Dopey Challenge 2026 summary

So I’ve created a post for each of the marathon weekend events that I completed, but as I signed up to the multi-day challenge, I thought I’d do one post with my summary of the whole weekend.

All the medals! It was definitely the done thing to take your medals into the parks after and take photos with them- such nice mementos.

Before

First up, if you are at all interested in any Run Disney event, know that they sell out super quickly. This was a decision we made at the start of 2025, and the day they went on sale Andy had to be online and logged in and ready to go (as I was at work). Secondly, they are super expensive. While we’ve done other Run Disney events (DLP half marathon, and a 5k and 10k in WDW in 2018 and 2019) doing the marathon was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity, which is partly why we did the challenge at the same time- in for a penny as they say. You do get a race shirt included (plus one for any challenge) and of course the medals, and all the race photos (and there are loads of photographers out and they take really good photos) but it is very expensive. However, you get to run through the parks which is definitely more interesting than running along a dual carriageway.

The expo was a bit manic- a lot of people do the Dopey challenge (I think around 7000 looking at the results) and as you have to collect everything on the first day it opens, it’s busy.

Thoughts of the challenge also dominated the holiday a bit- we flew out fairly early, to allow for weather disruptions (but also it was the cheapest day to fly), and although we enjoyed going to the parks before the races, in the back of my mind the whole time the race weekend loomed. I think if I was doing the first 3 races I would have been OK, but the marathon at the end was really distracting. We were both so conscious of trying to stay hydrated, acclimatise to the heat and humidity and not do too many steps. Disney only do the marathon at this time of year as the rest of the year it would be too hot, but this meant that all our training was in the autumn and winter and so we were not used to running in the heat.

I did a parkrun the weekend before (in Florida) and had a run around the grounds of our hotel, and both of those helped me to feel less anxious about the heat as it was manageable. I think being there for a week before did help to get used to the weather a bit, whereas it would have been a real shock to the system to come straight from the UK and then start running there.

Because the races started so early (5am for the first 3 then 4:30am for the marathon) and you need to be there around an hour before, we got up at 3:20am and 2:50am for the marathon. We were a bit jet lagged anyway and that was our friend as we were waking up fairly early, but we were sensible and set the alarm at 7am on the Monday, 6am on the Tuesday and 5am on the Wednesday. This helped us to get used to the early starts. We had dinner around 5pm, and were going to bed at 8pm so we got some solid hours of sleep beforehand. This did mean we couldn’t stay for the fireworks in the parks on those days before which was a bit of a shame, but we knew we had time after for that, and we were in Disney for the races and not for the fireworks.

Finish line photos from 10k, half, marathon- looking increasingly tired!

During

The actual race experiences were brilliant, and one thing that I really liked was that the race village was the same every day. I get a bit anxious the night before a race (or a new parkrun…), worrying about the car parking, how long security will take, where the bag drop will be, how long the walk to the corral is and so on, but after the 5k and doing all of this once, I was far less worried for the subsequent days. Knowing how short the drive was and knowing that we had about a mile walk meant we could easily work out timings and not be at all rushed. After the first race we saw how the character meets worked, and could then look up to see who might be at the next race to decide if we would stop or not.

The run-walk strategy worked perfectly- I was more ad hoc whereas Andy did set intervals, but this meant that although we were tired, we were not shattered and could keep going. I got progressively slower but as I stopped for more characters later on it’s not easy to compare, and as I have said many many times, this challenge was about finishing it and enjoying it, not about any sort of time goal.

5K- 36:58- ran this gently and didn’t stop for characters but took a few photos ourselves

10K- 1:20:30- ran gently, walked mile markers and water stops, stopped for a few photos

Half marathon- 2:49:40- walked mile markers, water stops and any big motorway ramps, stopped for quite a few characters

Marathon- 6:01:53- walked mile markers, water stops and big ramps, stopped for loads of characters

A few mid race photos and then my Dopey medal and Goofy top at the very end

We also sussed out how the bag drop worked (as we didn’t use it for the 5k but did the following days- as Andy started and finished ahead of me, so he did it so he could collect the bag once finished), and found a meeting place for each race which worked well.

We stayed in Bonnet Creek, which was a pretty perfect location (it’s within the WDW boundary but not Disney owned hotels)- it was less than a 10 minute drive into Epcot, where all the races started and finished. As we had a kitchenette we could make breakfast when we got back, we had a washing machine so could wash our kit, had a bath so we could use that for recovery, and it gave us a bit more space to chill out when we got back.

