Springtime Surprise 2026 (Apr 16-20)

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I just snort-laughed on my couch at the bolded part remembering all of the Disney Junior characters during the latter stages of the marathon back in 2024 and how you didn't know who any of them were.

I may resemble that remark....

 

[DianaMB333]

Would I be crazy to wear one of these for the 10k? I know how warm it could be, but I'm so tempted! I figure I'll be done running by 6am so the heat shouldn't be too awful yet, and no sun either.

View attachment 990238View attachment 990240

Those are cute… I thought this was the Marathon weekend thread and thought about getting one… but for Springtime it is a hard no..

As they others have confirmed, you will be crazy uncomfortable..

 

[KCO5988]

Those are cute… I thought this was the Marathon weekend thread and thought about getting one… but for Springtime it is a hard no..

As they others have confirmed, you will be crazy uncomfortable..

Oh I'm def getting one for marathon weekend instead haha. I ran Princess 5k in a dragon onesie and it was awesome!

 

[Tall Todd]

Might be in for the 10 miler. I probably need a new POT race for Dopey '27. Hopefully the Southwest release tomorrow reveals favorable pricing.

 

[nostalgic4disney]

I was just looking through the races on Rd website. I saw the SS 10 miler is still available. I was wondering why. Is it the heat?

 

[Naomeri]

I was just looking through the races on Rd website. I saw the SS 10 miler is still available. I was wondering why. Is it the heat?

Pretty much, yeah. And it's a little bit of a weird time of year. It's kind of after/at the tail end of spring break season, so not everyone can take a trip at that time

 

[fatmanatee]

I was just looking through the races on Rd website. I saw the SS 10 miler is still available. I was wondering why. Is it the heat?

It's a combination of factors and that's likely one of them. One other big one, I think, is that there's no consistency in the race themes so there's no sentimental value around this race weekend and on top of that, I don't think the actual race themes for the 10 miler have been all that good, with the exception of the first one (Tower of Terror, which DID have some sentimental value for some people).

Sounds like this weekend is less easy to plan a trip around for some reason, putting aside the warmer weather. Marathon Weekend sells itself, Princess Weekend has a dedicated following and you generally know what you're getting theme-wise every year, and Wine and Dine has Wine and Dine.

The weekend itself is fun though. 10 Miler is a very nice course that hits Epcot and HS (without the extra road miles of the W&D half course).

 

[nostalgic4disney]

It's a combination of factors and that's likely one of them. One other big one, I think, is that there's no consistency in the race themes so there's no sentimental value around this race weekend and on top of that, I don't think the actual race themes for the 10 miler have been all that good, with the exception of the first one (Tower of Terror, which DID have some sentimental value for some people).

Sounds like this weekend is less easy to plan a trip around for some reason, putting aside the warmer weather. Marathon Weekend sells itself, Princess Weekend has a dedicated following and you generally know what you're getting theme-wise every year, and Wine and Dine has Wine and Dine.

The weekend itself is fun though. 10 Miler is a very nice course that hits Epcot and HS (without the extra road miles of the W&D half course).

Thanks. This is all good to know. I ran the inaugural SW race and felt a little muggy but not too bad, I love running through the parks.

 

[MissLiss279]

I also think the resorts are the most expensive during this weekend compared to the other weekends.

 

[Disneyhanna]

If you are a Disney+ subscriber, you can get a free D23 gold membership. The Swan/Dolphin has a D23 rate (E2660) that is a good deal cheaper than the AP rate. I was able to book the Swan for less than Pop preferred! Sunday night is sold out though, so may not work if you're staying beyond the weekend.

 

[disneyrunnergrl]

If you are a Disney+ subscriber, you can get a free D23 gold membership. The Swan/Dolphin has a D23 rate (E2660) that is a good deal cheaper than the AP rate. I was able to book the Swan for less than Pop preferred! Sunday night is sold out though, so may not work if you're staying beyond the weekend.

It says requires showing the membership card. How do you get that? I don’t see anything in my account. It looks like you need to be a non Disney+ gold level member to get the card. Wondering if this would be an issue at checkin. Paying to upgrade though would still be cheaper than the AP rate for my stay so might be worth it.

 

[Disneyhanna]

It says requires showing the membership card. How do you get that? I don’t see anything in my account. It looks like you need to be a non Disney+ gold level member to get the card. Wondering if this would be an issue at checkin. Paying to upgrade though would still be cheaper than the AP rate for my stay so might be worth it.

When I log into my D23 account it says I'm gold, I'm assuming you could just show that on your phone at check-in. I can't imagine they'd require a physical card. For AP rate I've only ever had to flash my MDE app and never had to present a card.

Update: I downloaded the D23 app and there is a virtual card there!

