2010
Events:
Marathon Sunday, January 10
Half Marathon Saturday, January 9
Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge Saturday and Sunday,
January 9-10
Disney’s Family Fun Run 5K Friday January 8
Mickey’s Marathon Kids' Festival Races Friday and Saturday, January
8 & 9
Disney's Health and Fitness Expo, Thursday January 7-Saturday
January 9
The Walt Disney World Marathon is a 26.2 mile race with
a course that takes runners through all four Disney theme
parks. This is a very popular race with almost 20,000
registered participants. The pace requirement is
16 minutes per mile, which is quite generous by marathon
standards, making it very popular with walkers and
first-time marathoners. Registration usually reaches
capacity several months before the race. This race
takes place on Sunday of Marathon weekend. Those who
finish within the 7-hour time limit receive a Mickey
medal.
The Walt Disney World Half Marathon is a 13.1 mile
race. Its course takes runners from Epcot to Magic
Kingdom and back to Epcot. It also has about 20,000
participants, who are required to complete the race in
3.5 hours (also a 16 minute per mile pace). The Half
Marathon tends to reach
registration capacity before the full marathon,
sometimes as much as 9 months in advance. This race
takes place on Saturday of Marathon weekend. Those who
finish within the 3.5-hour time limit receive a Donald
Duck medal.
Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge invites those who are
"Goofy" enough to do it to run both the Half
Marathon and the Marathon. Runners who
successfully complete both races within the 3.5 hour and
7 hour time limits receive an additional "Goofy" medal in
addition to the Donald and Mickey finisher medals.
In addition to the longer races there are shorter races
geared to the whole family:
the Family Fun Run 5K on Friday morning and the
Mickey's
Marathon Kid's Fest on Friday and Saturday. The 5K
takes place at Animal Kingdom and the Kids' Races take
place at the Wide World of Sports complex. Kids' events
are for those ages 13 and under and
include the "Mickey Mile", 100m, 200m and 400m races, and
a "Diaper Dash".
In conjunction with Marathon Weekend, specially priced
theme park tickets are available for on-line purchase
to those registered for
an event, as well as their family and friends. These
tickets are usually very nicely discounted - up to $80
savings. The tickets are only valid for a period of
time before or after the event. The time period is not
specified, but is at least a week before/after the
Marathon.
Typically Disney provides the necessary link and a password
code in one or more of the race update email messages
they send out periodically to registered participants.
Important
Links:
Walt
Disney World Official Marathon Website
Reader
Reviews
Michelle
Scribner-MacLean's 2009 Half Marathon Experience: Tales of
a Reluctant Runner:
Part
1
Part
2
Part
3
Mike
Scopa's Running with Mickey 2008 Marathon Blog
Other
Related Links:
Walk
a Mile in Their Shoes -
Several 2006 Marathon Reports
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