The Castle Run

runDisney Pacing Calculator by The Castle Run

Use this calculator to estimate your effective overall required pace on the course and how much time you may have available for character photos, bathroom breaks, and other stops.

This tool is built around the “Cushion” concept described in my book, The runDisney Companion, coming later this summer. The Cushion is the pacing buffer between you and the sweep line, created when you (1) move faster than the required 16:00 minute/mile pace on the course and/or (2) start before the final wave of the last start group (aka “corral”)—the latter because, as a practical matter, the clock on that 16:00 minute/mile required pace doesn’t start ticking until those final runners cross the start line.

Important Note: runDisney requires all participants in timed race distances to maintain a 16:00 minute/mile pace, inclusive of all stops. This calculator does not change that requirement, nor does it guarantee any results whatsoever on race day, including with respect to whether or not you may get swept. It simply helps you to understand how start timing, race distance, and your average expected moving pace may interact in a practical way on race day.

Calculate Your Cushion

Use the dropdowns below to choose your race distance, your average expected pace while moving on the course, your expected start time, and the projected start time of the last wave of the last corral. See below for more information on each.

5K note: runDisney 5Ks are generally untimed and do not have the same formal pacing structure as the longer race distances, but the course, characters, entertainment, and Cast Members still need to clear eventually. This calculator can still help you plan, but the 5K result should be treated as a general timing estimate rather than an exact sweep-risk calculation.

Average Expected Pace While Moving

Enter the average pace that you expect to maintain while you’re actually moving. Do not include character photo stops, bathroom stops, or other standing time. If you use run/walk intervals, this is your overall interval pace (what your watch shows while you’re on the move), not just your running-segment speed. For most runners, the easiest way to estimate this is to look at the average pace from similar training runs where you used your planned race-day intervals.

Expected Start Time

Enter the time you expect to cross the start line. See below for example.

Latest Estimated Start Time for the Last Corral

Enter the projected start time for the last wave of the last corral. See below for example.

Results

These results say the same thing two ways: the required pace is the slowest you can average if you never stop at all, and the stop-time cushion is the total time you can spend stopped if you hold your expected moving pace. You cannot both slow down when you’re moving AND use the full estimated stop-time cushion. You can do one or the other, or some combination of the two.

Start-Line Cushion

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Effective Overall Required Pace

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Estimated Stop-Time Cushion

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How do I determine these numbers?

Your start group will be on your race bib when you pick it up at Expo, and is based on your expected finish time as submitted with your registration. The expected start time range for your assigned start group and the expected start time range for the last wave of the last start group are found in the official Digital Expo & Event Guide for your race weekend when it is released.

Once the current guide is released, use that race-weekend-specific information for the above calculations. Before the current guide is available, prior race-weekend start-time guides, e.g., the chart below from WDW Marathon Weekend 2026, can help you to predict the relevant start times.

Example projected start-time chart for WDW Marathon Weekend 2026
Example projected start-time chart from WDW Marathon Weekend 2026 as provided in that weekend’s runDisney Digital Expo & Event Guide. © Disney. Included for educational/planning purposes only. Always refer to the current official guide for your race weekend.

How to read the projected start times chart and use the calculator: In the projected start-time chart in the official runDisney Digital Expo & Event Guide for your race weekend, look for your own start group to estimate when you are likely to cross the start line. Then look at the latest estimated start time for the final start group. For example, according to the chart above for WDW Marathon Weekend 2026, if you were in the first wave of corral E for the 10K, you’d be crossing the start line at around 5:31 a.m., and the last wave of the last corral, start group G, was projected to cross the start line at around 6:06 a.m.

Enter each of those times into the calculator.

Then, enter the average pace that you expect to maintain while you are actually moving on the course. If you use run-walk-run intervals, enter your overall average moving pace across both the running and walking portions. For most runners, the easiest way to estimate this is to look at the average pace from similar training runs where you used your planned race-day intervals.

Some Necessary Caveats and Disclaimers

This calculator is an unofficial planning tool based on the practical pacing cushion described in my upcoming book, The runDisney Companion. runDisney requires participants to maintain a 16:00 minute/mile pace, inclusive of stops, for timed race distances, and this tool does not change or replace that or any other official runDisney rule, policy, or on-course instruction. Always refer to runDisney’s official guides for race-specific information, and always defer to the rules, instructions, and guidance of runDisney staff and other Cast Members and volunteers on and off the course. Any cushion shown here is an estimate and is cumulative across the full race distance. It is not encouragement to use all of your potentially available time, not a recommended race strategy, and not a prescription for how much time you should take on the course. It is only an estimate of how much time you may theoretically have before falling behind the pacing line or being swept. If you are running for time or a PR, this is not the lens you need. And even when you do have cushion to spare, continuing to move efficiently helps clear the course and creates a better experience for everyone on it.

This tool is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by runDisney or The Walt Disney Company. Start group times, start group waves, course conditions, weather, crowding, character lines, bathroom waits, course modifications, and a multitude of other factors can all affect these numbers and your overall race-day experience. A calculated cushion is not a guarantee that you will not be swept or that characters, entertainment, or course access will remain available on the course.