As your race bibs had on them that you were doing the Dopey challenge, all the cast members and volunteers said to you “see you tomorrow” for each race, and it was a great feeling to be a part of such a big challenge that so many people were doing.

A few character photos in the race village at the finish- Duffy always, and then Dopey because it’s his fault this challenge was invented!

After

5k and 10k finish area photos – finishing in the dark for the 5k and just before sunrise for the 10k (index finger for race 1 etc):

Half and marathon finish area photos- definitely daytime now:

Immediately after each race we met up close to the finish, next to where the characters were meeting people. There were food trucks and a coffee truck (and even a beer truck) so you could hang about if you wanted to. A few times we stayed a bit to meet characters, but as the days went on we mainly wanted to get back for a shower and some food. But great that the option was there.

We had booked dinner at Sebastian’s (at Caribbean Beach hotel) which was a set three course meal where they bring food to your table- definitely booking something was the way to go, but there are so many good options in Disney so you are spoilt for choice for your post marathon meal.

A few medal photos- the light on that day in Magic Kingdom was so gorgeous

What was fabulous was that the culture there is to wear your medal or race shirt etc in the parks after, so you’d see so many people with their medals on, and cast members would congratulate you or ask you how it went (and this was the same for the 5k as it was for the marathon medal).

A Magic Shot with Mickey and Minnie in their running gear, and a photo from the People Mover- trying to get the castle in the background!

Lots of the photo pass spots in the park had run weekend props you could use if you wanted to, and when I had some photos taken the photo pass people would suggest various poses and take their time arranging the medals for you. There were even some fun Magic Shots (these are photos where they ask you to pose, and then they add a character to the photo- you never know who it will be though so it’s quite fun looking in the app later to look at the photo).

I loved the timing of this photo with the bird flying in the background!

Usually after a race the medal is off as soon as you travel home and that’s it- here you do get use from the medal after. Although carrying six medals about is heavy! When I put them all on to wear for a photo the ribbon dug into my neck so you had to take them off, and then I had to wrap them up in fabric as I was worried they’d scratch each other.

More pretty medal photos

I had a sore ankle the evening of the marathon (which came on quite suddenly after we’d been to dinner and walked around Epcot)- however the next morning once I got moving about it was OK. My legs were a bit stiff getting into the car (or sitting in a ride) but again once I moved a few steps I was OK. We heard the phrase “motion is lotion” and I felt that for sure- walking around the parks the days after just meant you were not stiff. I am glad we didn’t travel home straight after, as I think sitting on a plane would have been tough, and it was nice to enjoy some holiday without a marathon looming over us.

So, would I do it again? First of all, I am so glad that we did this (and it was special that the two of us did the challenge together), and I loved it. Although I was really anxious about it, it’s something amazing to look back on. However, I do not think marathons are for me. I’ve done 3, and that’s plenty. I’m a slow runner and the training just takes so much time- doing a 4 hour run each week is just hard. So I don’t think I’d do the Dopey again.

However, if we were to go to Disney during a different run weekend (as the rest of the year they are 5k Friday, 10k Saturday and half marathon on the Sunday) I would be really tempted to do the challenge and do the whole weekend again. The year we did the 10k, the 5k theming was Frozen and it was such a nice medal and shirt, and of course we missed out- you don’t know the designs until after you’ve signed up. Plus once you are in the swing of getting up early, you may as well just keep going. However if Andy didn’t want to, I think that would be tricky as it would be hard for me to expect him to get up so early, go to bed so early and miss out on the evenings in the parks on those days.

All in all, I absolutely loved it and am so glad that we did the challenge. It was so special and such an achievement and I have so many happy memories from the race weekend and from that trip.

Now I just need to decide how to display the medals at home- any ideas are welcome!

Holywell King George V Playing Fields parkrun (Watford)

A new fairly local parkrun popped up recently (in Watford), and to fit in with when my dad was around, we decided to go for event 5. Happily Branka and Holly could make that date too (and possibly one of them wanted an event 5 for Wilson Index reasons?), and lots of OH ladies were keen to come along too, as well as Rory making the trip around. As I’d been to a couple of new events recently (Crystal Palace and Greenwich Peninsula), this meant that Holywell parkrun would be my 150th different event. Is that a Cowell cow?

So, onto the morning. Dad drove and I was quite glad of that as it’s quite central in Watford- I’ve not driven around the ring road in Watford for many years- and the route took us right next to the Watford football ground which again I’ve not been to in years (we used to go there quite a lot)- I got to see the Graham Taylor statue outside the ground as well as the large mural. It was very Watford FC themed as I noticed when we drove out of the car park that the arch that you drove under had a mural with players from the past on it.

