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.

Course Facts

Distance 42.195 km
Elevation Gain ≈ 145 m
Surface road
Profile Flat

Weather

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

16°C

Temperature

65%

Humidity

23%

Rain Chance

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.

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