This was just the loveliest race morning!
Today was the first race of runDisney’s 2026 Springtime Surprise Weekend: the 5K. The overarching theme for the weekend is friendship duos. Partners in crime, if you will, and that theming is giving the weekend as a whole the nicest vibes.
I went over to Expo yesterday morning to pick up my race bib and shirts for the weekend. I’ll be running the challenge, which includes all three races.
Springtime Surprise is the only challenge besides Dopey that includes every race of the weekend. The Springtime Surprise Challenge mileage total is actually the same as the mileage total for the Wine & Dine Challenge over Wine & Dine Race Weekend and the Fairytale Challenge over Disney Princess Race Weekend, both of which include the Saturday 10K and the Sunday Half Marathon, but not the weekend’s Friday 5K. Springtime Surprise’s longest race is a 10-Miler on Sunday, rather than a 13.1-mile half marathon, so by including the 5K you get to the same total: 5K + 10K + 10-miler equals 19.3 miles, same as 10K + half marathon.
We found out at Expo, as a nice surprise, that runDisney is recognizing perfects for this weekend now that it’s reached its fifth anniversary. You’ll get a perfect status for the Springtime Surprise 10-miler if you’ve run it all five years, and you’ll also get a perfect status for the Springtime Surprise Challenge if you’ve run that all five years. Both are recognized on your race bib, and we also got patches for each at bib pickup.
Before the Race
I parked at around 3:00 a.m. and got to the main staging area by around 3:15. The pre-race and post-race characters were Nick & Judy from Zootopia (on today’s race medal), Ralph & Vanellope, Jiminy Cricket & Pinocchio, and Piglet & Rabbit. I managed to grab Nick & Judy, Jiminy and Pinocchio, and Piglet and Rabbit before heading to corral.
I usually do the medal characters after the race, when I have my medals, but wasn’t going to be able to stay long after because I needed to get my son to school by 7 a.m. so figured I’d play it safe and get them beforehand.
Favorite pre-race moment: The husband dressed as the Zootopia sloth who said he met his wife at the D….. M….. Veeeeeeeeee.
On the Course
The course centered on EPCOT with a bit of road time at the beginning.
I started in the first wave of A so had a nice open course and ended up stopping for every character. They included:
Clawhauser (Zootopia)
I can only imagine how long this line got. I was in the first wave of Corral A and he already had a decent wait when I got to him!! Totally worth it though.
Bert & Mary
Duffy
Perla & Blossom (Cinderella)
Mickey & Minnie in Seaside Gear
They were my other longest wait besides Clawhauser. They were already taking a short break by the time I got to them so had to wait for them to come back out. Again, so worth it. I always try to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the 5K since it’s not even timed…
They were also doing photos in front of Spaceship Earth. Always happy when I see PhotoPass set up here.
Finished and collected the race medal. Love the magnifying glass.
And got my banana and water and snack box.
Is that a banana in your pocket or…?
Yes.
Post-Race
Got back to the staging/reunion area and grabbed a picture with Ralph and Vanellope. They were the only characters that I’d skipped before the race, so I’d then officially gotten every character of the morning, on course and off.
And then I still had time, so I went back to Nick & Judy for a medal picture before running back to my car and the day’s responsibilities. (Perks of being a local: My house is 15 minutes from the EPCOT parking lot. Cons: runDisney races are no longer a part of a vacation. Real life awaits.)
I left at a little after 6 and they were still setting off waves of runners onto the course at that point.
Trying to rest a little and do low key work today.
I hope everyone had a great first race and I’ll see you tomorrow at the 10K!
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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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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, as these bring together two of my favorite things.
