If you want to see the 5K recap, you can find it HERE. The 10K recap is HERE. And my comprehensive guide for the weekend is HERE.

Another race down!! This morning’s half marathon, starting at 5 a.m. and featuring lovebirds Donald Duck and Daisy Duck, marked the third race of Walt Disney World’s 2026 Marathon Weekend and put another 13.1 miles in the pockets of everyone completing the Dopey (or Goofy!) challenge. If you’re running Dopey, you’re now 22.4 miles down and 26.2 miles to go. Just that one little race left dark and early tomorrow. 😉 

Walt Disney World Half Marathon – Leading Up

I rested a bit after the 10K yesterday but then didn’t end up getting to bed until close to 9—way later than my goal, but what’s new. Still felt pretty good when I woke up this morning at 2 a.m. and was out the door by 3 and parked and heading into EPCOT at around 3:20. Since the theme was Donald & Daisy and romance, I went with a comfortable Daisy bound: my go to dress in lavender, blue bangle, pink bow, and yellow Lululemon Fast & Free leggings. Also carried a plush Donald along with me and, while I was open to abandoning him if he got tedious to hold during the race, I ended up crossing the finish line still with him! 

Headed to gear check when I first arrived and then on to the staging area!

Walt Disney World Half Marathon – Pre-Race

The pre-race characters were Goofy, Dopey, Flick & Atta, and Donald & Daisy. I knew I’d want medal pictures with Donald & Daisy after and wasn’t pressed for Flick & Atta. And I won’t be returning to Dopey until I have all of my medals tomorrow (knock on wood!), so we just went to see Goofy and then made our way to corrals.

Walt Disney World Half Marathon – The Race!!

I. Loved. This. Course. 

We started in the EPCOT parking lots as usual. We were in the second wave of A today, which was plenty far up since I didn’t want to be tempted to sprint my way into the start up front. Then lots of road time on our way to Magic Kingdom, which was fine because it was covered in characters, bands, DJ’s and other entertainment. Entering Magic Kingdom the new “opposite” way via the Grand Floridian walkway with the Water Pageant out never gets old…and neither does Main Street. Let myself relax down that main drag and just soak in all of the feels, and even stood at the top and took it all in for a few seconds.

I was a little more choosey with characters today. After losing so much time to that first Detective Goofy line yesterday, I opted to skip Tiana and Naveen at the start and then, tempted as I was, Jack & Sally shortly after. Their line was already getting crazy. For the rest of the race, I just popped in occasionally when I saw a particularly fun character and/or a particularly short line. 

The characters on the course included: Tiana and Naveen, Jack Skellington and Sally, Anna and Kristoff, Mulan and Shang, the Queen of Hearts, Woody and Bo Peep, Mr. and Mrs Incredible, Donald and Daisy, Mickey and Minnie (personal phones only, on Main Street), Aladdin and Jasmine, Rapunzel and Flynn (by the tangled restrooms!), Buzz and Jessie, Lilo, Horace and Clarabelle, Clarice, Joy, Carl, Marie, and Oswald and Ortensia, with Mickey and Minnie at the finish. 

A few favorite moments:

• The Grand walkway leading to Magic Kingdom with the Water Pageant Out
• That gorgeous view of Space Moutain reflected over the water as you leave Magic Kingdom.
• Sweet Carl from Up!, honoring the romance theme by just standing out there alone.
• Seeing Oswald & Ortensia together at the last character stop.
• The Taiko drummers!! 
• The choir at the end singing Party in the U.S.A. while everyone danced.

Walt Disney World Half Marathon – Post-Race

I rolled into the finish feeling great. We’d just had a beautiful sunrise and the morning was lovely.

After getting my medal, my goodies, and my gear check bag, I waited in line for a medal picture with Donald and Daisy and then grabbed one with Flick & Atta since the line was short and why not. Then saw a bunch of friends and caught up with everyone before heading out to get some rest & recovery before tomorrow’s full marathon.

Walt Disney World Half Marathon – Checking-In So Far

The funny thing about running is…no matter how much you want to ignore your body, it makes you listen. I am not going to PR any of these races. My training has been minimal this season and I’m honestly just running on vibes and muscle memory and trying to take care of myself before, during, and after each race in the best possible way. Lifting that pace pressure has made these races so much fun. I’m moving along at a respectable clip but stopping to see characters or use the restroom or take a photo of a pretty view whenever the mood strikes. And I’m keeping everything at a nice, comfortable zone 2-3 pace. The result has been finishing each race so far feeling phenomenal. Today after the finish I took stock and, truth told, felt better than I felt like I had any right to feel at this stage. Here’s hoping this all continues into tomorrow and through to the finish.

And that’s a wrap for today!! Marathon, Goofy & Dopey runners, I’ll see you tomorrow!! Remember the Marathon starts at 4:30 a.m., not 5!!

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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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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, books, and calendars over at Thousand Circles Images. I’m also available for portrait sessions for families, couples, and individuals and especially love doing post-race celebration portrait sessions with runners!