My very first marathon is in the books! I can’t believe I finished 26.2 miles. If you’re thinking of running the Walt Disney World Marathon one day, I’m here to encourage you – I didn’t think I could do it, but here I am on the other side telling you it can be done! And to be perfectly clear, I ended up having to walk the entire race due to an injury. If I can do that, so can you! With that, let’s dive into my 2023 Walt Disney World Marathon Race Report!

Training for the WDW Marathon

There are MANY training plans out there – from beginners running their first marathon, to those who are more experienced, there is something for everyone. After researching (and researching, and researching) I settled on Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 plan. There’s an app called “Run With Hal” where you input your race date & distance, goal time, and some other data and it will adjust your plan as you go.

I am an interval runner, meaning I run for a set amount of time, then walk, then run again, and so on. To time my intervals, I used an app called “Interval Timer” and programmed my intervals. It took me a couple months to figure out what intervals worked best for me, but I settled on 90 sec running, 30 sec walking. Finally, I used Nike Run Club to track my data further. I could have used Hal Higdon’s app for that, but I’ve been a long time Nike Run Club user and I enjoy the interface and having the data there as well.

Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 plan had me running 3 days a week, with long runs scheduled for the weekends. I was able to keep up with the 3 runs a week until we hit November. It got very tricky as the sun was setting earlier, and I have parental responsibilities that take precedence in the evening. I tried to get them in when I could, but I stuck to long runs over the weekend.

My training kind of went out the window in early December. I was on an 18-mile run and I started to feel pain in my right knee around mile 6. I was at my turnaround point then, but I figured I would keep going to see if it went away. By mile 7 I had slowed to a walk, the pain deepening with each step. Mile 7.5 brought me to my parents’ house, whom I had texted on my way over to let them know I’d be stopping by for ibuprofen. That stop turned into “I’m done, please drive me home”.

They drove me home and I took it easy the rest of the weekend, but the pain never really went away. Over the next couple days, I noticed that not only was there pain in my knee, but also in my hip, and up & down the side of my leg, terminating at the knee. After some research, I realized it was an IT band injury, and I ordered some exercise bands so I could work on strengthening the muscles in the area. Each day I focused on stretching, strengthening, and not overdoing it. I was essentially sidelined from running for fear of further injury.

At that point, my plan became: rest & recover, start the race, be okay if it ends up being a “did not finish”, and walk if I needed to. My longest run at that point had been 16 miles, plus I had trained all summer in the Florida heat & humidity. I wasn’t so concerned about my fitness, but my knee was a big concern for me heading into race day.

Note: I’m an Android user, so I’m unsure if these apps are available on Apple’s app store!

2023 Marathon Weekend Expo & Bib Pickup

The RunDisney Expo opened on Wednesday, as the first race (5k) was on Thursday. For RunDisney-branded merchandise, a virtual queue was in use. I hopped on my phone at the designated time and scored group 1! I arrived about 20 minutes before the expo officially opened and there was a small line at the merchandise area. Once we were allowed in, I quickly headed to the section that had the marathon gear, and I picked up 2 shirts, 2 tank tops, a water bottle, and the coveted shoe ornament. I’d never even seen the shoe ornaments before, they go so fast!

Bib pickup had quite a long line. I think a lot of people decided to pick up their bib while they waited for their virtual queue return time. Additionally, all the 5k runners and Dopey challenge runners had to be there on Wednesday to pick up their bibs too! Although the line was long it took me less than half an hour to get through, as it continuously moved. Once inside, there was no wait for my bib at all.

I did end up going back to the expo on Saturday, with the intent of having the KT tapers tape up my knee. The expo closed at 3pm, and I arrived at the KT booth at 2:38, but they informed me they shut the line at 2:30. That was unfortunate, but sometimes that’s the way it goes.

Mental & Practical Preparation for Race Day

Going into any distance half marathon and below, I feel pretty confident that I will finish barring any illness or serious injury, so I don’t tend to do much mental preparation. However, for the marathon I was so unsure of whether or not I would finish that I did some mental preparation. I made a wallpaper on my phone reminding me of important milestones along the course, noting “get to Epcot, get to Magic Kingdom” and so on. I also took a very long shower Saturday night and tried to visualize what it would look like for me to finish the race. I took some melatonin to help me get to sleep easier, and fell asleep around 8PM after laying out my clothes & supplies for the next morning.

