2027 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Themes Revealed

After a brief (but revealing) teaser, the 2027 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend theme was revealed as a very Donald Duck-centered affair. We get the same characters we always see during Marathon Weekend, but it seems like Donald will find a way to make his presence known in each race and challenge as the Half Marathon celebrates its 30th year. The artistic themes are all in Donald Duck blue and yellow with classic headshots harkening back to the original cartoons. I have no idea what that will mean for the races or character stops (Will we still get the Star Wars Mile? Will we just get various members of the Donald Duck family tree waddling through the courses?). But runDisney has taken a few big swings lately with themes, medals, and improving the running experience, so I'm excited to see how everything shakes out.

5k

On January 7th, join Pluto for 3.1 miles of doggone good fun…and maybe even see Donald Duck trying to coax him across the finish line with bones and treats. If you yourself need coaxing, we do not recommend the bones.

What a weird description... but we get a classic look for Pluto that carries throughout the rest of the themes. Between the lettering and the artwork there may be a lot of classic characters from Disney's catalog making appearances throughout the weekend.

10k

On January 8th, watch Donald Duck try to shake Chip (and Dale) off his shoulder for 6.2 mischievous miles. Note that literally running with live creatures on your shoulder is frowned upon (even if you happen to be a pirate).

Again, someone at runDisney was in a strange headspace when writing these descriptions. Chip & Dale are my favorite theme for the weekend, and their historical clashes with Donald should make for a fun race day.

Half Marathon

On January 9th, lace up for 13.1 miles of 30th anniversary magic featuring Donald getting his feathers in a bunch alongside Daisy. And, yes, we realize that getting his feathers in a bunch is not very happy anniversary-like of Donald.

Donald's own race should be packed with ducks and duck-adjacent themes. I'm willing to bet there will be plenty of Donald costumes and Duck characters this day.

Marathon

On January 10th, runners taking on these 26.2 miles will do so alongside Donald Duck as he continues his timeless effort to outshine his good pals, Mickey and Minnie. All in good fun, of course. I mean, we’re not gonna remind him of who the actual leader of the club is. Are you?

It's not often that Mickey plays second-fiddle to Donald. Will we see Mickey and Minnie donning blue sailor costumes? Again, love the classic look of the characters which is somewhat reminiscent of the 2025 Marathon Weekend theme.

Goofy Challenge

Runners who register for this challenge (made up of both the half marathon and marathon for a total of 39.3 miles) will receive a special medal featuring Goofy sharing the limelight with his buddy, Donald Duck (who thinks the limelight is all his). Is light even ever lime?

In 2025 Goofy celebrated 20 years, so now he's stepping aside for Donald's 30th. Interesting enough, this is the first mention of Donald showing up on another character's medal, so it makes you wonder if he'll show up in some way in all of the medals.

Dopey Challenge

For a feat that dwarfs all others, register for this challenge made up of all four races for a total of 48.6 miles. You’ll earn SIX medals, including a highly coveted piece of bling featuring Dopey, for your efforts.

Oddly enough this is the only description with no mention of Donald. Granted, we've never seen Dopey and Donald interacting with each other, making them an interesting pairing. I guess we'll have to see how Dopey features in this very Donald celebration.