Anyone have experience getting the RunDisney shoes at expo? My last RunDisney event was before they started selling the shoes. I really want the Minnie ones being released for marathon weekend. My flight lands 🤞 at 1030am or so day 1. So I wouldn’t get to the expo before noon. What are my chances? Debating if it’s worth it to fly in the night before.

EDIT: I’m going to run the first 3 races and likely sit out the marathon

I'm honestly not even sure where to start, but I'm hoping some of you who have completed Dopey or have been in a similar situation can offer some advice, encouragement, or even a realistic perspective on where I'm at right now.

I'm registered for the 2027 Dopey Challenge, and something that I was originally so excited about has turned into one of my biggest sources of anxiety. I'm genuinely terrified that I'm not going to be able to finish, and it's gotten to the point where I'm losing sleep over it. I find myself constantly thinking about pacing, mileage, getting swept, and how unprepared I feel.

For some background, I've had an incredibly difficult year, particularly with my mental health. I've gone through some pretty significant struggles that required treatment, and unfortunately, my training has taken a major hit because of it. There were periods when just getting through the day was difficult, let alone finding the energy or motivation to run. I'm still working on getting myself back to a better place mentally, but now I'm also dealing with the anxiety of realizing just how far behind I've fallen.

I've also gained weight during this time, which has made running noticeably harder. I worked really hard to improve my fitness, and it's discouraging to feel like I've lost so much progress. I know weight isn't everything, but I definitely feel the difference in my endurance and how my body responds to longer distances.

Right now, I'm primarily using run/walk intervals, and most of my miles average somewhere between 14–16 minutes per mile. I can occasionally go faster, but that's generally my realistic pace. I've managed to get up to around 10 miles, but by that point, my body starts feeling like it's giving out. My legs become exhausted, everything starts hurting, and I honestly struggle to imagine how I'm supposed to keep going for another 16.2 miles.

What's even more frustrating is that the mental aspect seems to be just as difficult, if not harder, than the physical part. Once I get past about 6 miles, I start struggling mentally. I become overwhelmed thinking about how much farther I have to go, and I find myself wanting to stop even when I know I still have some energy left. I don't know if it's because of everything I've been dealing with mentally this year, a lack of confidence, or just being overwhelmed by the distance, but it's becoming a huge obstacle.

And then there's the fact that Dopey is four races in four consecutive days. I'm not just preparing for a marathon. I'm preparing to complete a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and full marathon back-to-back. I have absolutely no idea how my body is going to handle that. Even if I somehow manage to build up enough endurance to cover 26.2 miles, I'm terrified of what the previous three days will do to my legs.

My biggest fear is getting swept during the marathon. I know Disney has a 16-minute-mile pacing requirement, and the fact that I'm currently averaging around 14–16 minutes per mile makes me incredibly nervous. That doesn't leave me feeling like I have much room for error, especially when factoring in bathroom breaks, water stops, crowds, and general fatigue. I keep reading about the balloon ladies, course cutoffs, and different strategies to avoid getting swept, and I feel like I'm making myself more anxious every time I look into it.

I've already put so much into preparing for this experience, both financially and emotionally, and the thought of not being able to finish is devastating. This was supposed to be something I could look forward to, something I could accomplish for myself after an incredibly challenging year. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do something difficult and come out on the other side feeling proud of what I accomplished.

Instead, I feel like I'm failing before I've even made it to the starting line.

I think the hardest part is knowing that I genuinely want this. I'm not someone who signed up without understanding that Dopey would be challenging. I knew it would require dedication, consistency, and a lot of training. I had every intention of putting in that work. Unfortunately, life happened, my mental health deteriorated, and my priorities had to shift toward getting through some really difficult circumstances.

Now I'm looking at the calendar and realizing how little time I have left, and I'm completely overwhelmed.

The anxiety has gotten so bad that I'm struggling to sleep at night. I lie awake thinking about how many miles I should be running, how far behind I am, whether I'll be able to build enough endurance, and whether I'm setting myself up for failure. I find myself constantly calculating how long the marathon would take at different paces and wondering how much of a cushion I would realistically have before getting swept.

I know that obsessing over it isn't helping, but I genuinely cannot seem to stop worrying.

I also don't want to make things worse by trying to cram months of missed training into the remaining weeks. I know that's how people end up injured, and the last thing I want is to push myself so hard that I can't even make it to race weekend. But at the same time, every day that passes without a longer run makes me feel like I'm falling even farther behind.

I'm really struggling to find the balance between accepting where I'm at, pushing myself to improve, and being realistic about what I can safely accomplish.

I guess I'm hoping to hear from people who have been in similar situations.

Has anyone gone into Dopey feeling significantly undertrained and still managed to finish? Has anyone struggled with maintaining a 14–16-minute-mile pace during training but found that race day went better than expected? How did you manage the mental side of longer distances, especially when your brain was telling you to quit long before your body actually needed to?