Speaking of clothes & supplies, here’s a list of what I brought with me on race day! For distances of half marathon and below, I don’t check gear, but this time I did. Note: if you’re training for your first race, at any distance, test out your gear during training! Nothing new on race day! You don’t want any unexpected chafing, blisters, or discomfort from trying something new.

What I Wore & Supplies I Carried With Me

• shoes
• socks
• bib
• 8 band-aids – I bandage all my toes except the big toes
• knee support brace
• shorts
• tank top & sports bra
• hair tied back in a ponytail
• Body Glide
• ibuprofen
• sunglasses
• throwaway sweatshirt – I wore this in the corral, then threw it in the grass on the side of the road when I warmed up (Disney donates anything in good shape to charity)
• Shokz earphones
• phone
• external charger & cord
• driver’s license & credit card
• snacks – That’s It bars & Clif bar
• hydration – 2 refillable water bottles: one with water, one with Costco brand-Powerade

My shorts have pockets in them, so I kept my Clif bar in one pocket and Body Glide in the other. My running belt held most everything else – my Shokz sat around my neck, and sunglasses on top of my head.

What I Checked in my gEAR Bag

• car keys
• Tevas to change into after the race
• snacks – That’s It bar & Clif bar

I found it handy to check a gEAR bag this time around, as I definitely wanted a different pair of shoes after being in the same shoes for so long. I didn’t end up needing the extra snacks, but after our debacle exiting the 2022 Wine & Dine Half Marathon, I didn’t want to be stuck in traffic in my car without access to snacks. It was also handy just having a big bag to carry stuff in after the race, as they handed out a lot of extra things at the end. I’m not sure how I would have carried all that if I didn’t have an extra bag!

The Morning of the Race

I woke up at 2:30am with a goal of leaving the house no later than 3:15. I woke up, bandaged up my toes, and got dressed. I then ate my breakfast: a microwavable egg white, cheese, and sausage sandwich on an English muffin. I packed up all my snacks and did one last bathroom stop, knowing that it would be awhile til I saw a real bathroom again!

I am unsure what time I arrived to the Epcot parking lot, but I was in my corral by about 4:15am. Upon arrival, I applied Body Glide, secured my bib to my shirt, and threw on my throwaway sweatshirt. I double checked I had everything and started the long walk to the corrals. Seriously, it’s a long walk: 1.5-2 miles! On the way, I went through the standard Disney security checkpoint outside Epcot, passed by the last real bathrooms (to the left of Epcot’s main entrance – it had a long line!), and then got to the RunDisney area. There, you could purchase breakfast from food trucks, visit the medical tent or runner relations, go to the baby care center that they had set up in a tent, take pictures, chat with other runners, etc.

I made my way to gEAR check, which is divided into several different trucks. Sharpies were available to write your bib number on your bag. You can take your bag to any truck, and they’ll give you a sticker to put on the back of your bib so you don’t have to remember where you left it. Note: if you use gEAR check you must use the provided clear bags – available at the RunDisney Expo when you pick up your bib and shirt, or available morning of the race.

After this, I made a quick stop in the port-a-potties before heading to my corral. It was very dark, but I found a port-a-potty set up by a giant lightpole that seemed well lit so I didn’t have to use my phone flashlight. I didn’t want to have to stop early in the race, so I’m glad I made a bathroom stop beforehand!

Corral F – The F Stands for Fun

I was assigned Corral F, the very last corral. I was in about the first third or first quarter of runners in the corral, but over time more and more runners showed up and squeezed in those open spots. This is one thing I don’t like about the corrals – if there’s an open spot, people fill them in. If you’re anxious about being in crowds, hang out in the back of the corral!

Eventually, RunDisney shut down the main walkway to the corrals as that was actually part of the race course. RollDisney runners were going to be coming by soon, so they needed to clear that part of the course. Unfortunately, those arriving late to the corrals were forced into corral F. I saw runners with bibs indicating corral A, B, and C in our corral. They tried to force their way to the front of the corral, and some jumped over the barricade on the side to try to run and catch up with their corral. When they realized they couldn’t, they just jumped back in. It was really not a good situation and I hope RunDisney corrects this in the future.

