Marathon Weekend

While all the runDisney race weekends have something to offer, Marathon weekend is the only one with a full marathon. And that makes all the difference.

Dates and Details

WHEN: Second week of January

DISTANCES AND PARKS COVERED :

  • 5k - EPCOT

  • 10k - EPCOT with a loop through the Boardwalk area or Hollywood Studios + EPCOT.

  • Half Marathon - Magic Kingdom + EPOCT

  • Full Marathon - All 4 Parks

CHALLENGES:

  • Goofy Challenge (Half + Full Marathon)

  • Dopey Challenge (5k + 10k + Half + Full Marathon)

Price

January is generally the slow season for the parks. Crowds are lower, and room prices tend to be cheaper than at other times of the year. The most significant cost factor is if you go for the challenges or not. The Dopey Challenge is almost $700 just for the bib. Additionally, Dopey requires four days of racing + the Expo, which results in a minimum of 5 days in Orlando. I always recommend you do at least one day after the final race to celebrate, so let’s make it six days. The more days you stay, the more your hotel expenses will be. Other races weekends have challenges that are “only” 2-3 races. This makes the challenge bib cheaper and gives a lower cost for the overall hotel bill.

However, if you are not interested in a challenge, Marathon weekend can be an excellent option for keeping the price down.

THEMING

The theme for Marathon Weekend always includes the Fab 5. Typically, Pluto is the 5k, Chip & Dale are the 10k, Daisy & Donald are the Half, and Mickey & Minnie are featured for the Full Marathon. In the past, we have seen the ladies on their own medals, and Oswald has made an appearance. However, the current lineup seems pretty stable.

In addition to the characters, there is usually a unifying style for the weekend artwork, medals, and course appearances. For example, in 2022, the 50th anniversary was in full swing, and all the medals featured an iridescent design. Additionally, on-course characters wore their 50th-anniversary outfits if they had them. In 2023, the theme was 90’s Disney and included a lot of neon and appearances from Darkwing Duck and Powerline.

On-course entertainment is truly a celebration of all things Disney. You’ll find park references like the Adventurers Club Members, Orange Bird, and the Citizens of Hollywood. Disney animation nods like the Princesses, Robin Hood, and Hunchback. Pixar characters, Disney Junior…you name it, and it’s probably out on the course.

Marathon Weekend Pros


1

THE DECORATIONS

Marathon weekend takes place the second weekend of January. Disney purposefully leaves up the Christmas decorations for all of the athletes. As a result, when you run down Main Street, you run past the giant Christmas tree. If the Dream Lights are part of the decorations the year you run, those stay up as well.

2

THE WEATHER

Florida in the winter is generally lovely. Yes, Florida weather changes on a dime, and you do have years where you get all four seasons during the race weekend. But in general, while the rest of the US is a popsicle, Florida is pleasant. The courses are all flat, except a few on-ramps, and the marathon is a Boston qualifier.

3

THE MARATHON (AND CHALLENGES)

The marathon is the only course that goes through all 4 Walt Disney World Parks. It’s the ultimate tour of Disney, and you can only do it if you’re up for at least 26.2 miles. Want more? Disney is the pioneer of multi-race challenges. While other races have started to offer multi-race challenges, they are usually shorter distances combined with either a half or a full. Making Disney one of only a few places where you can do a challenge involving both the half and full distance together.

4

NOT DOING THE FULL?

Marathon weekend may still be a good choice. Because of the addition of the full to the weekend lineup, the half marathon is held on Saturday. On other race weekends, the half is on Sunday. This makes travel back home a little easier, especially if you’re trying to fit in the race between PTO or work restrictions.

5

COSTUMES

You will find a wider variety of race costumes during Marathon weekend. Pretty much any Disney IP is fair game and will be found amongst your fellow athletes. This is a little different from weekends like Princess, where most costumes tend to be Princesses.

MARATHON WEEKEND CONS

1

MARATHON GETS THE SPOTLIGHT

The main event of Marathon Weekend is the full. All of the challenges include the full. The whole weekend leads up to running the full. The full is the center of everything. So if you’re not running the full, it can feel like you’re missing out on all the action. You can still have an incredible time, without a doubt. However, if you need to experience the main event (without having to run 26.2), then you may enjoy one of the other weekends more.

2

TRAINING

The longest training runs for marathon weekend hit during the holiday season. It can be really difficult juggling family travel, holiday obligations, and long runs. This is especially true if your long runs are 20+ miles long for a marathon or you’re doing 4-day simulations for Dopey. If you live in a region that gets a lot of snow and ice, then a winter race may also mean lots of treadmill miles.

3

EPCOT FESTIVALS

Yes, I consider the absence of Epcot Festivals to be a con. The Festival of the Arts kicks off the weekend after Marathon Weekend. It breaks my heart every time.