Running on Magic: Inside the Fandom That Powers runDisney
What it feels like to wake up at 2:30 a.m. to chase Disney magic, one race at a time.
I’m used to waking up early on Disney trips. Rope-dropping a park before the sun rises is typically part of the deal. But last Friday was different. My alarm went off at 2:30 a.m., and while we were getting ready to head to a park, we weren’t preparing to ride rides. We were getting ready to run through one.
My mom and I had signed up for our very first runDisney race, which also happened to be our very first 5K. runDisney is Disney’s official race program, bringing together thousands of fans who wish to earn their Dole Whip and churros by running around the parks before they officially open.
I first heard about the races by accident. Back in January, my family was staying at a Walt Disney World resort when we woke up to loud party music outside our room. It was my mom’s birthday, but we had no clue that something else pretty cool was happening…the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.
That day, we started noticing runners everywhere. People of all ages, from all over the world, were dressed in sparkly costumes, wearing multiple medals and swapping stories with strangers in the food court.
That’s when I learned about the most intense challenge of all: “The Dopey.” Those runners cover a staggering 48.6 miles in one weekend — a 5K, 10K, half marathon, and full marathon on consecutive days. This story may be about my first 5K, but I have to put it in writing here that one day, I too, shall complete a Dopey. Just…give me five years.
Anyway, the point is, the atmosphere during that weekend felt different from our usual vacation, almost as if it were a reunion of people who all understood something we didn’t yet.
The energy was contagious. My mom and I kept looking at each other, saying, we have to try this someday. So, when registration opened a few months later for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend, I refreshed the page, bracing for a battle only slightly easier than scoring tickets to the Eras Tour, and somehow I managed to secure two spots for the 5K before it sold out.
For months, we counted down the days and planned our costumes during our daily morning walks.
Going all out felt almost mandatory for my first runDisney race. I wanted to be comfortable but still creative, so I started brainstorming early. Each race and race weekend has its own theme, and ours was a mix of Mulan, Mushu and breakfast food (a nod to the Wine & Dine theme). My ideas ranged from on-theme characters like Mulan and Mushu to, for some reason, Chicken Little, before I finally landed on something that felt right.
My mom had decided early on to be Minnie Mouse, so I went as her best friend, Daisy Duck. It felt like the perfect mother-daughter costume duo for our first race together.
Once we arrived to the race, the creativity blew me away. Everywhere I looked, runners had transformed themselves into breakfast foods, Disney icons, and deep-cut character references, from Mickey waffles to Ronald McDonald. Everyone hyped each other up, trading compliments and posing for photos before the start.
Before the race, I connected online with a few runners who shared how much thought they put into their costumes and what the experience meant to them. One runner I spoke with, Ashley, told me her costume was inspired by Tangled, symbolizing her own personal journey.
“Tangled explores the theme of light as knowledge,” she said. “It feels meaningful especially since this race falls during the Indian holiday, Diwali. Diwali represents the triumph over falsehood and knowledge over ignorance. My costume honors my connection between my culture, faith, and my personal growth.”
A longtime runner, who preferred to stay anonymous, laughed about his simpler approach.
“This is the first year I am matching my costume to the race themes. The 10k is Olaf, so I am wearing an Olaf running shirt and for the Half Marathon, the theme is Lady and the Tramp, so I am wearing a Tramp running shirt,” he said. “It’s funny that, in my mind, a shirt equals a costume!”
No matter how elaborate or minimal, every outfit had a story.
The Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend officially began at ESPN Wide World of Sports, where runners pick up bibs and race shirts, pose with characters, and stock up on limited-edition merch. The expo really feels less like a materials pickup and more like a fan convention. There’s Disney music blasting everywhere you go, vendors are lined up selling themed athletic gear, volunteers are sharing words of encouragement, and photo ops are everywhere, offering the perfect backdrop to flex what you’re about to accomplish.
When I picked up my bib, a volunteer immediately asked if it was my first race. When I said yes, he smiled and offered the advice I’d hear echoed all weekend: take it slow, take it all in, and most importantly, have fun. It set the tone for everything that followed. This wasn’t just about finishing a race. It was about savoring the magic mile by mile.
