Marathon Weekend 2026

[marty3d]

The TL;DR version is that Disney canceled the half on Friday night before the race on Saturday. People decided to get their own half in somehow anyway, and ran 13.1 miles around their resort, the parks, and everywhere else you can think of. Cast members set up impromptu water stops at many resorts to support the runners, people made shirts after to “celebrate” their shortened Dopey, etc. If you search this forum, you’ll find all kinds of trip reports and stories.

It was going to be my first Goofy - I remember being so upset the night before. We went and drowned our sorrows at the Abracadabar. Woke up Saturday morning to the sights and sounds of a huge group of runners running from Epcot to DHS around Crescent lake. I joined in and ran my 13.1 there. It was an amazing atmosphere with guests and cast members cheering you on and impromptu water stops. The Photopass photographers outside DHS had lineups of runners posing for pictures. I look back on it as a unique experience in hindsight even though I wouldn't want to have to repeat it!

 

[Baloo in MI]

2017 Half:
I remember being in Epcot, early evening, after the 10k that morning. I got the text starting with something like “In an abundance of caution” I learned that the half was cancelled for the next morning. I was trying to run a Dopey PR that year, it was my second and I was planning to go all out for each race. The 5k and 10k both had gone really well, I was so bummed by the news. But we decided to make the best of it and instead of heading out early we closed the night out in Epcot and slept in on Saturday. Tthe storm that night was something else! So Crazy! Cancelling was the right call.

I was staying at Pop and decided to run the 13.1 anyway on Saturday after the storm had passed. I stepped outside to begin running around and around and around the lake. I figured I would be alone, but there were hundreds of runners. Many had on their bibs or costumes and as the morning progressed people set up water tables and even spontaneous character greeting spots that were mostly kids dressed up in costumes - was so cute! The spirit and positivity was so inspiring. Truly everything runDisney is about. Pace, PR’s, etc just did not matter anymore to me. It is still one of my favorite Half’s. It was a great morning!

 

[ReelBigPenguin]

My understanding is that the 5K is timed only for the Dopey runners; it is otherwise a stroll or jog. It is literally a walk in the park for most people. My recollection from my one Dopey was of jogging out of the corral (so crowded that I couldn't have run if I wanted to), down a short stretch of road, and entering Epcot, and it was LIT UP! They had the gizmo out in the lagoon going, and all the giant torches blazing, and a number of character stops with rather long lines. I did not do any character stops, but I did quit jogging and walked around looking at the place, taking it all in, and couldn't help but think how cool it was all lit up in the middle of the night, and just for us runners. Enjoy.
After the 5K? Maybe take a short nap back at the room and then rope-drop a park.
YMMV

It's not timed for Dopey runners either. My GF and I strolled it this year, and we'll probably do the same next month. Save the energy for the other 45.5 miles ahead.

 

[ReelBigPenguin]

It was going to be my first Goofy - I remember being so upset the night before. We went and drowned our sorrows at the Abracadabar. Woke up Saturday morning to the sights and sounds of a huge group of runners running from Epcot to DHS around Crescent lake. I joined in and ran my 13.1 there. It was an amazing atmosphere with guests and cast members cheering you on and impromptu water stops. The Photopass photographers outside DHS had lineups of runners posing for pictures. I look back on it as a unique experience in hindsight even though I wouldn't want to have to repeat it!

That's pretty cool. I did the half that was cut short in 2024. I was pretty disappointed, it was going to be my first run through MK. I was staying at Ft. Wilderness for that one. When I got back after my 7 mile long "half of a half", there were a lot people making up the miles on the paths around the campground. I wish I could say I stepped up and joined them, but a last minute reservation for breakfast at Boma ended those ambitions real quick.

 

[Novatrix]

Question for those of you who have bought the Brooks rD shoes at the expo on previous race weekends - how quickly do they run out of sizes and do they restock? I’m likely out of luck anyway but am trying to decide between going to the expo after I check in Thursday (which might be tight - I expect to arrive on property at 5 and won’t have a car) or Friday post HH. Assuming they preview a design I like. There’s no other merch that I am desperately trying to get.

It's going to depend how popular the design is. I know for the Halloween race weekend, the purple and black race specific Ghosts were sold out in Women's popular sizes on the 1st day. After they ran out of onsite inventory, they started selling the inventory still in the warehouse and direct shipping it without restocking onsite.

