My 1st Dopey Challenge: Part 1

If you’re visiting this site I imagine you’re already familiar with the Dopey Challenge, the premier event of runDisney’s Walt Disney World Marathon weekend. A 5k, 10k, half marathon, and marathon in four straight days totaling 48.6 miles across the Walt Disney World Resort. Over the course of the four-day weekend you begin intimately familiar (for better or worse) with not only the four theme parks but all the nooks and crannies along resort hotels and service roads alike. You’ve probably run the Dopey, thought about running the Dopey, or you’re morbidly curious as to what would possess someone to run the Dopey.

After I ran my first WDW Marathon in 2022 (detailed here), I caught the runDisney bug and set my sights on the Dopey Challenge for 2023. Because if you can run a marathon, surely you can just a three other races right before the marathon as well, right? After registering in April (a challenge all on its own), I spent the rest of the year racing and training for Dopey. Since I was bringing my then-family of four (with one on the way), I made it my goal to not only conquer the Dopey Challenge but to get the most out of our Disney vacation. Race, rope drop, rides, and fireworks – it would be my Ultra Dopey.

Expo

This was my first real experience at a runDisney Expo, which is a mix of excitement and chaos. A year earlier I strolled into a nearly empty ESPN Wide World of Sports on the Saturday of Marathon Weekend to get my marathon bib. This time I went on Day 1. I weaved through the crowd of runners and families wearing the tech shirts of older runDisney races like badges of honor. I worked my way through the first line for bib pickup and got my corral placements: A for the 5k and 10k, and B for the half marathon and marathon. I moved my way along to the next building for my six shirts (one for each of the four races and two challenge shirts), before heading to the merchandise area. The race weekend had was themed for the 90s to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first WDW Marathon in 1994. The 90s nostalgia did not hurt in moving merchandise, but I’ve learned that the merchandise area is always runDisney’s Lord of the Flies with runners and non-runners alike grabbing everyone not nailed down. As a rule I don’t like jinxing myself by buying “Finisher” gear before starting a race, so got my Dopey car magnet and left to get ready for the 5k.

5k

Sleep is hard to come by during the Dopey Challenge, much less an Ultra Dopey. Getting to sleep that first night was tough as I kept stressing out about sleeping through my alarms, and 2:30am is indeed very early. But I woke up, had my bagel, banana, and coffee, and headed to the Caribbean Beach bus stop to the start line.

The 5k tends to have the most energy out of all the races. There was a noticeable buzz as everyone boarded the bus with loud costumes, dyed hair, and fun vibes. When the bus stopped at Epcot we all made the long walk to the parking lot where there was entertainment, characters, and most port-o-potties I’ve ever seen. I eventually warmed up and made my way to A corral at the end of staging area. One lesson I learned during my first Dopey: use the bathroom right before heading into the corral. You don’t want to be the one sprinting to the treeline as soon as you get past the finish line.

I finally got through the starting chute and my 5k was underway. My approach to the 5k was to keep the pace at an easy 8:30-9:00 minute per mile pace and take care of business. The first few character stops had long lines and I kept pressing forward. My goal was to get to the end and hop on the first bus back to the resort. However, it’s hard not to take in Epcot as you’re running around the World Showcase. The Disney World parks are always better at night, or in this case before the sun comes up. The early corrals are always worth shooting for with proof of time as you’ll have the space to look around and appreciate where you are. I did manage to stop for one character stop – when you see Chip and Dale in their Rescue Ranger outfits, you gotta stop.

I crossed the finish line in just over 30 minutes, collected my medal, drinks, and food box, and headed to the busses. There were already a few people waiting to get on the bus back to Caribbean Beach, and we had to wait a bit longer as the later corrals were still getting released. When the last of the runners cleared the road we were able to hop on the bus back to the resort by about 6:40.

My wife was already getting the kids roused and ready for our first park day at Hollywood Studios. A quick shower later and we were on the Skyliner to rope drop Slinky Dog Dash, my oldest’s favorite ride. Admittedly by mid-afternoon I was feeling the effects of my early morning, and we headed back to the resort for a quick rest. In my experiences I’ve found the 5k day as the hardest recovery day as my body adjusted to the new schedule, but taking care of hydration (on that day a Nuun tablet) got me feeling back to normal and we headed back to DHS for the Fantasmic night show. By 10pm I was in bed with my next day’s race outfit laid out ready to go for the 10k.

10k

Maybe the funniest adjustment during a Dopey Challenge is the noticeable drop in energy from the 5k to the 10k. Some of it comes from the other Dopeys dragging from the day before. Some of it probably comes from the lack of elaborate costumes as it’s a bit harder to run 6.2 miles in a giant costume than it is for 3.1 miles (during the 5k my favorite sight was a group of runners dressed as Blockbuster VHS tapes with various “Running” titles; I saw no such costumes during the 10k). For whatever reason there definitely was a lull on Day 2 of the Challenge.

I went through the same drill as the day before and got myself through the start line of the 10k. The 10k was the one race I wanted to take at a faster pace to get my legs moving. I wore my American flag Saucony Endorphin Speed 2’s (still my favorite running shoe) went out at a sub-8:00 minute per mile pace. Once again the route looped through Epcot and added in the Boardwalk as well. I skipped a few of the longer character stops early on (my advice for anyone looking to save time is to skip the first character stop or two as they will be the most crowded - unless you really love the character!) but made sure to get my picture with Goofy at one stop and Mickey and Minnie at another. Yes, I’m fully aware that it is a little silly for a grown man in his 30s to stop in the middle of a race to take a picture with Mickey Mouse. But it’s still fun! That’s why you do runDisney and not just any other race. I also kept thinking of my kids during the character stops as they enjoyed seeing the different characters I met before they even woke up that day.

With the character and water stops I finished in about 58 minutes and still managed to hop on the first bus back to the resort. I showered and we rushed to hop on transportation to Magic Kingdom where our go-to rope drop ride is Peter Pan’s Flight. Peter Pan was my favorite Disney movie growing up and I actually matched my race kit in all forest green as my homage to the character. Unlike the day before, I was able to power through the entire day at the park. An afternoon on the People Mover, Carousel of Progress, and the Enchanted Tiki Room definitely helped during my sleepier moments. But we still stayed for the fireworks show and headed back to Caribbean Beach for a few hours rest.