Holywell parkrun ( I will call it this as in the first timers welcome the volunteer said “Welcome to Holywell King George V playing fields- it’s a long name so we just call it Holywell”) is very close to both Cassiobury and South Oxhey (both are 1.2 miles away according to the home page). There was a car park that we were directed into by marshals- as the car park had no markings they definitely needed the marshals to make the best of the space. We got there at about 8:40 and there was still plenty of space but I imagine it filled up fairly quickly.

OH ladies crew and Poddington the Wonky Bear

From the car park you could see arrows set out for the course, and a short walk from the car park took us to the start area, outside the Watford Cycle Hub.

Three Peas crew and extended parkrun friends

Here we took many pop up photos (although my dad was missing from all the start photos as he went to use the toilets and ended up in a very long queue as there were only 3 cubicles working- something to consider for the future), and then after hearing the first timers welcome, I walked around to the finish area (again about 2 min walk away) to leave my bag on the tarpaulin of trust. By the time I walked back to the start, the main briefing was going ahead and after looking around for my dad, he managed to find me as the RD said “go”!

The course was described as nearly 4 laps of playing fields on silt/gravel paths. Two of my running club friends had volunteered here previously, so I had asked them what shoes would be best, and they thought road shoes would be OK. To be fair they had marshalled so had not seen the whole course, only a section of the path. However, I would have been happier in trail shoes as some of the path was muddy or puddly, and in some places it was so narrow you ended up on the grass and in mud. It’s pretty flat with a few slopes, so I think it would be a fast course once it’s a bit firmer.

I ran with Dad and we pretty much chatted our way around which always helps to pass the time too. I didn’t find the laps too repetitive, but I can see that you might if you were on your own. As each lap went through two different playing field sections, your view changed a lot (unlike York racecourse where you just see the same view the entire time). The part between the finish and start area was a wooded section with a bit of a twist so your view changed and you couldn’t see the playing fields. You also passed a very cool “mini road” for kids to ride bikes on, which had junctions, markings and even little pretend EV charging points. It was really good to see. At one point I ran past someone with With Me Now gear on, so I called “Dolly or Bev” to them and then had to explain to my dad later on about that and the “arbitrary” reply that I received! It didn’t have too many people there- 209 participants on that morning- and although it felt busy with the laps it didn’t feel too congested.

Tarpaulin of Trust and the finish funnel/ photos taken mid run

Anyway, we kept a pretty good pace (in fact the good old Marathon Talk royal flush negative split was achieved- each mile being faster than the previous one) and after hoping to go sub 30 (after being bang on 30 at Greenwich last week) I was really pleased to get in under 29 mins with a time of 28:51. All that marathon training had meant I had slowed right down, and although I do not focus on times, it’s nice to have a faster one every now and then.

I also really loved being there with lots of people I knew- it was fun to spot people at the finish and chat to lots of friends- definitely a great morning.

My muddy trainers at the end and my finish token

After finishing, we stayed and chatted to people at the finish. We even saw Aqasa (check out his blog- Nuhorizons.uk) who Branka, Holly and I had met at Peckham Rye parkrun back in September last year.

Three Peas with Aqasa/ pop up pic with my dad at the end

We couldn’t stay too long as we had to get back for breakfast (my mum is excellent at making vegan pancakes) before Dad dropped me home, as he was coming back to Watford for the match later. But I am sure I will be back- especially if I am after a flatter route (and one that is less busy than Cassiobury).

Dad, Rory and me with the pop up at the end, and the teapot that my mum gave me for breakfast!

So that was parkrun 439, location 150, and of course Queen of Herts completed yet again.

Holywell parkrun isn’t on the 5k app yet, but it is on the parkrunner app (the black and white one)- the “before” showed it in yellow as it was my NENDY- you can see how close it is to the other Watford parkruns when you look at the map:

Up next? I have no concrete plans, although the three peas do have some pencilled in plans coming up, and I have a trip to Southampton next month so hopefully I can visit a new one in that area too.

Greenwich Peninsula parkrun

The quest for Lon-done continues!

On Friday night we were in London seeing Hercules with family, and had planned to go back in on Saturday for some exhibitions at the British Museum, so after seeing that hotels were reasonably priced, stayed in London for Friday night, which of course for me means a parkrun!

