Marathon Weekend 2026

[camaker]

Anyone put in the NYC lottery?

I didn’t enter the NYC lottery, but threw my name in the ring for the Berlin lottery.

 

[Dopey 2020]

Anyone put in the NYC lottery?

Entered Chicago, I think NY lottery is in February. Email I got a few weeks back was for paid raffle, I ignored that. Missed Belin lottery not paying attention

 

[Baloo in MI]

I put in for the Chicago lottery, again. 6th time I think and hoping to finally get a spot. Did NYC lottery close already?

 

[pluto377]

Anyone put in the NYC lottery?

NYC Half lottery is today. I'm waiting for the results!

 

[WDW 4 ME]

Me too! I hope to complete my first marathon in January at 60.

Amazing! Wishing you the best of luck and an incredible experience!!

 

[WDW 4 ME]

I ran my “bucket list” (first) marathon at 45. Since then I’ve completed 17 marathons and 10 ultras. I might have a problem…

Haha! I told my husband this wouldn’t happen to me. But I’m already having the “I’ll learn a lot from this one for my next one” internal monologues with myself!

 

[WDW 4 ME]

NYC Half lottery is today. I'm waiting for the results!

Keep us posted!!! So nerve wracking, I’m sure!

 

[Kerry1957]

Me too! I hope to complete my first marathon in January at 60.

You can do it!! Get a good training plan (I used @DopeyBadger ) and trust it. Slow and steady may not win the race but it will finish the race upright and smiling.

 

[Erika10021]

You can do it!! Get a good training plan (I used @DopeyBadger ) and trust it. Slow and steady may not win the race but it will finish the race upright and smiling.

I am working through my @DopeyBadger plan right now! I might not be as fast as the paces he recommends but I am getting the miles in!

 

[rick1zoo2]

I am working through my @DopeyBadger plan right now! I might not be as fast as the paces he recommends but I am getting the miles in!

I can attest to that! Doing great! But this time we will avoid all traffic cones




Even in bad weather:

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I ran my first marathon on my 44th birthday and will hopefully complete my second on the day before my 45th birthday.

My first marathon was at the age of 45, and my fifth will be this MW, just a few days shy of my 60th birthday.
Yeah, I have a problem (but I kinda like it... )

 

[The Expert]

My first marathon was a few weeks after my 49th birthday (MW 2020). I decided I wanted to do my "one and only marathon" before 50. And now I've done 4 and am working on 5 (Chicago 2026) and 6 (Dopey 2027). Fair warning!

 

[pluto377]

Keep us posted!!! So nerve wracking, I’m sure!

Didn't get in. Not surprised, but a little disappointed.

I'm so impressed with all of the later in life first time marathoners! I ran my first at 24.

 

[bpr2002]

Now I understand why I love this group so much. My husband and I ran our first full marathon as part of the Dopey in January. He turned 49 a few days later and I turned 48 a few months later. And now we are working towards our second full in our second Dopey for this upcoming January. We didn't start running until 2019 and completed our first half marathon at the end of 2020. DH was 44 and I was 43.

 

[DianaMB333]

There seems to be a trend … I also did my first (and only so far) days later after turning 49…

Maybe a mid life crisis lol… turned out to be a positive thing

 

[WDW 4 ME]

Maybe a mid life crisis lol

I have definitely thought that too!!!! There are worse mid life crises I suppose! Maybe cheaper ones though…..

 

[WDW 4 ME]

Didn't get in. Not surprised, but a little disappointed.

I'm so impressed with all of the later in life first time marathoners! I ran my first at 24.

That stinks! I’m sorry!

 

[BigEeyore]

SAFD: Loved reading everyone's stories! Here's mine-

Lifelong Disney obsessed geek - grew up going to DL and I am a former DL CM. I live in GA now and we have too many WDW trips to count...

I ran track and a little CC in high school, then some 5K's here and there thru college and after. Having kids made me step back from running, but after our 2nd was born I really needed to do something challenging and new for me, so I signed up for an indoor triathlon put on by my gym. I was hooked and continued to do tri's. Then in 2011 we took a family trip to WDW and it happened to be Princess weekend. I had no idea Disney did races and seeing all the beautiful medals and happy runners was all I needed! I signed up for the Princess half in 2012 and it was even better than I thought. I cried running down Main St and then crossing the finish line (this was my first half). I then ran the marathon in 2013, returned for Dopey in 2016 and have been to pretty much every MW since, plus every SW race, another Princess, one W&D and one SS.

MW 2026 will be my 18th marathon and I have completed 5 of the world majors. Not sure I would have done that without getting started at Disney!

 

[RuntheMouse]

Looking for some info from those of you who stop for pics during races.

With my DNF in my October marathon, I’m modifying my plan to PR in fun for the Disney marathon. So I now have a time goal in mind WITH some picture stops. I’m trying to plan out how many pics I can stop for and make that goal. So do any of you have an idea of the average time you spend at each stop?

 

[PrincessV]

Looking for some info from those of you who stop for pics during races.

With my DNF in my October marathon, I’m modifying my plan to PR in fun for the Disney marathon. So I now have a time goal in mind WITH some picture stops. I’m trying to plan out how many pics I can stop for and make that goal. So do any of you have an idea of the average time you spend at each stop?

It varies SO much! I’m talking everything from walking right up with no one in front of me, to a 45+ min wait. I don’t think there’s any way to plot that out. You really have to assess the situation in the moment and make a choice. Some like to decide ahead of time what characters are worth their time, some make a pre-race call to only stop if the wait is less than a certain amount of time. You could decide ahead of time what total amount of time you’re willing to spend on stops and ration that out as you go - but that’s going to involve a fair amount of mathing.