runDisney with Kids

Among the many things that stuck out to me while completing my first Dopey Challenge was how many kids and families ran during the 5k and 10k. At the time I could not imagine having my own children running a 5k race. Granted they were a bit too young at the time, but they also still insisted on getting pushed around Walt Disney World in a stroller. But the idea never left me, and as I thought about competing in the 2025 Dopey Challenge I decided I wanted my son, who would then be just turning 9 years old, to run the 5k with me. For added motivation, I had lost my dad when I was 9 years old so I was all for creating a special father-son memory for us. So I went about to make it happen.

The first thing I had to keep in mind was to set expectations for my child when it came to registering for a runDisney race. Part of this was making sure my kid had any interest in participating in a 5k race. Although I run a lot of miles myself, asking my son to run over 3 miles seemed like a lot. It's easy for any kid to just agree to do anything Disney-related, but I tried to make sure he understood that he had to train and run the whole distance. Additionally, I had to lay out very clearly that just getting him registered would be difficult. While there are usually charity opportunities that linger after registration, I knew that I was going to prioritize getting myself signed up for Dopey and then try to get him signed up for the 5k. There are far too many examples provided on social media of parents making Disney-related promises to their kids they can't keep. This sets the kids (and mostly the parents, honestly) up for disappointment, so it was important for me to make sure my kid knew the commitment of a race as well as the reality that it wasn't a guarantee. Thankfully, I got through registration day and we both got our races.

Now I only had 9 months to get my kid ready for the actual race. I was less worried about my own preparation for Dopey than I was for my son's training for the 5k. I knew what I could handle physically, as well as how to motivate myself and keep myself to a training program. I had no idea how to train or coach my kid to run. I have no business coaching anyone to run, and I've only dabbled in coaching kids' sports. I definitely made mistakes along the way, but eventually I found a formula that worked:

• Make it fun for the kid. I enjoy the solitary nature of running and thinking through everything going on in my life. But with my kid I had to stay vocal and make games out the runs. Sometimes that meant building in "character stops" with stuffed animals on our route or point out landmarks to jog or walk to. Either way I learned to make it so my son actually enjoyed training with me.

• Let the kid set the pace. I feel like this is obvious, but not every kid likes to be pushed beyond their limit when it comes to physical activity. I caught myself a few times trying to get him to run a little farther or faster than he was ready for, and the result was usually not great for either of us. Eventually I just let him run when he wanted to run, walk when he wanted to walk, and I stopped worrying about our pacing. Slowly his stamina increased to the point where we were running continuous miles at a pretty quick pace, but I had to keep myself patient during the progress.

• Celebrate the small victories (and silver linings). Some training days I saw huge improvements, and other days there were disappointing setbacks. One particular day I commented that I wasn't encouraged by my kid's pleas to walk after less than a quarter mile. My son responded that I was the one not encouraging him in the moment. He was right, and I realized I needed to change my own attitude to keep my kid feeling good and hopeful for the race.

After a (hopefully) successful training period, you should be ready for race day. As always, you'll want to follow the "nothing new on race day" mantra. In the pre-race area, let them lead in what they want to see or who they want to meet (character-wise). When it's time to start racing, let them set the pace. While we had worked on running the first mile continuously to get a little jump on character lines, but he got a side stitch shortly after the start and needed to walk for a bit. And that was fine. We got back going again and ran most of the rest of the race. I let him choose the character stops (he opted to skip a couple he didn't care about) and any other stopping points. Eventually we made the final turn and crossed the finish line. Then, in true Ultra Dopey fashion, my son powered through a full day at Epcot including a Garden Grill breakfast.

Completing a runDisney race with your kids can be one of those unforgettable moments in life. There are plenty of challenges in training and motivation, but you also get plenty of quality time on runs that you'll cherish as your kids get older. Running can be tough sometimes, but you can still make runDisney fun for everyone.