Click here for the 2019 -2020 runDisney Race Calendar.
I am a big fan of runDisney. I think Disney has done a wonderful job of pulling many, many people off their couches and gotten them out walking or running, or some combination of the two (myself included).
I got bit by the runDisney bug several years ago when we happened to be at Disney during marathon weekend in January. In those days, I wasn’t really aware of runDisney, and had no idea there would be races going on while we were there. The day we visited Animal Kingdom happened to be marathon day, and we saw many runners and walkers of all shapes, sizes and physical conditions coming through the park that day during the race. I was surprised how emotional seeing their progress made me! In those days, AK was approximately mile 18, so these folks had already completed more miles that morning than most people complete in a YEAR. I saw a blind woman running, tethered to a companion and she looked like she was having the time of her life! I saw people running like it was nothing, and people walking like every single step was agony…and everything in between. We even saw a few runners hop out of line and head in to catch a quick ride on Expedition Everest DURING THE RACE! How many races have you ever done where THAT was a possibility??? I was so inspired that day, we stood and watched and cheered and I was so moved! Throughout the rest of our trip, we saw runners everywhere, proudly wearing their medals. We spoke with many of them, listened to their stories and found out WHY they were there.
I’d never liked running; resisted VIOLENTLY when my father tried to make a runner out of me…but suddenly I WANTED to run. I wanted to run more than anything. That started a fire and a dream for me, and it’s a dream I can proudly say came true.
We have been fortunate enough to participate in several runDisney events in the past. We’ve (so far) walked in the events we did but walking 13.1 miles or 26.2 miles is a very big deal (at least to us) and we couldn’t be prouder. I still dream of RUNNING across that finish line instead of walking…that’s the NEXT dream for me.
I’m hoping to eventually earn the coveted Coast to Coast medal, successfully completing runDisney long distance races at both Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California. Definitely won’t be happening this year, but hopefully in 2018 or 2019.
I will be adding some past trip reports in this section, talking specifically about our experiences in the races we did, the training plans we followed and things we learned. I’ll also post information about things that make Disney races unique, and some of the things that make Disney races great experiences for the neophyte runner or run/walker.
Let me know if you have specific topic you’d like me to write about or send me your runDisney questions. Another favorite topic of mine!
Happy Dreaming!
Brooke
