2025 Dopey Challenge Recap: The Marathon

The alarm went off at 2:30am and for the morning in a row I dragged myself out of bed. It was WDW Marathon day. It's always crazy when you think about the mornings and miles you've already logged, and you realize the marathon is longer than the previous three days combined. I hadn't even run half the total miles for Dopey!

I got myself ready in my bright blue and orange running kit, complete with my matching Saucony Endorphin Speed 3's. I threw on a throwaway hoodie, mylar blanket, and grabbed by coffee/water/gels and headed out the door. About halfway down the hallway, however, I felt a nagging soreness on my foot from the minor blister that developed the day before. I came prepared with some blister pads, and quickly threw some on my foot which muted the pain enough. Now I was on my way to the bus and starting line for the last time.

At the pre-race area I opted to get my photo with the Genie, one of my favorite Disney characters, over Dopey (ironically, I never got a Dopey photo during my Dopey), Mickey & Minnie, and Goofy. For the Marathon I took some time to do an actual warm-up and dynamic stretch. There's always plenty of room right outside the corral area, and after a last bathroom break and water top-off, I entered Corral A. Before long the fireworks marked the start, and I was off on the course.

Similar to the Half Marathon, I allowed plenty to time to take it easy on the course and stop as many times as I wanted. After the first half of the race the character lines are practically nonexistent near the first couple corrals, so I also prioritized hydrating at every water/Powerade stop and topping off my water bottle throughout the race. I was in no rush, and stopped at several character stops, including:

• Ariel (with legs!)

• Abu

• Goofy and Powerline Max

• Hercules and Meg (I passed a background for Pain and Panic but never way them)

• Princess Atta from A Bug's Life

• Sebastian

• Bruno

• Winnie the Pooh

• Reuben from the Lilo & Stitch series

• Jesse and Woody

• Mulan and Shang Li

• Jasmine and Aladdin

• Jack Skellington (waited about 30 seconds for him to come out and got to watch him walk out in-character)

• Randall and Dug

• Lilo and Stitch

• Bolt

• Frozone (pointed me out on the course as no one was stopping for him, so I happily obliged)

• Daisy

• Scrooge McDuck

• Olaf

• Oogie Boogie

• Timon

• Lotso

By far the coolest addition to the course (and the coolest part of all the races) was the special Star Wars Mile built into a stretch of the course leading to Animal Kingdom. From afar I saw smoke and lights and assumed it was just a DJ, but then I heard ambient noise mimicking the Battle of Endor with pods flying by and Ewoks yelling. Laser lights criss-crossed and explosions went off on either sides of the trees. I got photos with Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Captain Phasma, and Rey and Vi Moradi. It was still pretty dark when I ran through, so the effects were awesome. Definitely a great portion of the race where it's normally just a mundane service road.

Following the Star Wars Mile I reached the long road into Animal Kingdom. Probably the most cruel portion of any race is a two-lane road where you seem to run endlessly past runners going the opposite direction. But as luck would have it I entered Animal Kingdom just before 7:30am, and as I passed the entrance to Expedition Everest the Cast Members started waving people through. Normally I'd keep going, but seeing as I had passed on Everest the day before with my family and I was feeling pretty good I decided I had to make the stop. After waiting in the line for a bit for the ride to open up, I eventually made it on the ride in the second vehicle of the morning. I was a little worried about rattling my body too much from the roller coast mid-race, but it was an awesome ride and I hopped right out and started right back up to running speed as I re-entered the course. Plus I had a really cool Strava map for show for it.

As I finally exited the Animal Kingdom back roadway I found myself in the homestretch. My legs still felt good, and I was staying hydrated and fueled well. In past WDW Marathons it can get pretty warm once the sun comes up and I entered the dreaded Blizzard Beach parking lot. But it was still pretty cool so I was in good shape. While my blister was feeling fine, I had slightly annoying sore spot near the ball of my foot. I assumed it was the edge of the blister pad irritating my foot, but after the race I realized it was a tiny pebble that snuck into my shoe at some point. One would think that after thousands of miles of running the previous few years my feet would be toughened up, but they were more like "Princess and the Pea" where I could feel any little item under my feet. Regardless, it wasn't enough to slow me down.

I got through the small section of Hollywood Studios, and before I knew it I was sprinting on the Boardwalk and going back through Epcot. The downside of the new course was a protracted finish in Epcot that avoided World Showcase. As it was, I went through Epcot before the park opened so the Epcot finish was quick and quiet, and the finish line was in sight. I finished strong and picked up all my medals on my way to the bus back to Art of Animation. Dopey Challenge complete - now I got a chill day to celebrate with my family.

Disney Springs

With my Dopey Challenge complete, I showered up and met up with my family at Disney Springs. I sported my Dopey race shirt and medal (all six medals, or even the Marathon, Goofy, and Dopey together can be a bit much as they clang around your neck) and had my mind made up for my first stop: Gideon's Bakehouse. I waited in line and loaded up on cookies (most of which I'd take home) and a peanut butter cold brew. I was finally getting my appetite from the race, and decided on my perfect post-marathon lunch at the Polite Pig. I loaded up on pulled pork and sides and had a quiet lunch with my brother and niece. A Dopey Challenge and perfect Polite Pig meal completed by noon, and my day was already a win. We wandered around the shops for a few hours and headed back to the resort to chill out the rest of the day. We still had a couple more days in the parks, so I got some much needed rest and prepared for the end of our vacation.