Lots of excitement rang through the runDisney community this week as Disney revealed the bling they have planned for January’s Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World. For those of you that don’t know, Marathon Weekend usually falls the first weekend in January, and includes several runDisney events, including a 5K, a 10K, a half-marathon and a full marathon. In addition, there are several special challenges that award medals for finishing multiple races that weekend. Finally, there’s the Coast to Coast medal, which you can earn by completing a runDisney long-distance race on both coasts in the same year.
There are many reasons to participate in runDisney events. The thrill, the companionship, the undeniable excitement of getting to see parts of the parks that few people get to see, the physical challenge, the excitement, the fireworks, the race shirts…all very good reasons.
Me? I’m STRONGLY motivated by BLING. I love the medals. I love the weight of them, I love the moment after you cross the finish line when they give you the medal. I love seeing them hanging on my wall. I love the bling. I’m not saying it’s the only reason to do a runDisney event…or even the MAIN reason I do them…but it’s a heck of a bonus.
So, even when I’m not participating in an upcoming race, I’m always very excited when the new medals are announced. I’d be MORE excited if we were doing the races this year, because these medals are pretty awesome, but I was still pretty happy with the pictures Disney released earlier this week.
January 2018 marks the 25th running of the Walt Disney Marathon at Walt Disney World. To celebrate, the medals this year a little extra special. Take a look:
Here’s a closer look at the marathon medal:
The center of the medal appears to be a spinner. For those of you that participated in the 20th anniversary marathon, you may remember that medal also featured a spinner. It’s a really nice touch and makes the medal EXTRA special.
Here’s the medal for the 10K:
Usually, the 10K features Minnie Mouse, but this year, Mickey is appearing on all the medals, again due to the anniversary. The Marathon is “his” race, but he’s cheering everyone else on, too!
Donald’s Half Marathon:
How cute is that? The half is my personal favorite distance so I have a special fondness for this one.
Here are the Challenge Medals:
You can win the Goofy Challenge if you complete both the half-marathon and the full marathon (indicating you’re a little GOOFY 😉). The Dopey Challenge includes all FOUR Marathon Weekend events: the 5K, the 10K, the Half and the Full Marathon. Because, as they say, if you do all four of those distances in a four day period, you’ve got to be Dopey! Just kidding. Those folks are AMAZING.
We won’t be able to participate in Marathon Weekend this January; it just doesn’t work for us financially right now, but I’m hopeful that we’ll be there in future years. It’s a great way to kick off the year, and, since we got engaged on Marathon Weekend in 2013, will always hold a special place in my heart.
So…How many of you will be bringing home one (or more!) of these medals? Do you love this year’s designs? I’d love to hear from you!
Happy Dreaming,
Brooke
*Note: All pictures are courtesy of DisneyParks.com