Race Review: Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend 10k Race

written by runnergirl training

runDisney Walt Disney World 10k race is a blast! The whole proceeds begins long before you ever enter your race day corral. This is a 6.2 mile race that is part of the large Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.

Months before the race date you will need to sign up online. Watch runDisney's website or sign up for their handy email list to know the exact date registration opens!

After signing up the next step is many months of training. This may be a long distance for you or perhaps you are used to filling your online mileage log.

I flew into Orlando the day before my race, the Walt Disney World 10k. I usually stay off of my feet the day prior to a race but this time I walked about Disney Springs (formally known as Downtown Disney). It is located near Lake Buena Vista in Orlando and is a Disney themed shopping and eating mega-plex including a movie theater, several restaurants & Disney shopping! There is also a newly built outdoor shopping mall (with regular mall stores). 

The 10k race start time was 5:30am so I made sure to eat dinner early and head to the hotel to unpack and relax before an early bedtime. Since I am from the Central time zone and also going to bed early, I made sure to take some melatonin to help me sleep. 

All of that preparation wasn't enough to override a case of pre race excitement! My brain would not power off & around obsessively checking my phone's alarms all night, I managed to get 3 hours of sleep. Bring on the race!

pre race crowd

I got up at 3:30am & arrived at the Epcot parking lot at 4:30am. After parking & walking to the race area the line split into those going to the starting corals and the bag check. If you want to check a bag you will use the clear plastic bag from the expo packet pickup so make sure to save it!

The starting area had port-o-potties, coffee dispensers on a table & the starting corals. Runners stood around, stretched on the ground & bounced in place to keep warm. The temperature was 53 degrees F and 90% humidity. I wore a long sleeve tech shirt to help with the cool temperature and a running skirt to help me not overheat from being too covered up. 

Runners started to assemble in their pre assigned corals. We sang the National Anthem and fireworks shot into the sky from the startling line to signal the official start. The announcer called out the corals as they started. There are mini waves of runners starting within the corals. You basically are walking forward in a large group of people until it is your turn to walk (or run) across the starting line chip mat.

mid run pics can be daunting

The first several miles of the race take you on fairly uneventful roads. They are illuminated by streetlight & every so often there is a character to meet. The line for each of them was well over 50 people so I sadly passed them up. I had been looking forward to the mid-race character meets. Since I had a flare up of my hip bursitis the weekend before the race I decided to keep my pace constant and not make stops.

There were a few large screens with Disney movie clips playing or speakers with music. I really enjoyed the movie clips. There's something about watching a movie to make working out feel effortless!

crossed the finish line

A safety concern for me was when we ran across the boardwalk behind Epcot since it had rained and they were slippery. I decided to considerably slow my pace across the boardwalk. The second half of the race trails through Epcot and that was my favorite part of the race! It is a beautiful park with the lights shining across & reflecting on the water. There were several spots with race photographers. Before you knew it, the finish line was in sight and the race had ended. 

recovery area at the finish line

Immediately, the volunteers hand out medals to the finishers. To the side is a recovery area with ice, Bio Freeze, etc to help with quick relief. Just beyond the finish line was an area to walk through with runDisney picture backdrops and photographers to capture your magical moment!

I would again run this race & other runDisney races in a heartbeat! I am already packed & signing up for my next one!

See you at the starting line for the next runDisney race!




I was not asked to write this review & did not receive any compensation for it. All opinions expressed are mine based on my experiences.