I was aiming for Greenwich Peninsula- Branka had already been here so we wouldn’t tour there together, and it’s probably the most central one left that I’ve not been to. However the forecast looked below freezing, and I had seen that they had cancelled once earlier in the year when it was icy, so I was keeping my fingers crossed.

Anyway, all was well, and I got the Jubilee line there from Southwark, arriving at North Greenwich station at about 8:15am. I had allowed plenty of time as on a few previous London trips even going through the train station has taken a while (going to Burgess I spent so long in London Bridge station getting to the tube that I nearly missed the start of parkrun), and although it looked close at the other end I didn’t know how easy it would be to find once there. In the end the train journey was meant to take 20 mins but I am sure it wasn’t that long, and the parkrun start was so close to the tube station, although I was following google maps which was going to take me around the houses a bit, but I happened to glance to the right and saw the big red sculpture that I recognised from all the pop up signs.

After having so many rainy and cloudy days recently, it was amazing to have such blue skies, but it was so cold- my hands were freezing even with my gloves on (not fun taking them off to take photos).

I think I arrived just in time as there was one person by the sign who took a photo for me, but once I moved away the queue built up and did not go away until the main briefing! There were loads of tourist tops, people with Lon-done t-shirts and so I chatted to a few parkrunners (it took my mind off the cold too!). One person was very taken by my Wonky Bear, and at least this time I could explain it (whereas last week a person took a photo and before I could explain they had walked away). I wandered down to the river to take some photos and admire some of the sculptures.

The blue skies were amazing!

We had the first timers welcome before the main briefing, where the RD explained that there was work going on on the path which meant that the start was narrower than usual. He tried to seed the start, but when he said “any sub 16 runners” a lot of people laughed, so he replied with “well you laugh but some people are that quick!” I waited for the 30 min group to be announced but really I should have gone a little sooner as I was behind quite a few walkers (and not speed walkers, normal pace walkers). There was a place for bags under a little shelter against a wall, so I had taken my jacket off at the last possible moment!

Views from the run as well as the funnel queue at the end

I really enjoyed this- it’s basically an out and back (although you start in the middle- if you looked at it from above you go right, u-turn, back past the finish, u-turn again, back past the finish and then a bit further before the final u-turn) you run past the O2 and then in the other direction have views out to the Thames Barrier. There were various sculptures to see, and loads of tourists arriving for the O2 which made it feel very central to London rather than being in a suburb which they often are.

Just look at the map- very central:

You can see from my pacing that I was stuck for a while behind people not at my pace- I do not mind really but it wasn’t easy to run in a rhythm as there was a lot of stop-starting (people ahead avoiding puddles for example), and as it was narrow and for the most part you had people heading back towards you, you really could only have 2 people side by side, which meant overtaking people was tricky. Although it’s flat and a fast course, it was much harder than say Battersea which had much wider paths. Something to consider if you were heading there and hoping for a specific time.

Token/ token sorting/ photo at the finish

At the finish they had a very long funnel which looped around and around, but it moved quickly which I was thankful of as I had taken my jacket off and left it in my bag at the start, and as soon as I stopped I was feeling chilly. I went to get a photo by the sign with my parkrun top, and then headed back to the tube. I really enjoyed seeing all the paving slabs with facts and quotes linked to GMT. I feel like when I’ve been to the O2 it’s usually been for a concert so I’ve not lingered enough to notice these. There were also trees filled with lanterns for Lunar New Year.

Admiring the GMT themed paving stones/ tea to warm up/ breakfast/ Poddington the Wonky Bear

I got a tea to take on the train with me, and then got off one stop early to get us some breakfast (Ole and Steen do an amazing plant based pastry called a social slice, which is sort of cinnamon bun dough filled with vegan custard and chocolate chips- trust me it’s so good). Then I had to text Andy and ask him to drop a pin because I only remembered the way back to the hotel from Southwark station and I’d got off at London Bridge…

Voronoi update! Sadly now Victoria Dock parkrun is paused the map looks a little different, but still after Greenwich I have joined up a few more sections of the map once again.

That was parkrun 438 and location 149

38/65 for London events

It was definitely an easy one to get to from central London, and one I’d revisit if I was in London and needing to be back quickly too. However, my next London trip will be from home so that will hopefully be a new one (not planned yet).

Next up- some more local tourism with all the people (my dad, the three peas, OH ladies, parkrun friends…)

Crystal Palace parkrun plus a couple of local ones in January

Away from the WDW recaps for a bit and back to parkrun! Since getting home, I had a couple of local weekends with Dad, first to Jersey Farm for Dad’s 400th parkrun (he chose the location) and then the following week at Oaklands College.