I thought waking up at 2:30 a.m. for the race would be difficult, but it was surprisingly an easy thing to do. I think I was simply way too wired, from the moment I got dressed and hopped on the shuttle bus to Epcot. Once we arrived, I immediately felt a sense of purpose from all the runners around me.
Before the race even began, runners swapped stories that revealed what makes runDisney so special. One woman was running alongside her mother, a brain tumor survivor who had gone from being unable to walk to finishing races by her side. Another pair shared how they first met at a runDisney race years ago, fell in love, got married, and have been running together ever since.
Every runner seemed to carry a story of resilience, hope, or belonging. For Ashley, the 5K was about self-discovery.
“I’m running for little Ashley — the girl who thought she could never run a mile,” she told me. “I am running for self discovery, to prove to myself that I can do hard things.”
Another runner described his motivation as a mix of gratitude and legacy.
He told me he runs for “the sense of accomplishment of what I can do in my 50s, doing something I have not done before, running for those who want to be there but can’t, and being a role model to my children that you can race at any age.”
Together, these stories painted a picture of a community driven less by competition and more by connection. Every person on that course, whether walking, jogging, or sprinting, had something, or someone, to race for.
The course was lined with entertainment at every turn, from a high school marching band and a live band playing at the Germany Pavilion, to a choir belting out motivational anthems as runners approached the final stretch.
As the sun rose over the World Showcase, the park slowly lit up and it was the most beautiful sight. My mom and I kept pace together, occasionally breaking into short runs as adrenaline hit. The course offered meet-and-greets with rare Disney characters you wouldn’t typically be able to meet on a normal park day, a perk that makes runDisney unlike any other race, but the lines were long, so my mom and I preferred to keep moving, soaking up the atmosphere instead.
Crossing the finish line to get a medal with my mom, with Mickey Mouse waving on the sidelines and music blasting, I felt that same energy I’d seen months ago around our resort…the pride, the laughter, the shared exhaustion, and the community. We took photos with Daisy Duck in our costumes, and laughed about how we sprinted through every PhotoPass zone to look our best.
Disney trips have always been about escaping into someone else’s story. But running through Epcot at sunrise made me feel like I was part of my own Disney movie.
So…what makes runDisney different from any other race?
For most runners, the magic of runDisney is in the people. Ashley told me she joined because of the sense of belonging among the runners.
“Every corner is filled with magic,” she said. “Even though I’ve mostly connected through social media, I’ve felt welcome. It doesn’t matter how fast you go; what matters is that you show up and have fun.”
Another runner described the community as “knowledgeable, supportive and understanding,” where “the encouragement is not to finish first, but to finish while having fun.”
“Everyone has a day one when it comes to any experience, and I think that this community recognizes that when they answer each question with respect and honesty, and that is what makes this community unique,” he said.
He also told me, “I think that the runners have an emotional, maybe spiritual, and nostalgia tied to Disney and to express their personality through running is unique to these races makes it way more than a run.”
Manny Runs Disney, a creator who completed the challenge during this race weekend and has logged more than a thousand miles at Disney races since 2008, called it “a shine of light in a dark world.”
Manny told me he often helps people finish their races. Ahead of race weekend, he shared, “I love the stories of overcoming and optimism that are shared. I may try to push the 10K this time, but I plan on finishing in the back to help as many people cross the line as possible.”
He’s met dozens of friends through runDisney, and what keeps him coming back, he says, are “the stories that are made each time we’re out there.”
It’s that collective spirit, the camaraderie at 2:30 a.m. and the sea of runners cheering for strangers, that makes these weekends feel special. Everyone shows up for their own reason, but we all finish together.
My first runDisney weekend was nothing short of magical. I can honestly say I left Orlando with alerts already set for future race weekends, ready to jump on any last-minute openings because every race through April is unfortunately already sold out.
Disney may never be restful, but maybe that’s the point. Joy takes effort, and this time, the magic was something we earned — one mile at a time.