3.1 down, 45.5 to go!! We kicked off Marathon Weekend this morning with the Walt Disney World 5K. The event was themed to out-of-this-world sci-fi fun and hosted by astropup Pluto.
You can find my comprehensive guide to this race weekend right HERE.
Walt Disney World 5K – Arrival and Pre-Race Characters
I left the house at around 2:35 a.m. and was parked by 2:50, but by the time I got inside and checked my bag (yes, I checked a bag for the 5K…I didn’t feel like carrying my car key 😂) the lines were already pretty long.
If you want to know more about the gear-check process or what’s useful to bring, you can find my article on that topic HERE.
They really leaned into the sci-fi theme with the characters, both pre-/post-race and on the course. The characters in the staging area were Pluto (host/on the medal), Stitch, Dopey, and a very cute Astronaut Donald Duck. I braved the Dopey line first. Almost just waited until after the race but figured it was as good as any way to pass the time. And I was in the spirit.
Then got Astronaut Donald with my friend Michael before heading to corrals.
Walt Disney World 5K – Weather
Weather couldn’t have been better. It’s going to get into the low 80s later today but this morning it stayed around the upper 50s with enough humidity in the air to make it feel a tiny bit warmer while we were waiting. Then the humidity started to lift as the race started and we had a nice little breeze. It’s rare we’re not cold waiting OR hot running, so we got super lucky today. Hopefully this continues into the weekend. The forecasts are pretty consistent every day, but for marathon we’ll probably be running far enough into the morning to start feeling the heat a little more.
Walt Disney World 5K – Course/Map
2026 Walt Disney World 5K Course Map
We were in Corral A but didn’t sweat getting all of the way to the front, so went with the 3rd wave of runners. I’m going to be taking it a little easier this weekend because I’m not nearly as trained as usual. I heard that there was a power outage later at the start line so many later runners were just heading out to periodic fireworks. They’re always keeping us on our toes!!
Walt Disney World 5K Start Line
The course was similar to what we’ve been doing lately: a bit of road time and the rest of the course through (the artist formerly known as) Future World and all of World Showcase.
Walt Disney World 5K – Characters
Moon Girl
Like I mentioned earlier, they really leaned into the sci-fi theme with the characters and we had some really rare appearances! We had Moon Girl, Starlord and Gamora, Buzz Lightyear, Stitch’s friends Gantu and Hamsterviel (switching turns), Pleakley and Jumba (I got just Jumba but Pleakley joined him right after), and Daisy at the finish line. They also had a PhotoPass Photo Op in front of the pylons and Spaceship Earth and, of course, other PhotoPass photographers throughout the course while we were in EPCOT.
Hamsterviel
Seeing these creative character choices made me really, really excited to see what they’d do for the rest of the weekend. We have 6.2 mysterious miles led by super sleuth Chip and his trusty friend Dale for the 10K, 13.1 miles of magic featuring lovebirds Donald Duck and Daisy Duck for the half marathon, and 26.2 fun and fantasy-filled miles ruled by Sir Mickey Mouse and Lady Minnie Mouse for the full marathon.
Jumba
Jumba and Pleakley
Walt Disney World 5K – Post-Race Characters
Pluto – Post-Race Medal Pic
After the race the pre-race characters were still out, so I grabbed a medal photo with Pluto quickly before leaving since he was on the medal. I couldn’t stick around since I had to pick up the kids from Boardwalk for school. They stayed there with my mom last night. They always do a little staycation over Marathon Weekend and I have the house basically to myself so that I can stay focused, get good rest, etc.
And that’s a wrap for the first race of the weekend!!
It really was a great morning. So many friends and so much positive energy!! I might not be at my fastest at the moment but I’ll get that back as we move into the Spring. In the meantime, I’m enjoying the heck out of these races.
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And if you’re looking for a pre- or post-event treatment to assist in your readiness or recovery, join me at Prime IV Hydration & Wellness in Winter Garden, a 15-ish minute drive from Magic Kingdom. They offer incredible NAD+, Niagen, and other athletic performance enhancing IVs that will do wonders for how you feel before and after race day.
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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!