Jersey Farm

Jersey Farm was glorious sunshine (yes I should have worn sunglasses!), and it was lovely that some of the OH ladies turned up to celebrate with Dad too, although he was off to football later so we didn’t hang around for too long after.

Oaklands College

I hadn’t been to Oaklands College for ages and when we arrived we thought the first timers welcome was going on and that the rest of the runners must have been around the corner, but no, there were only 49 people taking part. There was a lot of mud and the ground was still so rutted so I am not surprised. Rory came along too so it was good to catch up. Newly acquired Wonky Bear Poddington also came along with me for his first parkrun.

Crystal Palace

Then the first weekend in February I was off to Crystal Palace parkrun with Branka. We are both steadily making a dent on the Lon-done events, so a new London event means leaving a bit earlier now. For me this was a train just before 7am from St Albans, meeting Branka on the train. We went into London Bridge, and then changed to an overground train that went to Crystal Palace station.

It was forecast to be quite rainy, but it wasn’t too bad when we came out of the station. It was about a half a mile walk, but the station is right next to the park, so after a kind dog walker showed us the way, it was very straightforward.

Pop up fence fun

There’s lots of construction work happening in the park at the moment, so there were loads of fences up (some with fun artwork depicting various construction vehicles)- the pop up was attached to a fence but the name was facing inwards so we had fun poking our phones through the fence trying to get some photos.

All the cool artwork plus Poddington seeing the course maps

Rory was also going to travel there, and as we met up with him closer to the start line, we found a second pop up mounted on a fence but facing outwards!

The star/finish area is along an avenue of trees- this would be gorgeous in the summer, but didn’t provide much shelter from the rain. They had the finish area at one end, with a tarpaulin that they tried to fold over to keep bags and tops dry. I have a plastic bag inside my rucksack so I took it out and put my rucksack in it to try and keep the contents dry- it’s a fairly waterproof bag but it was raining pretty hard at times. The first timers welcome was at the finish area too, and they even had a large print out of the two main courses that they use. They were a really friendly team and seemed keen to chat to find out where people had come from. It’s a big event (388 people that day) but felt like part of the community.

The course is two laps, although they are not quite identical as in the first lap you do an extra “dog leg” (the little loop on the lower left of the map). On this day each lap was almost two separate sections- the lower section where you started and finished was muddy and slippery (I am not sure if the construction in the park was making it worse, as it should have been tarmac paths but they were really muddy too), and then the upper section (you ran up a short slope to get there) was fairly dry paths. I wished I had my trail shoes on- I’d worn old road shoes so they didn’t have good grip at all- especially on the slope to get back down to the lower level again I really could have done with better soles. Someone next to me slipped over on one of the slopes, so I took it very gently.

Photos of the course- you can see some of the big puddles on the pavements as well as the slope leading to the upper part of the course

There were lots of points in the course where you saw other runners which I always like- as each lap had a narrow two way section as well as parts like the dog leg. It was definitely a friendly event, and the rain even eased off as we ran.

There’s definitely a lot to see in the park too- the huge TV aerial, a blue plaque commemorating a Bob Marley concert, a swimming pool, a dinosaur trail (sadly they were all covered up due to the renovations), a maze… the list goes on.

After we finished we had a quick chat and changed into dry jumpers before heading back to the train. Branka had some errands to run, and I had decided to go to Angel to get some vegan pastries and visit Bird and Blend, so we said our goodbyes. Rory was getting the same train as me (as I went on the overground to Highbury and Islington) so we had a lovely chat on the train before he got off at his stop. I’d packed a cereal bar in my bag so I had that on the train as I was getting quite hungry by that point.

parkfaff- British Patagonia for the best vegan pastries, Bird and Blend for a matcha and a cereal bar on the train (plus the token sorting tubs)

I then had a very wet walk along Upper Street to get my pastries (to take home rather than eat on the train) and matcha before walking down to St Pancras and getting the train back. I was still home before lunch time and it was a morning well spent, although it was only when I got home that I realised how wet and cold my feet were!

Onto the stats- that was my 437th parkrun and my 148th different event. At the time it was the 37th out of 65 London events (but of course that can change).

Up next is more touring- a London one (which I went to yesterday) and some more plans coming.

WDW Marathon 2026- the final race of the Dopey challenge

In case you missed it, in January 2026 I was in Walt Disney World for their marathon weekend, doing the Dopey Challenge- 5k on Thursday, 10k on Friday, half marathon on Saturday and marathon on Sunday.

