General Information

Next Event Scheduled: January 6-10, 2016

Frequency: Yearly, on the second weekend of January.

Location: Half marathon passes through Magic Kingdom and Epcot; full marathon passes through all four parks.

Event Began: January 16, 1994

Park Admission Required: No.

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Event Information

Runners who complete the 5K receive a Pluto medal, those completing the 10K receive a Minnie Mouse medal. Half marathon finishers receive a Donald Duck medal, and those who complete the full marathon receive a Mickey Mouse medal.

Those who sign up in a special challenge category to do both the half and full marathons on consecutive days also receive a Goofy medal. Runners who sign up in another special category to run all four races on consecutive days receive the five medals above plus a Dopey medal.

All races begin and finish in the Epcot parking lot, and the half and full marathons both pass through the Magic Kingdom and Cinderella Castle. The full marathon runners also run through Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, the Beach Club/Boardwalk area, and around Epcot's World Showcase. Full course maps may be found on the official event page.

In conjunction with the four main races, there is are kids' races and a health and fitness expo. The Expo takes place at the Wide World of Sports complex, and includes vendors of all kinds of race merchandise, exhibits from race sponsors, and official runDisney race merchandise. Participants must pick up their race materials at the Expo prior to their respective races.

History and Trivia

  • The inaugural Walt Disney World marathon was run on January 16, 1994 with approximately 8,000 participants.
  • The half marathon race was added in 1998, and moved it to a separate day in 2006 to accommodate growing crowds.
  • The Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge was added in 2006 after the race was split, and had to be capped at 3,000 that first year after only a few days of registration.
  • The Dopey Challenge was added in 2014 and is usually the first registration category to sell out.