What is your favorite Run Disney race?

[Piglet_Mom]

Someday I hope to participate in a Run Disney race, probably a half marathon. As this may be a one in a lifetime experience for me, I'm curious what everyone's favorite race is and why.

 

[rteetz]

I've only run marathon weekend in the 5K, 10K and Half. I like them all for their own reasons but the Half is really fun with getting to run through the castle. I know many will say the full marathon. I'd love to run a race in Disneyland some day.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I'd have to say wdw Donald half as its the only thing that has a constant spot on my race calendar- everything else comes and goes..

 

[Piglet_Mom]

I've only run marathon weekend in the 5K, 10K and Half. I like them all for their own reasons but the Half is really fun with getting to run through the castle. I know many will say the full marathon. I'd love to run a race in Disneyland some day.

I would love to run through the castle!

 

[SueInBoston]

Someday I hope to participate in a Run Disney race, probably a half marathon. As this may be a one in a lifetime experience for me, I'm curious what everyone's favorite race is and why.

LOL...I had the same thought 2 years ago when I signed up for the WDW 10k and Half. I'm running my 6th RunDisney Half in two weeks. It's an addiction.

 

[crewmatt]

wine and dine when it was at night followed by the full in January. I'll reserve judgment on the new wine and dine until I run it.

 

[derekleigh]

I've only done the Marathon weekend 5K, half and full. I vote for Donald's half! I've run it three time to date and it's an awesome experience!

 

[camaker]

I have only done Marathon Weekend so far, but here are my feelings on the subject:

Minnie 10k - Great course overall. A little boring to start navigating the parking lot and roadways around to the back of Epcot. From that point on, it was fantastic running through the World Showcase all lit up with the fires and Illuminations lights on the buildings. The loop around the Epcot resort lake was nice, too, although the wooden boardwalk was a little slippery due to rain early in the race. Probably my 2nd favorite course of the weekend.

Donald 1/2 Marathon - First, the highlight: Running down Main Street USA towards the castle and then through the castle a few minutes later were awesome! A highlight in my running career I'll never forget. Made me tear up. The lowlight: Just about everything else about the course. ~5 miles of parking lots and empty road to get to the MK. Then 6-7 miles of more empty road to get back to a brief stint in Epcot at the very end. I'm conflicted on this course because it was the highest high and the lowest lows. I'd have to rate it my least favorite course of the three overall.

Mickey Marathon - I know this is going to sound strange after the Donald review because the first third of the course is pretty much the same. Boring start, massive high running to and through the castle in the MK and then a long slog on the road to the AK. That being said, I really enjoyed the rest of the course through AK, WWoS (a little too much time there) and on through DHS. The finish was fantastic running past the Swan&Dolphin and YBC into Epcot with a lap through the World Showcase and past the ball to the finish line. Incorporating all 4 parks into the course made all the difference to me. My favorite course by far. I call the marathon medal my Ultimate Park Hopper!

I'm sure the fact that the marathon was my first is also playing into my feelings, but there you are. I'm running SWDS in a couple of weeks and the DDD in DL this summer so I'll have a better overall view of the different courses at that point if you're still looking for updates at that point. I don't think you can really go wrong with any of them, though.

 

[FFigawi]

The full. Definitely the full. More parks, more entertainment, and more fun.

 

[Ariel484]

WDW Marathon.

 

[Piglet_Mom]

I've thought about doing a full marathon just once for the experience. I can't think of a better location to do it.

 

[ZellyB]

WDW marathon.

 

[DOOM1001]

Definitely the full in January,no other race feels like you're going out on a journey like the Disney full,I mean you're running through like 90% of the resort and at least for me its the easiest 26.2 I'll run.I did my first full outside Disney last year at Space Coast and I'll be doing it again this year because I really enjoyed the race and I totally plan to get their 3 year Milky Way challenge medal.With that said it was tougher than my other fulls at Disney where there's so much going on it just makes the race as easy as 26.2 is going to get.Don't get me wrong,Space Coast is an amazing race with tons of spectators out cheering you on with a great after party with pizza and breakfast but running through Disney will surpass pretty much any other race.The extinct night races are also going to rank up there pretty high for me,I seriously hope a new night half comes back in the next couple of years,Wine and Dine doesn't have the appeal it had before with it being a morning race now,of course I plan to run it soon,probably the challenge but its just not the same.If they bring back a ToT or Halloween themed race it pretty much has to be a night race,that one really can't moved to a morning race and that's what I really want RunDisney to bring back,nothing like seeing race costumes in a Halloween race.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Overall Favorite: As it is for many others, the WDW Marathon. The feeling of finishing a marathon is about as good as it gets and the course going through all four WDW parks and close to so many resorts is really cool. The spectators, volunteers and CM's are awesome and really helped push me to finish my first marathon. I've been back for three more and it has never gotten old and I don't think it ever will.

Favorite 1A: I love all four Dopey races that I have done at WDW (I've only run during WDW Marathon Weekend), but I completely understand that some people don't have the inclination to run a full marathon for any number of completely valid reasons. Although the Half does offer the opportunity to run through the castle, I'm an Epcot guy at heart and the 10K course is my favorite "shorter" course for the week.

 

[cgattis]

The night races. I detest morning running--I always end up with a headache and it seems to blow my day more than the night races. Plus there's just something so cool about the atmosphere. Like so many others noted, there are insanely boring stretches of road on all these races, but the high points make you forget the lows--kinda like giving birth LOL