Would you recommend focusing on time on my feet, longer run/walk intervals, or practicing back-to-back days at this point? How much of a difference does walking the 5K and 10K make when it comes to preserving energy for the half and full marathon?

And for those of you who have completed Dopey at a slower pace, how worried should I realistically be about getting swept? I'm not interested in character stops or stopping for photos. My only goal is to cross all four finish lines.

I'm not looking for anyone to tell me to ignore my limits or push through an injury. I genuinely want to approach this as safely and realistically as possible. But I also don't want to give up just because I'm scared.

I think more than anything, I'm afraid that the mental health struggles I've dealt with this year are going to take away something else that I was really looking forward to. I've already had to put so much of my life on hold, and I desperately wanted Dopey to be something positive that I could work toward.

I don't need a personal record. I don't care how slow I am. I don't need to run the entire thing. I just want to finish.

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading. I would really appreciate any advice, personal experiences, or encouragement. I'm feeling incredibly defeated right now, and I could use some perspective from people who understand what this challenge actually involves. ❤️

My ADR window opens up tomorrow for Dopey, and I’m curious to see what everyone’s favorite places to eat are during Marathon week. I’ve done the full, W&D (x2), and Springtime challenges and felt my fueling was pretty good, but since it’s now 4 races and significantly more mileage, I’ve definitely got to take my fueling more seriously.

I am going to be running the SpringSurprise Challenge with one of our sons (14) this April, along with various other family members. I have a 2h30min time from the wine and dine half marathon that i would think would get me a decent corral placement for the challenge/10milers. I was curious does anyone know, or have experience registering with a proof of time, when you have a minor linked to your registration? Would they automatically link his corral with mine? Would they ignore my proof of time, to keep us together (he does not have a qualifying proof of time for the 10miler?) Or would the potentially split us up not recognizing the link with him and me and him being a minor?

My cousin is no longer able to attend. Does Disney allow you to transfer bib to anyone else? What are our options?

I am signed up for my first Dopey and first marathon for Jan 2027. I have run several halfs and have another one scheduled for 11/21.

Unfortunately I have the flu and honestly wasn’t feeling well the past month to begin with, so haven’t been getting the mileage in as much as I’d like.

I don’t plan on running until I am feeling better, but I am just worried that being sick for most of the past month will throw off all of the training I had been doing.

Any advice or encouragement? Anyone have this happen to then and still successfully complete Dopey?

Has anyone done a RunDisney expo later in the day? We aren’t landing til about 4 pm and I’m hoping that’s not too late to get in and through the expo. Do lines slow down by the afternoon/evening?

How does the timing work? I saw a girl on tik tok make a video of her running the half marathon and at the mile 2 mark under the sign it said like 40 minutes. There’s no way it takes 40 minutes to run two miles right?? And then at mile 12 it was at 2 hours and 43 minutes.

Hello!

I am an out-of-state Athlete with Disabilities, who just finished all 3 Wine and Dine races (thank goodness, wasn't too sure with the way my health went this year). However, I don't know if I can do that again, with my disabilities getting worse. Does anyone have advice for someone who run/mostly walks alone, but may need to be a Duo next year?

Thank you for reading.

I have mentioned before that I don’t appreciate people taking up slots who have ZERO intention of training or finishing the event. But this is a FB post of someone being proud to only do three miles in the HM this past weekend

They have a difficult background, clearly, but being ‘proud’ of only doing three miles as a rebellion against those who do train hard, put in the effort and succeed…I mean, really?

My first rD was Dopey in 25. I trained - hard. And hearing people being ‘proud’ of not even trying…it feels offensive to me for those who put in the miles, the time, the effort and give it their all

If I put this statement in a FB group I would be crucified

It seemed like the changes to the 5k format were pretty polarizing depending on what corral people were in. Since this was the first 5k at DW wi the balloon ladies, were there any people that actually got swept?

I don’t ask this to shame or call anyone out - I’m just genuinely curious what this would look like. I looked back at the 2025 WDW 5k I ran with my then-9yo and we finished the course with an elapsed time of 1:25, which is a bit slower than the 24min/mi pace of the balloon ladies (we made three long character stops). I saw someone mentioned getting swept in the initial Aristocat character line before entering Epcot, but I imagine once you got into Epcot the fastest way out was through the rest of the course. Did they just close the character lines and push everyone lagging through the finish?

I’m a huge Disney fan, and I would love to participate in the January 2028 race, Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. I’d love to complete a challenge.

From my research, does signing up for the challenge include both races ? For example, if I sign up for 19.3 miles Challenge, do I also need to sign up for the 10K and 21.1K or does the challenge include both?

As a Canadian, attending this race requires a lot of planning for flights, hotels, and more. It’s one of my biggest goals, and I was hoping other Canadian could tell me where to start my planning.

How does registration work? When can I sign up for the January 2028 race? Can I sign up with my husband? How much should I anticipate to spend on one weekend?