As we were waiting to start, I met two other ladies in the corral who were planning to walk the entire marathon. One of them was an admitted back of the pack-er, and the other was on day 4 of the Dopey Challenge. As our group was walked to the starting line we agreed we would stick together for the race and keep each other motivated and on pace.

The First Half

Since RunDisney has returned after the parks’ Covid closure, runners have been released in waves instead of one corral at a time. However, it seems as though Corral F was released all at once. We were the final corral to go, and they announced this was the last wave. There are typically fireworks for each wave of runners, but our wave didn’t have any!

Anyways, we started just ahead of the dreaded balloon ladies. For those who don’t know, the balloon ladies are runners who have Mickey balloons tied to their running belts, and they are the last runners to start the race. They serve as a visual guideline for that 16 minute per mile pace. Behind them are the official sweepers on bicycles, followed by vans/golf carts/medic vehicles. There are some “hard sweep” points throughout the course where if you fall behind the balloon ladies and don’t catch up to them by that hard sweep point, you’ll be put on a bus and bused to the finish line. If you’re making solid progress, you’re generally okay. The last few races, Disney has been stricter about sweeping – or so I’ve heard!

We began power walking in the darkness, trying to avoid the pace groups. There are designated pacers for different finish times – we were near the 6:45 pacer for the first few miles – but they tend to clog up the race course. We kept a healthy distance and kept power walking. By the time we got to mile 1, race officials from the sidelines were shouting “the balloon ladies are two minutes behind you!” By mile 2, that buffer had gone up to three minutes. Just after mile 2, there was a DJ who was announcing “you’re almost there!” I’m not sure what she meant by that… we had barely started the race! We got a good laugh out of that.

By about mile 2.5 we entered Epcot and stopped for a quick selfie at Spaceship Earth. We continued over near Test Track and Mission: SPACE, exiting out of the park backstage where we crossed the 5k mark. Next up was a long stretch of highway to get to Magic Kingdom.

We eventually entered the parking lot at Magic Kingdom near the Car Care Center. We saw Pooh & Piglet and stopped for a picture, then continued towards the TTC where both of my new friends found their dads and other supporters. We passed by the Contemporary and soon enough we were power walking down Main Street!

Next up, it was over to Tomorrowland, into Fantasyland, and my favorite part – through Cinderella Castle! We stopped for a picture in front of the castle, and saw that Pluto had no line in Liberty Square so we stopped there as well. After Liberty Square we made it into Adventureland, did a loop in front of Big Thunder and past Splash Mountain, crossed the train tracks, and we were outside of the park backstage once more.

Next, we went by the Grand Floridian & Polynesian Village resorts, with the golf course on the other side. There were lots of supporters out here, so it was a nice boost and it went by quickly. There were also lots of characters! One woman was handing out candy so I took some Sour Patch Kids.

Eventually we passed by the 13 mile sign and we were halfway done!

The Second Half

Just after mile 13, we made a right turn down Bear Island Road (a Cast Member only road!). We were surrounded by trees and there were some parts that were shady, which was nice. There was a really cool display of old ride vehicles including a submarine from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride! There were also a couple characters back here, and I think a DJ.

Throughout this stretch I was keeping tabs on the balloon ladies who were about half a mile behind us. Other runners saw that I was tracking them, and one of them got very nervous and took off running at a good pace! He was running with a guy that turned out to be his brother. The brother, whom we nicknamed “Austin” because he’s from Austin, Texas, was very nervous about finishing the race. He said he hadn’t trained, and told us his brother usually maintains a 9:30-10:00/mile pace. We encouraged him and told him all he had to do was keep that 16:00/mile pace and he’d be okay. He asked us how fast we were going and we let him know at that point we were maintaining about 15:00/mile pace, so he decided to stick with us for a bit.

Next we crossed Western Way and headed into backstage Animal Kingdom. This portion of the course was very long but we were passing by runners that were about 3 miles ahead of us on the other side of the road, so we got a chance to see a lot of runners! Some of the Animal Kingdom Cast Members were backstage with a snake and a pig that we could take pictures with.

Eventually we crossed the train tracks and made it into Animal Kingdom! We decided to hit the bathroom while we were there, and that is where our friend “Austin” left us. After a quick bathroom stop we saw a PhotoPass photographer by Expedition Everest so we stopped for a picture, then continued on through the park, exiting behind Dinoland USA, and we were backstage again. During this stretch, it was starting to get kind of warm, and several runners had picked up ice at the medical stop. I was very thankful to see some bananas at about mile 18.5, and I ate half of it while walking.

