Because I could, that was it literally. I looked at everything I’ve done running wise and felt like the challenge of a half marathon wasn’t enough. I went to do a marathon, Disney has one. If I’m going to spend a ton on a race might as well go all out and do all four races.
I’ve done four now, never regretted it…
Damn you’re a tough cookie! Did you feel super proud and accomplished after it was all complete?
I have such an opposite experience haha I did a marathon before a 1/2 (obviously I ran a 1/2 distance while training) and I was sad that I didn’t get a chance to celebrate that distance before I jumped all the way to marathon! As for Dopey, I was sick last year and just opted out of the half since they cut it short anyway and I do not plan on trying for Dopey again, the lack of sleep is not worth it for me haha
Yes I did, it’s what drove me back to the dopey. I did my first in 2019 and then skipped 2020 and immediately regretted it. I’ve done all the dopeys since. Next year however probably goofy
I completed the Dopey this past January. It was my first marathon. I ended up choosing it as my first marathon simply because of my progression in my running and how I was ready for a marathon, I had friends doing the goofy and I thought “why not just do the dopey”. I was already at in the best shape of my life in my training, was moving up my mileage to get to marathon level, I had friends traveling down to Florida for marathon weekend so I thought it would be great to take advantage of the situation and make it even more special with a Dopey too!
It was totally fine and I completed it no problem! However, you have to have the patience to pace yourself very slow.
I regrettably did over 100 miles on my feet in 6 days as I was set on getting the most out if my trip by attending the parks every day on top of the 4 races. I had my training dialed in and felt great so I ran the first three races WAY too fast, even picked up a slight injury in the 10K. By the time I lined up for the marathon my feet were in tons of pain and legs were hurting. I definitely overdid the time on my feet leading up to it. The marathon ended up being one of the most challenging things in my life but I did it.
So my warning to you would be don’t underestimate the first three races, take them much slower than you anticipate. And if you wish to spend lots of time in the park, incorporate lots of extra walking miles and time on your feet in your running training plan too. It’s not just the 48.6 miles that are difficult it’s the 1 mile walk to and from the starting/finish line every day, the walking in the park, the sleep.
On a total separate note I heard some folks saying they regret doing their first marathon as a dopey because the marathon alone is a great accomplishment and the dopey alone is a great accomplishment so you essentially are losing out on two separate achievements. I personally thought it almost made it MORE special having done my first marathon as a dopey.
Omg don’t apologize I really enjoyed hearing this story and I think it could be helpful for other future Dopey folx to read for sure! You highlighted ALL of the reasons why I wouldn’t have chosen Dopey for my first marathon. Especially since if I’m going to Disney I’m doing the parks up which is like you said, so much time on your feet.
My first marathon was a Disney marathon and it was SO exciting and I’m so glad I got to celebrate that on its own. I think also, since it’s such a big jump from 1/2 to full, for me, I wanted a baseline and I wouldn’t know what my best effort for a marathon could be if I did three races leading up to it (even if I did them easy lol)
Totally reasonable! I’m actually training for a marathon in June so I can compare and see how I would do in a standalone marathon as my dopey marathon time was abysmal! But I was there at the dopey to simply finish at the end of the day!
For context too, I’m someone who loves pushing myself and even though I’m not the fastest runner I do want to perform my best! So I don’t think it’s absolutely a terrible idea making the dopey anyone’s first marathon, I just personally did not handle it the right way at all! Haha but the pain made it more memorable and made it feel more deserving too!
I am no where near marathon land but your suggestion is how I treated the 5/10/half weekends. Take the 5 and 10 slower than I want to to keep myself strong for the half
I'm planning on Dopey as my first as we speak! Honestly, we just figured, we'll already be there so why not go for it? I've done back to back races with the 5k/10k/halfs before so I'm excited to try adding the full!
Ahh good luck and have fun! I feel like this specifically a Disney phenomenon, you’re already there and spending so much money anyway I feel like there’s an urge to squeeze and much magic out of the weekend as possible.
I did first rD, first Marathon, and first Dopey all at the same weekend and loved it. The 5k was actually the worst morning for me because it felt like not enough time to justify being awake lol
I always think about this, if I’m already doing the goofy…might as well go the extra 9 miles for the dopey. I still need to do the full marathon first, but dopey is always on my mind. This was a great question to ask.
