Have you ever wanted to go to Disney World at 2 AM, lace up your sneakers, and run through the parks for 26.2 miles? No? What if I told you you can meet rare characters and receive medals to commemorate the event?
©Disney
There are four runDisney weekends a year that let runners race through Disney World and get their miles in before the parks even open, and once a year, there’s the Walt Disney World Marathon. Disney is starting to tease the theme for the next marathon weekend, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend includes a 5k, 10k, half-marathon, and is the only Disney World race to have a full marathon. It usually takes place in early January, with 2027 being from January 6th to 10th. The themes are usually dedicated to Mickey Mouse and his friends, and the video that runDisney shared looks like it will star Donald Duck since he’s #1.
The animation style in the video looked like the Mickey Mouse cartoon series on Disney+, and the whole marathon weekend logo looks like Donald Duck. Oh yeah, this is going to be FUN.
©Disney
We should find out the official themes soon, but Club runDisney will be able to sign up on March 10th, and the general public can register on March 17th. While the marathon weekend theme is usually centered on Mickey and friends, there may also be an additional theme. For 2026, all the characters were paired with storybooks: Mickey and Minnie were in a fantasy book, and Pluto was in a science fiction book, for example.
©runDisney
Marathon weekend is also the race weekend for the Dopey Challenge, which gives you an additional medal for completing the 5k, 10k, half-marathon, and marathon all in one weekend. That’s a total of 48.6 miles!
©Disney
If you’re looking to participate in one of the events, you don’t need to be an elite runner, but you do have to be fast to sign up. Registration fills up quickly due to the limited spots, and you’ll want to be ready to sign up as soon as it opens. You are more than welcome to walk these events, but keep in mind you need to stick to the indicated mile pace so all guests can finish in time before the parks open to the public.
We can’t wait to hear what the theme is going to be, so make sure you keep following Disney Food Blog for more!
4 GAME CHANGING ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR 2026 RUNDISNEY RACES
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