The marathon started half an hour earlier than the other races (4:30am rather than 5am), so our alarm was set for 2:50am. This sounds worse than the reality- because we’d been going to bed at around 8pm and getting up at 3:20 previously, we’d still had some sleep (and the worst night of sleep I got was before the 5k- I think knowing the race village helped me a lot in that way). I often run before breakfast, and with the 5 and 10k I had done so, but with the half I’d had a clif bar and that was fine, so I did the same on the Sunday, and of course filled my shorts pockets with the fruit bars and Kendal mint cake bars.

There were more road closures than the previous days, but we were able to get into Epcot with no issues and again arrived with plenty of time for the mile walk through the car park, through security and into the race village. It was exciting that the final day was here, but my legs were feeling tired and a little stiff despite the stretching and bath and gentle movement of Saturday afternoon.

I was again in corral C whereas Andy was in B, so after him going to the bag drop (as he’d finish first) we said our goodbyes and headed into the starting area.

The course took in all 4 WDW parks, so I was really looking forward to that aspect of it, especially as Magic Kingdom had been so well supported the day before.

(The following is using my Strava which means the miles will be off as my watch showed nearly 28 miles, but it gives you an idea of the locations and how long was spent on roads between parks vs being inside them)

Miles 1-2 were around the back of the parking lot and into Epcot, you then ran around World Showcase, out to the front of the park and through the car park (mile 4 was basically through the car park) and onto the roads towards Magic Kingdom. Miles 5,6,7 and 8 were towards MK and the MK hotels, and then Mile 9 was around the lake (the one that has Grand Floridian on it). Miles 10 and 11 were in MK, then you exited the park and did a bit more of the hotel parking lots, mile 13 was towards the TTC, mile 14 through that car park, then miles 15, 16 and 17 were along the roads towards Animal Kingdom, miles 18, 19 and 20 were in Animal Kingdom, then out of the park for miles 21 and 22 towards Blizzard Beach. Mile 23 was around the Blizzard Beach parking lot, then 24 and 25 towards and then into Hollywood Studios (we were in HS for the briefest time because of all the construction there), mile 26 was along the waterside path between HS and the boardwalk area, mile 27 was into Epcot and around a bit of World Showcase, past Spaceship Earth and then the final part out of the park and to the race village. Phew.

Course map

The sunrise over the lake by the hotels (before MK) was just amazing- the whole sky was deep red but it just would not come out in the photos as there were lights along the path/ my mile 6 photo was too blurry to use! Plus check out the random Mickey golf cart that was by the course!

As with the half marathon, my aim was to run and walk intervals, but not set times. I would stop at each mile marker for a walk, I would walk through every water station and have a drink, and if there were steep slopes (the on ramps for the motorways for example) I would walk those too. My only aim was to finish and I did not care how long it took me. There is not a time cut off (eg when I did Stockholm there was a 6 hour cut off time), but there are “balloon ladies” who start at the back of the final corral (G) and do a 16 min mile pace. If they pass you, you are removed from the course. I was several corrals ahead, and was sure I’d be going faster than 16 min miles but you never know.

The first few miles to me were about getting into a rhythm of these intervals, enjoying the atmosphere and not dwelling on how my legs felt! As with the races before, there were very frequent water stations (around every 1.5 miles), some food stations (bananas, chocolate biscuits and energy chew things), and loads to see- character stops, signs, entertainment such as live music.

I’d decided to run with my sunglasses as I knew I would need them once the sun came up. At times the paths were lit up very well so I was OK in them, but in some places it was poorly lit so I had to take them off and hold them – I tried tucking them into the neck of my t-shirt but they bounced about and I worried they’d fall off.

Into Magic Kingdom with the Christmas decorations up and Mickey and Minnie cheering us on!

After the quietness of the lake (and gorgeous sunrise), Magic Kingdom was an amazing contrast. As we exited the lake path we were met with loads of cast members all cheering and announcing “welcome to Magic Kingdom”- and of course I knew what to expect from Main Street after the previous day. I managed to not cry this time, and tried to just take it all in. There were so many people cheering, so many signs to read, and I was so happy that the Christmas decorations were still up (as previous years photos showed them up but this year the Christmas season in WDW ended earlier so I was worried they’d take them down).