I believe the Mickey and Minnie shoes lasted a few days though.

 

[Herding_Cats]

The cut-off date for charities is tomorrow (12/8) and from what I'm seeing, many of them have moved their remaining bibs. If you were hoping to score a last minute single-distance* bib, you should be scouring the rundisney-specific social media groups for posts about these as they will be claimed quickly.


*I haven't seen any charities with challenge bibs remaining for over a month, and many charities have waitlists for these in the event that someone has to turn their bib back, making it extremely unlikely to find one at this point.

 

[KellyKateri]

A-T Children’s Project (link) still had 10K bibs as of this morning!

 

[The Expert]

I'm estimate corral placement based on times submitted at registration. With the new >7mm mile option, have we seen a trend toward the 8-10 minute milers being moved up from C corral? I haven't been paying attention and now I'm worried I'm entering the data incorrectly. I'd like to fix it before I get too far down the list!

 

[Disney at Heart]

@The Expert I don’t know much, but at W&D the first non-POT corral was D, so A-C had POTs.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

It's not timed for Dopey

The 5K is timed for Dopey - you can see the times in the overall Dopey results. This is how they know you’ve completed Dopey (although I don’t think they check when you pick up the medal anymore like they used to). With that said, I still take the 5K as a stroll!!

Re: 2017- thanks for sharing your stories everyone! That sounds wild. It reminds me of when the half was cut short in my first Dopey in 2024. I finished the miles on a tread at DAK alongside other runners.

 

[dobball23]

My family and I will be doing the 5k…first runDisney event! Initially I was thinking this an actual competitive race, and I was going to take it seriously, with my kids and wife walking/jogging. But, from the bits and pieces that I’ve been able to gather, I get the feeling this is more of a fun run/jog/walk. I also realized that I have no idea what to expect! We will be staying at AKV. Would anyone mind providing a run down on the what, when’s, and where’s of what I got myself involved with? Any suggestions for the expo, what time to get bus from AKV to race, things to do/see before/during/after race….? Any suggestions and advice would be much appreciated! I want to make sure we don’t “miss out” on anything! Thanks in advance.

Welcome to RunDisney! It's likely this won't be your last race.

While many people do take the 5K easy -- particularly those doing Dopey -- there are people who do race it. I am one of those. I try to run it as fast as I can, even when doing Dopey. So the summary is, take it as fast or as slow as you prefer. There will be plenty of other people doing the same thing, no matter what speed you choose to do.

 

[Smooth_Whiskey]

My family and I will be doing the 5k…first runDisney event! Initially I was thinking this an actual competitive race, and I was going to take it seriously, with my kids and wife walking/jogging. But, from the bits and pieces that I’ve been able to gather, I get the feeling this is more of a fun run/jog/walk. I also realized that I have no idea what to expect! We will be staying at AKV. Would anyone mind providing a run down on the what, when’s, and where’s of what I got myself involved with? Any suggestions for the expo, what time to get bus from AKV to race, things to do/see before/during/after race….? Any suggestions and advice would be much appreciated! I want to make sure we don’t “miss out” on anything! Thanks in advance.

Stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge last year running Dopey with a big group. We usually headed to the buses at 3 am and had zero issues getting on or standing in the corral. We were in corral D I think for the races. Bring stuff for rain, waiting in the corrals getting drenched is not the best. 5k will be over before you know it so have a good time!

 

[ReelBigPenguin]

The 5K is timed for Dopey - you can see the times in the overall Dopey results. This is how they know you’ve completed Dopey (although I don’t think they check when you pick up the medal anymore like they used to). With that said, I still take the 5K as a stroll!!

Re: 2017- thanks for sharing your stories everyone! That sounds wild. It reminds me of when the half was cut short in my first Dopey in 2024. I finished the miles on a tread at DAK alongside other runners.

Yeah, I should say, times are tracked/recorded, but the 16min/mi pacing requirement isn't enforced like the rest of the events.

 

[camaker]

Good morning RunDisney All-Stars! Welcome to this week's edition of Sundays are for Disney (SAFD). Population of the Marathon Weekend DIS spreadsheet is well underway and the weekend meet-ups are being planned and discussed where a lot of us will meet face to face. We tend to know each other primarily by screen name and/or avatar, so let's expand on that. What does your screen name and/or avatar represent? Is there any particular significance in either?

