Course & Elevation

The Walt Disney World Marathon is a road marathon through the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida, run by runDisney on the Sunday of Marathon Weekend in early January. The marathon starts at 4:30am. The weekend also includes a 5K, a 10K and a half marathon, plus the Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge (half marathon and marathon) and the Dopey Challenge (all four races). Disney says the course has grown from three theme parks in 1994 to weaving 26.2 miles through all four of Walt Disney World's current parks. The 2027 weekend, from 6 to 10 January, marks the 30th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Half Marathon, with Donald Duck as the mascot on every course and Mickey and Minnie on the marathon. The first Walt Disney World Marathon was run on 16 January 1994 and launched the series that became runDisney. The men's race record of 2:11:50 dates from 1995, and the 2020 race had 14,116 finishers.

Surface: road Profile: Flat

Weather

Typical climate for the race month — an estimate, not a forecast or a race-day record

Temperature 16°C

Humidity 65%

Rain Chance 23%

Early January in Orlando is mild: average highs are about 22°C and lows about 10°C, with rain on roughly seven days of the month. The 4:30am start is in the cool, dark hours before sunrise.

Related Guides

Orlando

Race Lore

Disney's First Race

1994 Origin

Disney officials approved a first road race at Walt Disney World in 1992, and the inaugural Walt Disney World Marathon took place on 16 January 1994. The course ran through the three parks that then existed, with the start line near EPCOT. That first marathon launched what is now runDisney, which has since grown into several race weekends a year.

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Course Record

02:11:50

Leonid Shvetsov (1995)

Registration

Entry fee, registration dates and lottery rules are not confirmed here yet. Check the official registration page.

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Fun Facts

▸ The first Walt Disney World Marathon, on 16 January 1994, was the first race of what became runDisney, then called the Disney Endurance Series.
▸ The original 1994 course ran through three theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and what is now Disney's Hollywood Studios.
▸ The Dopey Challenge combines the 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon on four consecutive days, 48.6 miles in all.
▸ The marathon has been held at Walt Disney World every year since 1994.

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