This past weekend runDisney celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Marathon. A record 65,000 people participated in the weekends running events that included kids runs, a family 5k, a half marathon and a marathon.
runDisney and the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend
The weekends signature event, the marathon, took place on Sunday. Over 25,000 people lined up at Epcot for the start of the race. The participants battled not only the miles but also extreme heat and humidity for the event. Brazil’s Adriano Bastos was the men’s first place finisher with a time of 2:21:16. Renee High won the women’s division with a time of 2:48:30.
runDisney and the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend
In celebration of the 20th anniversary, runDisney modified it’s previous course to include exciting new features. In addition to traveling through through Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot, runners also got to test their speed on the Walt Disney World Speedway. The Speedway also showcased classic cars and Pixar cars. Runners then took to the streets again and traveled to the ESPN Wide World of Sports. The course took runners around the track and then around the bases at Champion Stadium. Once out ESPN Wide World of Sports runners arrived at a surprise on-course entertainment at mile 20. There were costumed puppeteers operating oversized Disney character puppets. In addition these exciting course updates Disney also featured character meet and greets along the course. Bands, gospel singers and a chEAR squad rounded out the course entertainment.
Upcoming runDisney events include:
- Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend January 18-20, 2013
- Disney’s Princess Half Marathon February 22 – 24, 2013
- Expedition Everest Challenge May 4, 2013
- Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend August 30 – September 1, 2013
- Twilight Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend October 4 – 5, 2013
Get more information on attending a runDisney event contact Pixie AmyS at AmyS@PixieVacations.com
