Next race
Sunday, 10 January 2027
4:30 am start
Distance
42.195 km / 26.2 mi
Theme park loop
Elevation
Rolling · 100 m gain
100 m climbing
Race profile
The Walt Disney World Marathon is runDisney's flagship event, sending roughly 18,000 runners through all four Walt Disney World theme parks in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Participants start in the pre-dawn dark outside EPCOT and run through Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Disney's Hollywood Studios with character meet-and-greets, park audio, and themed aid stations along the way. The January race weekend is a destination event for runners who want a marathon wrapped in Disney spectacle.
Walt Disney World Marathon is a certified 42.195 km (26.2 mile) marathon — the standard World Athletics marathon distance.
Approximately 18k finishers
Course & terrain
The Walt Disney World Marathon is a loop starting and finishing at EPCOT, visiting Magic Kingdom before dawn, then Disney's Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios before returning through EPCOT's World Showcase. The course is mostly flat with only minor rolling sections between parks, making the longer resort-road connectors the tougher stretches more by exposure than by climbing. Spectators line the park entrances and the EPCOT finish, with character appearances adding to the race-day support.
The Walt Disney World Marathon course is rolling over 42.195 km (26.2 miles). Runners cover 100 metres of climbing and 95 metres of descent, with a net climb of 5 metres from start to finish.
Rolling · 100 m gain — approx. 29 m above sea level
↑ 100 m · ↓ 95 m · net +5 m
Registration
For the Walt Disney World Marathon, the full marathon passes through EPCOT (start and finish), Magic Kingdom, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Runners enter each park on closed course routes with character appearances and themed entertainment.
Getting there
Orlando (MCO)
Orlando International Airport
23 km / 14 mi
Race footage
Common questions
Official resources
Last updated 11 October 2026. Edition dates and course details are reviewed regularly.
Close to this race
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Planning guides
Practical guides to help you plan, train for, and run this race.
Which US marathons produce Boston qualifiers in practice — course data, typical BQ rates, and how to match a race to your qualifying window.
What flat, rolling, and hilly really mean — and how to read elevation gain, net change, and altitude on a marathon course.
How temperature, humidity, wind, and rain affect marathon performance — and how to use typical race-day weather when choosing a start line.
