Introduction
Another race under our belts!! After running the 5K on Thursday morning we moved on to the 10K on Friday, January 10th. The Marathon Weekend 10K was themed to Chip & Dale per usual but with a somewhat revamped course through EPCOT and around the Boardwalk Resorts and Crescent Lake that we loved as much as the new 5K course.
runDisney 2025 Marathon Weekend 10K Course Map
10K out of 48.6 miles – The Dopey Challenge
Like thousands of others, I ran the 10K as a part of the Dopey Challenge. The Dopey Challenge entails taking on and completing 4 individual races over the course of 4 days at Walt Disney World. A 5K (3.1 miles) starting at 5am on Thursday, a 10K (6.2 miles) starting at 5am on Friday, a half marathon (13.1 miles) starting at 5am on Saturday, and a full marathon (26.2 miles) starting at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday. So over the course of 4 days, you run a total of 48.6 miles. This morning’s 10K was the second of those races.
You can read more about the Dopey Challenge and how I prepared for the weekend in the lead in to my 5K recap HERE.
10K Race Day Experience
The 10K followed my familiar Dopey “morning” routine–a 1:30 a.m. wake-up (unfortunately for me, my brain and body require the same routine whether it’s 1:30 or 6:30 in the morning…), followed by arrival at EPCOT at a little before 3:00 a.m. I live behind Magic Kingdom and less than 15 minutes from EPCOT, and traffic and parking that early were smooth sailing.
Like at the 5K, the weather was brutally cold. I was prepared with layers upon layers again, though, and between my winter coat from Goodwill, my blanket from Walmart, my cheapie gloves (which I’d cut the fingertips from on the thumbs and index fingers for easy phone use), my Hot Hands, and my ski cap, I was pretty toasty waiting for the race to start. As I warmed up during the run, I dropped some of the gear along the course. Disney gathers, launders, and donates it, so it’s all going to a good cause after it finishes keeping me warm pre-run.
The energy at the start was so positive and electric again–just like it was at the 5K. You always feel a little extra camaraderie at the races during Marathon Weekend. So many of the runners are showing up every day for the Dopey Challenge that there’s this added sense of all being in it together. Whether you’re running your first race or a seasoned marathoner getting humbled by progressively worse aches, pains, and fatigue over the course of the weekend, everyone there is pushing their own personal limits.
I skipped a few characters along the way to stay moving and warm and enjoy longer stretches of running but still managed a few stops along the way. I stopped for Clarice, the 3 Little Pigs, and Peter Pan & Wendy and opted to pass the Mad Hatter, Clara Cluck/the Ugly Duckling, Suzy & Perla, the Tweedles, Captain Hook & Mr. Smee, and each of Goofy and Donald in their formal wear.
Our incredible running team was also out cheering as always despite the cold. Immeasurably grateful to them and everyone else, spectators, volunteers, and Cast Members alike, who got up in the middle of the night to stand in the cold and support us along the way.
My approach to the 10K was the same as it is on most courses, honor the race but enjoy it too–so I’m moving when I’m moving but if I see something along the way that makes me want to stop, I do! That said, those Nike Alphaflys were on my feet again and had a mind of their own. So while I had miles like mile 1, when I did two character stops making the single mile take a full 18 minutes, I also had other miles that were in the 8 minute range. I haven’t been focused on speed this training season but on building a stronger base, so I was more than thrilled with this pace.
All in all another great race. We knew we’d be walking into warmer and wetter conditions on Saturday for the Half Marathon but for now the chilly temperatures were making the runs feel amazing once we got started and each race was so much fun that I was only that much more excited for the rest of the weekend.
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If you’re interested in what my race guides look like, you can find this weekend’s HERE. Stay tuned for the Princess Race Weekend edition, as that information has just been released!
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And that’s a wrap on the recap!! You can always watch here and on my Instagram @thecastlerunner for live updates over the course of race weekends and recaps after each event. I generally try to start near the front of the race and provide coverage throughout, especially for the 5Ks and 10Ks.
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Please join me on Instagram for my day-to-day adventures living a mile from the magic.
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Planning a run while you’re here? You can find my complete guide to running trails on Walt Disney World property RIGHT HERE.
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View of Space Mountain over the Water from the Half Marathon Course
If you’re missing home (or love someone who is) and are looking for a way to bring the magic home, I’d love for you to check out my photography prints over at Thousand Circles Images.