We made a right onto Western Way and started the long slog towards Blizzard Beach. It was about a mile and a half before turning right onto Buena Vista Drive. This stretch was really tough, as the balloon ladies were only about a quarter mile behind us and it seemed like they were gaining on us. We tried to pick up our pace as best as we could to put some distance between us and them, but as we rounded the turnaround to Blizzard Beach in front of Winter Summerland Mini Golf, we saw them – they were close!

We entered the parking lot at Blizzard Beach, and this was by far the worst part of the race. It was just a big circle in the parking lot right around mile 21. The only character here was Donald, but there was at least a water and food stop if we needed it. This was a scary section for me because we had a visual on the balloon ladies the entire time. We kept pace and made it back out onto Buena Vista Drive, turning right towards Hollywood Studios, aware the balloon ladies were right on our tails!

At this point I turned on my earphones and listened to my favorite music to try to keep my head distracted. I was tired, I was starting to hurt pretty badly, but I didn’t want to fall behind. This section of the course consisted of a bit of an uphill followed by a downhill, as this stretch of road goes over a highway. I was able to keep up with my two friends from the corral, and we also caught our buddy “Austin” in this section.

From mile 18 to this point, about mile 22.5, we saw a lot of people struggling. There were a few sections where the course looped past itself so we could see the balloon ladies and behind them. We passed people who were having a really difficult time, passed some people who had been injured, and saw the official sweepers behind the balloon ladies. It was mentally tough in addition to physically challenging.

Just shy of mile 23 we were entering backstage Hollywood Studios, near Fantasmic!. There were Cast Members handing out Dove dark chocolate. I quickly ate one and saved the other in my running belt just in case. We turned a corner and there was Tower of Terror and we were in the park walking past guests and Cast Members cheering for us. This was the first moment where I really felt like I was going to finish this thing, as I knew from this point it was a quick jaunt over the Boardwalk area to Epcot, then the finish.

My parents were waiting near the Skyliner station so I jogged over to them and gave them a quick high five. They let me know they were going to catch the Skyliner and meet me somewhere near Epcot. We continued on, along the narrow walkway connecting Hollywood Studios to Epcot. There were hotel guests cheering for us, a DJ, and we could see the Friendship Boats going by. This part of the course went by pretty quickly thankfully, and soon enough we were on the wide open Boardwalk. Somewhere around here I grabbed a bag of ice to cool myself down – I didn’t get rid of it until we entered World Showcase in Epcot.

We went around the back side of the Skyliner station, entering Epcot between the UK and Canada pavilions. We made a right turn and headed towards France, and did a lap around World Showcase. I grabbed a bottle of Coke from Joffrey’s – besides character stops this was the “extra” I did during this race!

When we reached Mexico we continued on the bridge across the water towards the park entry, and made a right turn between Connections Cafe & Creations Shop. There were a lot of people cheering here, and because that area is echo-y it felt a lot louder than it actually was. It was very uplifting!

We headed towards Mission: SPACE & Test Track, exiting the park in the same area we had exited at the beginning of the race, but we went left instead of right. We went behind Mission: SPACE and the old Wonders of Life Pavilion, and right near mile 26 there was a gospel choir singing uplifting music. At this point I knew I was going to make it, and it was the only point where I felt “safe”. I had a few tears in my eyes when I knew I was going to make it.

Crossing the Finish Line

With the finish line in sight, I tried to maintain a little bit of fuel in my tank to slowly jog across the finish line. I scanned the crowds on the left side of the race course looking for my parents. I caught a glimpse of my mom and she cheered for me and I very slowly jogged across the finish line. I saw my two new friends a bit ahead of me, crossing the finish line too! Shortly after crossing, our buddy “Austin” found us and thanked us for keeping him on track and keeping him motivated.

This part is mostly a blur to me, but I remember some volunteers (maybe medical team? I don’t remember!) telling us to “just keep moving”. I had my hand on my head in disbelief that I did it, and someone asked me if I was okay. I confirmed that I was good, and kept slowly walking. I picked up my medal, and continued through the finishers’ chute. I got my Mickey ear hat (given to all marathon finishers!) and grabbed a wet towel to wrap around my neck.