My castle photo plus a few character stops in the dark- Duffy <3

After not stopping in the half for an official castle photo, I had decided I would for this race. It was a brilliant and speedy operation, with the whole area in front of the castle coned off and about 6 photopass people there- you were directed to join a queue, and mine had only one person ahead of me. When it was your turn, you stood on the spot and posed, and then you were directed to rejoin the race. They used your bib number to match up with your photopass account, and they all appeared so quickly in the app.

The sky was getting lighter in MK/ the dragon float was by the course/ running through Epcot and then MK

Before I got into MK (which was mile 10) I had had some of my Kendal mint energy bar- they have electrolytes in them as well as energy so they were definitely a good choice as it was already quite humid even before the sun came up. Weirdly as the sun came up it almost cooled for a second, and then of course started heating up quickly.

The carousel lit up in the early morning light/ a gorgeous Spaceship Earth reflection and pink skies/ the monorail!/ loads of crowds at the TTC

I was so happy to hear the monorails honking at us again after the previous day! The TTC (transportation and ticket centre- this is where you park for MK and then have to get the monorail or boat over to the park) was full of people cheering- I saw so many excellent signs and especially Disney specific ones (you are still faster than the bus/ that’s a funny way to park hop) and even saw a “boop the snoot” sign which made me think of the With Me Now patrons group. I loved seeing every single sign and I really appreciated the crowds- I don’t think I would have handled crowds the whole way around, but these bursts in between the quieter road sections were great for lifting the energy levels as well as distracting your brain from the task in hand.

Character stops and the Star Wars themed road, and the sun properly rising

The section from MK to AK was a long one, but to make it more fun, Disney had made this into a Star Wars themed section. There were loads of characters to see and meet (Darth Vadar, Storm Troopers, those little guys with glowing eyes and hoods), there were light sabres planted in the verge, sounds of x-wing fighters and Chewbacca being played in the woods and smoke being sprayed across the road. I can imagine that for the fastest runners who would get here in the dark it would be amazing, but it was fun to look at everything going on. There was a little shade still at this point so it wasn’t too hot.

Plenty more characters to see

Some of the characters had very short waits so I just ducked off the course for a quick photo, but others had long lines so I had to make a conscious effort to keep my legs moving, lift up my knees and stretch while I was waiting as I knew I’d get stiff otherwise.

As I headed into Animal Kingdom, it was a two way section so runners further ahead were on the other side of the road. It must have been about mile 17 that I saw Andy on the other side of the road-he would have been around mile 20 or 21 – he was smiling and looking strong which in turn gave me a boost too. He didn’t have his phone with him, so I had been sending him a few messages in my walk breaks or while I was queueing for characters, but I wouldn’t hear how he got on until I finished, so it was really good to see him doing so well.

A brief section of Animal Kingdom- entertainment with a band playing instruments made from recycled objects, and a fruit themed cheering station

One thing that is unique about this race is that some of the rides are open and so lots of people go on Everest (a rollercoaster in AK) mid marathon- Andy had actually done this! Of course I don’t like rollercoasters so there was no way I was doing this, but I saw lots of people heading off the course to do it (as with the photos there were clear directions if you were doing this). AK was filled with people cheering- it was weird to think it was now normal park opening times and we were still running around with two parks to go!

With the parks being open, I’d taken advantage of the nice toilets and had used them in Epcot, MK and AK. It was really getting warm and so I was making sure to drink all the water at each station rather than just a few sips. There was little shade on the course by this point too.

The next few miles were the toughest for me. While some of the sections were longer (eg the Star Wars section was at least 3 miles), this next section had little entertainment on the route, no crowds, no characters, and it was in the sun. If you ran right to the right hand side of the road your feet were in the shade but the rest of you wasn’t. My walk breaks were getting longer and I was having to speak out loud to myself to start running again. I didn’t ever feel like stopping, but I think I could have just walked from there as I was heating up so much while I was running too.

There is a section where you run around the Blizzard Beach car park (the photo below with the giant Baymax was that part)- it was about a mile to loop through the car park and it is the bit that most people seem to moan about. However, I didn’t find that as bad as the roads before that. I had to tell myself that I’ve run the Great North Run before, and that’s basically 10 miles of dual carriageway, so I can run a few miles of Disney roads.

As well as frequent water stops, there were medical stations all along the course too. Plenty of people had been stopping for vaseline/ paracetamol/ help with minor ailments, and at some point around here the medical station was giving out bags of ice to everyone who passed them. (They also handed out sponges dipped in water- I think near Blizzard Beach but I can’t remember- I had read they sometimes hand out cooling towels- we got one at the finish of the half). I took a bag and this was such a good idea- I held it on the back of my neck mainly, I also put it on my forehead for a bit as well as my wrists to try and cool myself down. I’d texted Andy to give him updates to read once he finished, and about 15 mins after exiting BB car park I had a message saying he was done- hooray! I had 3 miles to go at this point so it was within reach.

