’d always done before: open the tiny ziploc bag, pinch it a bit, and pour into my bottle from maybe an inch above the bottle… and a wind gust blew it all over the front of me. I subsequently trained myself to put the top of the little bag into the mouth of my bottle to pour!
 

Merchandise preorder question: Does anyone know where we can find pre-orders on our runDisney account? I have an email with my preordered merchandise listed, but I don’t see it anywhere else. Thanks in advance.
 
Merchandise preorder question: Does anyone know where we can find pre-orders on our runDisney account? I have an email with my preordered merchandise listed, but I don’t see it anywhere else. Thanks in advance.

Go to runDisney.com
At the top right -- Help & Support -> Manage Account
Log in
Buy Products (at top)
Your Products


Screenshot 2025-10-16 at 3.34.28 PM.png
 
Okay important question.. does anyone know where I can find a POG mimosa after the marathon? Resort restaurant, park restaurant, anywhere goes. 🤣
 
This isn’t runDisney related but you guys will understand this.

Just finished my last weekend run before next week’s Marine Corps Marathon. It was a great training block for me and I’m running with my sister.

I’ll be wearing my red, white and blue Mickey ears if anyone else is running and wants to say hi!!
 
This isn’t runDisney related but you guys will understand this.

Just finished my last weekend run before next week’s Marine Corps Marathon. It was a great training block for me and I’m running with my sister.

I’ll be wearing my red, white and blue Mickey ears if anyone else is running and wants to say hi!!
Good luck at MCM!
 
This isn’t runDisney related but you guys will understand this.

Just finished my last weekend run before next week’s Marine Corps Marathon. It was a great training block for me and I’m running with my sister.

I’ll be wearing my red, white and blue Mickey ears if anyone else is running and wants to say hi!!
Good luck 🍀
 
Good morning RunDisney All-Stars! Welcome to this week's edition of Sundays are for Disney (SAFD). One of the undoubted highlights of RunDisney races are the characters on course. They're a great opportunity to see characters that don't make appearances under "normal" circumstances. What are the favorite characters you've seen on course and are there any you hope to see in the upcoming MW races?

SAFD: I love the unusual characters that you get, especially during the marathon. Some of the favorites I've run across have been Hades, Pain & Panic, Shan Yu, Jack, Sally, Oogie Boogie and the Grave Diggers. There aren't too many on my wish list. Primarily, I'd like to see the NBC characters make a comeback. Lock, Shock & Barrel would be especially welcome!
 
SAFD: I am not normally a character person AT ALL - but they sure make for a nice little rest in the middle of a race, so yeah; I make a few stops.

Favorites:
Adventurers Club members - KUNGALOOSH! (Shout-out, too, to the Colonel, who is not an official character stop, but who I usually manage to find running in races)
The 501st folks at SW races, especially the Emperor and Jawas
Haunted Mansion ballroom dancers
HM grave diggers
Phineas & Ferb - together!
 
SAFD: characters I will always stop for: Chip & Dale, because they're chipmunks and chipmunks are my friends. And also Gaston, because I discovered that the person (or persons) who plays Gaston is really good at giving a bit of interaction without slowing down the line, and it just puts a smile on my face, which can be really helpful, depending on how you're feeling during a race weekend.
 
SAFD: I definitely look for rare characters on the course. The first character I ever stopped for was Marie, and she’s one of my must-stop-for. I also stopped for Esmeralda and Meg during Princess 2024. You never see those two and I’m born in the 80s, child of the 90s. I didn’t have to think about those, I just beelined it over.
 
SAFD: Anything classic Disney Afternoon (Ducktales, Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, Tailspin). Wreck-It Ralph characters and Three Caballeros as well.
 
SAFD:
I like seeing characters that I can't normally see in a park. Sometimes these are characters that only are used a parties, etc. That being said, aside from the (untimed) 5k I don't usually stop for characters that I have to wait for longer than 5min to see. The trade-off in time-loss isn't worth it for me.



Unrelated to SAFD: holy cats we are 2.5 weeks out from dining reservations if your stay starts the weekend before the races?!
 





Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE









DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top Bottom