 

[disneyrunnergrl]

When I log into my D23 account it says I'm gold, I'm assuming you could just show that on your phone at check-in. I can't imagine they'd require a physical card. For AP rate I've only ever had to flash my MDE app and never had to present a card.

Update: I downloaded the D23 app and there is a virtual card there!
View attachment 1006610

Thanks! I didn’t even realize there was an app!

 

[Naomeri]

The 10 miler finally sold out today at 4:43pm central

 

[radiodome21]

I’ve been going back and forth as to whether or not I want to try this. My wife and I are signed up for the 10k but the thought of waking up so early back to back gives me pause.

 

[fatmanatee]

I’ve been going back and forth as to whether or not I want to try this. My wife and I are signed up for the 10k but the thought of waking up so early back to back gives me pause.

It's not fun the first time but you get used to it. First time waking up at 3 helps reset your biological clock, biggest worry for me at first had been sleeping through my alarm but their phone wakeup call makes sure that absolutely does not happen. Adrenaline will carry you through the rest of the way.

 

[5xdisneyfans]

I signed up for the SS challenge. This will be my first challenge and my last RunDisney event was SS 2022. Excited but nervous how to balance everything for the challenge. I figured this one is the shortest of all the challenges to try since all the others involve a half which I have not done one yet. I registered W & D half in 2020 but as we know it never happened then my health fell apart. I just started back to running this year and happy to be back at it. Any advice on balancing a challenge is appreciated.

 

[DianaMB333]

I signed up for the SS challenge. This will be my first challenge and my last RunDisney event was SS 2022. Excited but nervous how to balance everything for the challenge. I figured this one is the shortest of all the challenges to try since all the others involve a half which I have not done one yet. I registered W & D half in 2020 but as we know it never happened then my health fell apart. I just started back to running this year and happy to be back at it. Any advice on balancing a challenge is appreciated.

What are you most worried about?

When I did my first challenge (Princess’23) - which was also my first ever race event- I prioritized sleeping well (I changed my usual wake up time one week in advance); resting and recovering (stayed at the hotel, by the pool, reading, etc after each race); eating well (no “new” food or anything new for nutrition/hydration on the races)…

I have participated in all challenges ever since … and now I go to the parks on the expo and 5k days, might even go on the 10k but still try to sleep better before the HM… going to the parks with the medals is super fun… there was one weekend though that I overdo myself in the parks and ended up with shin splints on the Half… so I guess is trial and error…

 

[5xdisneyfans]

What are you most worried about?

When I did my first challenge (Princess’23) - which was also my first ever race event- I prioritized sleeping well (I changed my usual wake up time one week in advance); resting and recovering (stayed at the hotel, by the pool, reading, etc after each race); eating well (no “new” food or anything new for nutrition/hydration on the races)…

I have participated to all challenges ever since … and now I go to the parks on the expo and 5k days, might even go on the 10k but still try to sleep better before the HM… going to the parks with the medals is super fun… there was one weekend though that I overdo myself in the parks and ended up with shin splints on the Half… so I guess is trial and error…

Not over doing it during the day, getting enough rest and finding basic healthy food for the first 4 days since I have a sensitive stomach. It is also just never experiencing three early run days in a row. I am hoping to do more challenges in the future if this goes well.

 

[sandam1]

I signed up for the SS challenge. This will be my first challenge and my last RunDisney event was SS 2022. Excited but nervous how to balance everything for the challenge. I figured this one is the shortest of all the challenges to try since all the others involve a half which I have not done one yet. I registered W & D half in 2020 but as we know it never happened then my health fell apart. I just started back to running this year and happy to be back at it. Any advice on balancing a challenge is appreciated.

My biggest tips would be:

For race strategy -
1. Walk the 5K. This race isn't timed so go as slow as you want to (within reason, of course). Take the photos and have fun.
2. Do the 10K as easy as you can without getting in trouble with the balloon ladies. Have fun, but not too much fun. Immediately after you finish, go into recovery mode. Get some food, re-hydrate (it's likely to be hot and humid so drink, drink, and drink some more), and get off your feet as soon as you can.

In general -
- Respect what you are doing. My friend/travel partner says that, when I'm doing a challenge, it is a running weekend with a side of vacation until I'm finished running. That means that what I need to do to feel good about running takes priority. If that means skipping the standing in long ride lines or not eating my favorite rich dessert or being in bed at 7 p.m., so be it.
- Do some back to back to back days in training. There are things that happen to your body when doing multiple days in a row and you don't want to have them pop up for the first time on race weekend.
- Have a plan for everything going into the weekend and stick with that plan. It's very easy to get distracted by things at Disney and suddenly find yourself doing something that you didn't do in training. Repeat after me "nothing new on race day." But that being said, don't be afraid to throw that plan out if it isn't working for you. At least twice on race weekends, I've found myself telling my travel partner, after two hours of park time, that I was done and going to head back to the hotel room.

I hope this helps!