We ran into Hollywood Studios (with my bag of ice) and again there were super crowds but it was a very small section of the park. I stopped to meet Joy and Sadness (hiding my bag of ice) but then pretty much straight away we left HS, passed the Skyliner Station and started on the path towards the Boardwalk area and Epcot.

Nearly there!

At some point here Andy had texted to say that my airtag wasn’t updating (I had it in my pocket so he could see where I was) but as I was juggling my bag of ice I had not read any messages at this point, so he didn’t see me finish. I did read his final message of encouragement which was that the water by the boardwalk had shade and water stations- this definitely helped to power me towards the finish.

The final few miles – somewhere at the end of the Boardwalk path I found a bin for my bag of ice!

Again as I got into Epcot there were huge crowds and this just lifts you so much. We ran past the Canada pavilion and all the cast members were there with a big Canada flag, and once you got close to Spaceship Earth there were more photopass people so I went for a photo- I was impressed that I could still list my legs up after all those miles.

There was one final live entertainment section (a gospel choir singing Queen) and then the finish line was there!

Finish line photo!

After finishing you get handed water, a banana (I declined the snack box and powerade this time), a cooling towel (so good) the marathon medal, and then because we had completed two challenges, two more medals!

Goofy challenge= half marathon + full marathon

Dopey challenge= all 4 races

I exited the finish line into the race village and found Andy pretty much straight away (we were well rehearsed with our meeting spot now). I’d packed a t-shirt to change into and let me tell you that taking off my sweaty marathon top and replacing it with a clean and dry one was just the best feeling. Even though it was only going to be worn for the walk back to the car and the drive back, it was worth it.

Still can’t quite believe that we did it!

After taking some photos we slowly walked back to the car (another mile!- by this point my watch had tracked nearly 30 miles for me and it was only about 11am!)

We drove back, had showers, made porridge and ate snacks, drank loads of tea and chilled out by watching some You Tube.

We had booked dinner At Sebastian’s, which is a Caribbean themed restaurant at the Caribbean Beach resort- a very short drive away. It’s a “family style/ all you care to eat” place, which means they bring food to your table and you can request more if you want. We’d been there once before and loved the food but there had been so much- so we knew it was the place to go when we’d be hungry.

(All of this is plant based and I was impressed that when you order they mentioned that they do a plant based option so that all guests are aware)

They bring you bread and guava butter and onion jam, a jewelled salad with crunchy seeds and a zingy dressing, then a platter of jerk tofu, koftas, impossible sausage, crab cakes (that didn’t taste fishy thankfully), pineapple chutney and mango relish, plus a plate with coriander rice, roasted veggies and plantains, and then the star of the show is pineapple and coconut bread pudding with caramel sauce and ice cream. It was so good. Just what we fancied. Although we still could not finish everything we made a pretty good go of it!

As we were walking around Epcot my ankle suddenly started hurting. I wondered if my laces were too tight, but loosening them didn’t help, so I hobbled about a bit. The next morning I was struggling a bit, so I sat and elevated my ankle while we had breakfast, but once we got moving and into the parks I was OK.

Medals in Magic Kingdom on the Monday

I was actually quite impressed with how well I could walk the following day- “motion is lotion” as I had been told, and this seemed to be the case. If I had to sit down (eg on a ride) my legs were a bit stiff, but not too bad, and although I felt a bit tired, I didn’t feel more tired than I would at a typical Disney holiday anyway!

Once I finished I had an email about the course being shortened for later participants- “for the safety of our guests and cast members, today’s course will be modified due to inclement weather, including warmer than usual temperatures, after 10:45am”. They had stopped people going into the Blizzard Beach car park, allowed everyone to exit and then the balloon ladies had joined the back. I do not think it was a decision that Disney would take lightly- I saw a few ambulances going along the road when I was running, and it was really hot. I can understand disappointment of not running the full distance (although if you add in the walk to and from the car you would be over anyway) but you can only run the course that’s in front of you, so even if you ran a shortened course, you still ran the course that was there for you.

How would you feel if a course was shortened? I would not have minded, but for me it wasn’t about the time (or distance really as I have run two marathons previously) it was about the challenge of 4 races in 4 days.