SAFD: My screen name comes from my early career in medical device R&D. I started my career making medical grade cyanoacrylates (CAs, aka super glue) so I was a camaker. If you've ever had a cut or incision closed with Dermabond, I developed the initial manufacturing process for it. It was developed at a very small company in Raleigh, NC before J&J bought it, sending my career in a different direction. The screen name has stuck, though.

My avatar is our first dog, Owen the English bulldog. He was a great dog and we had 9 wonderful years with him, even if the NC State Vet School has a wing named in his honor after all the time and money we spent there! We've had more bulldogs since, but he's got a special place in the heart as the first.

 

[FFigawi]

Welcome to RunDisney! It's likely this won't be your last race.

While many people do take the 5K easy -- particularly those doing Dopey -- there are people who do race it. I am one of those. I try to run it as fast as I can, even when doing Dopey. So the summary is, take it as fast or as slow as you prefer. There will be plenty of other people doing the same thing, no matter what speed you choose to do.

There are also people who will run the 5k fast enough to finish and run it again with the last corral. It’s a fun challenge to kick off the weekend.

 

[jmasgat]

SAFD: My screen name is basically family initials and part of last name. I was neither creative enough nor open to doing anything more “revealing”. (As if there is such a thing as internet privacy anymore!)

My avatar is a pic of a nearby oil/tar blob near my house that always screamed hidden Mickey to me. It always gave me a smile when I ran past it—probably cause I knew I was getting close to home! That’s my feet and my dearly departed dog Buddy.

 

[marty3d]

SAFD: My screen name is pretty boring and also I don't 100% remember. When I signed up for DISboards way back in the dark ages of the internet (2000), I tried multiple variations of my name - either it recommended a random screen name or I just kept throwing letters and numbers until I found one that worked. In hindsight I probably should have been more creative but it is what it is.

My Avatar is a shot I took one time before checking in to the Hollywood Tower Hotel. I love the lead up to the hotel with all the vegetation and you look up and it looms over you menacingly. I probably have 100 shots taken from a similar angle over the years.

 

[sandam1]

Tell me about Happy Toes. Can you not just use the nut butter on your feet as well?

I use Squirrel Nut butter for race morning and then Happy Toes after my post race shower as HT has a moisturizer in it. I have calluses on the outside of my big toe that get rough and irritated on long runs and the HT helps prevent that.

Confession time - I am obsessive about my foot care routine before any long run, but particularly the challenges. Here's what it looks like:

1. Apply Blister spray. Let dry.
2. Slather toes and bottom of foot with Squirrel Nut butter
3. Possibly put KT tape on the back of my heel (if I think that there's a chance of it getting irritated from rubbing)
4. Put on Injinji socks.

Before I started using the blister spray, I used KT tape on any place that was irritated from the previous day's running. By the end of Dopey, I was using a lot of tape. Now I can spray every area that historically gives me problems and move on.

Also, general pain relief cream question. Does everyone prefer Biofreeze?

I like Biofreeze for immediate pain relief. It works for me, but it is important to remember that it isn't going to work on all types of pain (bones for example). Post-run, I've become a fan of 27:17. I got a sample of this from The Feed and it is a good combination of some immediate relief and some speeding up recovery. (It is super expensive so I dread the day that I use up the sample.) For straight recovery, I like Bounce Back Body Butter from Fluffy Fizzies.

 

[Novatrix]

SAFD: "What does your screen name and/or avatar represent? Is there any particular significance in either?"

Username - Novatrix is based on a superhero character I drew up as a teenager, and is technically misspelled compared to my norm. (Something I noticed too late when registering for the forum.)

Avatar: For the 2023 Disney marathon, I was dressed as my favorite character, Figment. After the race, I was walking back to my hotel through EPCOT, but decided to stop for medal photos in front of the EPCOT ball. The photographer after talking with me a bit said he had just the special effect for me, and my favorite picture of me was born!

 

[Naomeri]

SAFD: my screen name comes from a character name I invented for a story I wrote in like, 7th grade, and it's been my online handle since the beginning of online handles, and since I created the name, it's almost certain to be available on any platform I may join.

My avatar is just a pretty selfie I took at Disney during one of my covid trips