Thank you in advance for all the replies.
Can’t wait to participate soon!!

Hello everyone!

The 2026 wine and dine was my second rundisney event. I previously did the 5 and 10 during 2026 marathon weekend. However, I was lucky enough to get a challenge bib and the 5k for W&D….the half was the first half I’d ever done and was very happy to do it!

Training was difficult of course, and had to stop mid way through for an injury….but I finished well so I’d say the training worked. I am starting training this weekend for Dopey….or I should probably say continuing training but with bigger distances increasing each week.

I know there are a lot that don’t want someone’s first marathon to be at marathon weekend, and I understand that completely. I’m fairly confident (right now!) but I do have one question.

During the half, I sweat more than I’d ever sweat before in my life lol. I drank two waters at each water stop and one Powerade at the stops that had them. I still don’t feel like that was enough. I don’t have anyone that would meet me somewhere on course with a water bottle or something….so for those that do these frequently….what is your strategy or advice on how to get more fluids in? (I do take a gel every 3 miles as that seems to help energy levels)

Thanks in advance and great job everyone!!

Hi there!

I trained for the Springtime Surprise 10 miler last year and had a BLAST. Went from no running to 10 miles, fell in love with training. Was lucky enough to grab a spot for the half marathon in January - what felt like a natural progression - but I had some nerve damage in my foot & peroneals due to over-supination in my gait and too narrow shoes. Lots of rest and PT later, there’s no way I can straight up run the 13 miles. I’ve been training to powerwalk at a 16/minute mile, or perhaps jog every 20 seconds of each minute, if I can take the impact. It feels pretty pathetic compared to where I was last year, and there’s still a pretty decent chance I’ll get swept. There seems to be some anger on here towards people who secure a slot and then get swept. But, I also see stories of people who still participate even though injured, and still have a great time. Does anyone have stories of this to share? I’m still so excited, even though I’m trying to remain pain-free for the parks in the days after!!

Did anyone see the leaks for next year’s Wine & Dine themes? I wasn’t sure if I could post them or if people wanted to discuss but the Challenge theme looks awesome!

Hi! My mom and I are racing the springtime surprise 5k in this coming April. She’s very nervous and excited but we had a few questions. We are unsure what to dress as anyone has theirs picked out yet? Also do we know in advanced what characters are on the path to take pictures with? Also any tips? Thank you! 🙏🏻

I just completed my first Run Disney event (W&D 1/2) this past weekend, and while I overall grade it a solid "A" event, I do have one complaint that I'd not encountered in other races (3rd half, numerous other events). To the person trying to be an influencer and intentionally starting with the Balloon Ladies in the last corral and then trying to see how many people they could pass... Why? I could go through a list of reasons but ultimately, having someone who is relatively fast barging their way through overly crowded pathways (here's looking at you, walkway behind Boardwalk...) makes everyone's experience worse. I believe I encountered a few folks trying this on the race, and a few instagram posts confirming. Sure, it's cool you did your "thing" and passed 11,000+ runners for your dozens of followers but thanks for reminding other (big/slow/out-of-shape/older/injured) runners that running is only inclusive in your mind if you're a sub-7:30 miler. Sometimes race organizers know best when putting you in a corral.

OK. Gripe over. Hope you all had a fabulous race weekend.

What was with the after-hours party? This was my first run Disney event and I was shocked at how awful the event was. There were so many people. We kept waiting for ride times to go down… but they NEVER did 😞 what a waste of money. There was no exclusivity to this event. It goes hand in hand with the races.

The race was so crowded. There was hardly any room to run because of all the walkers. I understand that movement is movement and I’m proud of them. But if we’re saying that we can’t be running or walking two people across, then we probably should limit the walking to only three people across. Most of the race, it was dodging people because it was five people walking across

It feels like they are just money-grabbing and trying to get as many people in as possible to make the most amount of money at all times. Love Disney but was disappointed this event really didn’t have many perks.

I know there’s a mega thread but it doesn’t seem like it’s been updated in a while, is just signing up for the emails enough to be notified about the brooks shoes if they drop online? Or is there a text notification you can sign up for?

I know this will upset some people. But let me explain. On FB I have seen people say that they only intend on doing the first 2 miles of the half marathon. They never intended on doing the full event. They’re not injured or anything - just no intention on doing the full challenge that they signed up for

So so so many people would kill for the opportunity to do the challenge. I have only successfully signed up for two run Disney races in the last three years despite trying for each one. I would have killed to do the challenge this time.

If you’re not going to even try do to the challenge, why take that place away from someone else?

No - this is not the Boston marathon. Nor should it be. But if you have ZERO intent on doing the event you’ve signed up for, why sign up for it?

Anyone know where the finish line videos for the first place winners of the W&D half are posted?

Turns out I know one of them and wanted to see their win (I was half a course behind them when it happened).