Volunteers were also ready with water bottles & different flavors of Powerade. I grabbed a yellow Powerade and continued through the chute. From here, challenge runners were diverted to a different area to collect their medals. I then moved on to the snack box distribution area, where I also picked up a banana.

Next was gEAR bag pickup. In the morning I made the mistake of dropping off my bag at box #1, which was the furthest truck away! Oh well, what’s a few extra steps at that point? After grabbing my gear I continued to the reunion area, and sat down to regroup.

A Note of Gratitude

At this point, I’d like to give a note of gratitude to my two new friends. Their motivation and encouragement kept me going, our talks kept me distracted, and I truly feel like we were brought together because we needed each other.

Throughout the marathon, we shared about our pets, home life, careers, past & future RunDisney events, favorite theme parks, our training plans, told jokes & riddles, and encouraged each other the entire time. Just about every mile we checked in on our pace, and we decided that our strategy for completing the marathon was something like “power walk but run through every PhotoPass opportunity”. We looked at discarded race gear on the side of the course and mentally assembled our RunDisney runner cosplay, encouraged other runners around us, kept tabs on the balloon ladies, sang made up songs and guessed what songs were running through one of our sets of earphones, and kept each other distracted from the aches, pains, and tiredness that slowly settled in.

Personally, I am forever thankful for my two new friends, as heading into the race I was not confident at all that I was going to make it due to my knee, and was feeling pretty down in the dumps about my physical condition. I don’t believe I would have made it through had I not had them keeping me in check. M & J, thank you for being there when I needed you the most!

Reunion Area & Heading Home

Upon arrival at the reunion area, I sat down to take off my shoes and switched to my Tevas. I shuffled some of my belongings around so I wasn’t carrying so much stuff – at this point I had my medal, ear hat, banana, Powerade, sunglasses, and gEAR bag. Once I was settled I noticed my phone was ringing and this is when I realized I didn’t turn off my Nike Run Club app when I crossed the finish line. Oops.

My mom had called me and we made plans to meet up while I got in line for a picture at the photo spot, where I showed off my medal and my ears. While in line for a picture, a woman in the line next to us collapsed to the floor – everyone in the area started shouting for a medic. The medic team quickly arrived and thankfully she was moving and responsive soon after their arrival!

My parents had parked at Hollywood Studios and taken the Skyliner in, but at this point I didn’t feel like I could drive myself, especially if traffic was going to be a problem. My dad agreed to drive me home, and my mom would make her way back to the Hollywood Studios parking lot. I’m thankful my dad drove me, as my stomach was feeling a little queasy and as soon as I sat down in the car, my legs started cramping up.

When I got back home I just wanted to sit. I had never been so sore or tired in my life. I chugged some water and had a light snack to hopefully get my stomach back in shape, and eventually made my way to the shower while my husband took care of the kids. In the shower, I didn’t feel so great. I started to get queasy again and I actually felt like I might throw up. I ran out and laid down in bed, and decided to cancel the night’s dinner reservation at Maya Grill just to play it safe.

I spent the evening relaxing and eating lightly, hobbling back and forth from the couch to the kitchen to grab a snack as needed. That night I slept the best I ever have.

The next morning I was pretty sore and stiff, mostly hobbling around. I was even sore in my arms and my back! Tuesday I was feeling slightly better, and by Wednesday (today) I am mostly back to normal!

Would I Do a Marathon Again?

This is a question I’m struggling to answer. While I’m happy and proud that I completed this, it wasn’t completely on my terms. I wanted to run, but my body let me down about a month out from the race date with knee problems. Miles 18-23ish were incredibly tough, both mentally and physically. It was easy to want to give up. Right now I’m still on the fence, but I have a feeling you’ll see me out there at a Walt Disney World Marathon at some point in the future.

As far as upcoming race plans go, here’s what I’m hoping to sign up for:

• 2023 Wine & Dine Half Marathon
• 2024 Disneyland Half Marathon
• 2024 Springtime Surprise or Princess (depending on theme)
• 2024 Wine & Dine Half Marathon

In January 2025 I have plans to travel to Washington DC for the inauguration, so I will probably be skipping January races. With this in mind, the earliest I would be trying again for a marathon distance is 2026! A lot can happen between now and then, so I’m keeping an open mind.

To read past race reports and find out more about RunDisney in general, check out my RunDisney section!

See you at the starting line!