It was a totally rad weekend of miles, memories and MAGIC that was 30 years in the making during the 2023 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by State Farm! From our very first event in 1994 to now, our longest race weekend of the season, some things have changed. However one thing has remained the same, the amazing accomplishments from all participants. This year’s event brought all the 90’s retro vibes, from the event themes and the entertainment along the courses through Walt Disney World Resort to even our participants’ outfits! Take a look at a few of our favorite moments from the weekend:
The premier endurance race weekend featured four events and two multi-race challenges, putting participants to the test. Speaking of testing skill, the Dopey Challenge also celebrated its 10th anniversary of being the ultimate challenge, having runners complete 48.6 miles in four consecutive days through a 5K, 10K, Half and full Marathon!
It was an international celebration at the finish line as Brazil’s Daniel dos Santos narrowly won the 2023 Walt Disney World Marathon, making his victory the 16th time in the last 18 years that a Brazilian has won the event. With a finish time of 2:26:51, dos Santos edged out the second place finisher in the final miles to win by a mere 33 seconds!
In the women’s division, Katherine Cargiulo of Salem, New Hampshire finished first with a time of 3:00:13. Her win was extra impressive as she was returning to running after breaking her back during a triathlon seven months ago. “Just to be running in a race is a dream come true,’’ she said. “This place is magical.’’
2023 is off to a running start as the second runDisney race event of the season comes to a close. A big congratulations to all runners of the 2023 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by State Farm! You can still join in the runDisney race weekend fun at Walt Disney World with limited spots remaining during the Disney Pixar Toy Story 10-Miler as part of the runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend, taking place April 13-16, 2023.
Did you join us this past weekend? Be sure to share out your event photos in social using #WDWMarathon. To learn more about runDisney events, visit us here.