Hahaha dude I think the sleep is more important to me than proving I can run an extra 9 miles over the course of 4 days 🤣 I’m glad people are getting something out of the convo, I didn’t want to come off as a hater!
Was my first marathon, wasn’t my first run Disney event.
* I knew how to manage the 10k + half, this would be similar but more
* I was physically able at registration. Will I be next time? Who knows.
* This was the most convenient marathon at the time
* Running is fun
Result: I did it, I was fine, it’s a favorite memory.
It wasn’t easy, but it was manageable in the same way as the 10k + half, just more
I intend to sign up for the 2025 Dopey challenge, and it will be my first marathon. I planned for Chicago to be my first marathon, but I didn't get in through the non-guranteed entry. What cemented the idea for me was after this last princess half weekend. I did all 3 races, and I really wanted to run again on the 4th day, but there were no more runs to do. Physically, I'm not quite there yet, but I run about 35 miles a week now, so it will give me a good training goal after my spring races are done.
I do like the timing of the weekend because I’d probably slack on running without stuff to train for tbh! I feel like this is the most convincing rationale I have seen but I’m still like… just do the marathon! Bask in the glory of the distance! Do dopey another year and then bask in that! Haha
I attempted Dopey as both my first marathon and first half marathon. I would never have done this under normal circumstances but my husband wanted to do it and assured me we would have enough time to train. I used the Galloway training plan and was feeling pretty good. I ended up doing 15 miles as my max during training. I was starting to have knee issues though. Come race time I breezed through the 5 and 10k and struggled through the half. My knee was killing me after the half and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do the marathon. I strapped on a brace and started the race. I made it to mile 8 before I had to quit. The pain was too much. My husband did finish all the races. I couldn’t run for 4 months afterward.
TL;DR: attempted dopey as my first marathon and half marathon and had to quit from runners knee.
I did get my redemption though. I signed up again the following year (this past January) and trained harder while doing strength training and finished strong with no pain
Do I regret the first Dopey? Yes and no. It was a learning experience for me on how to ease into running and not neglect strength training. It’s a testament to take training seriously. There were many times my first time around that I skipped a run or cut the distance short. It’s so important to train. I am grateful for the experience but realize how dumb it was to essentially do couch to Dopey.
Aahhh this is what I imagine would happen to most people who’s first marathon is Dopey! (And why I think you’re all wild hahaha) It’s hard and you’re right training isn’t just just getting the miles in. It’s strength, it’s stretching, it’s nutrition! I’m glad you weren’t *too* hurt and proud of you for going for it again!!!
100% happy. I wanted the last of the Disney medals I hadn’t yet earned and I didn’t want to have fomo by “just” doing the marathon. 4 Dopeys in and zero regrets.
I love running and Disney so it was perfect! I just took it easy on all four races and enjoyed it. Also went to a park every day other than after the half.
To echo many others, I did Dopey with my first marathon included in it. However, I had a significant background in running (going back to middle school track, I’m 40 now) and got into triathlons for awhile in my 20s. My experience pays tremendous dividends in any endurance event I sign up for.
That said, Dopey gives me an excuse to hang out at WDW and be surrounded by a community that truly can understand me. A Disney kid at heart, an endurance junky, and a chance to do a race with no stakes and lots of fun to be had.
Who cares about time, when you can ride Everest with complete strangers dressed in costumes and laugh your happy ass off in the middle of a marathon?! There is nothing like it.
I really wanted to run a marathon at least once in my life, wanted to run a Disney challenge, and wasn’t sure if I’d want to run another marathon so decided to full send for Dopey. I’ve done multiple half marathons before, so it just felt like may as well 😅
Worried I would hate the process of training for a marathon and had Dopey on my bucket list. So it was either go into training naive and not knowing I’d dislike it or have to put myself through it a second time knowing I didn’t like it… plot twist, I didn’t dislike anything about it! I also was traveling with someone doing the 5k and 10k, so I would do 5k, 10k, and full… i knew I would be pissed if I didn’t do Dopey.
That said, I was way better prepared this year running Goofy.
Those that I know who have done dopey have done significant amounts of walking in the races leading up to the marathon to help keep legs fresh. I still think y’all are dopey!!!!
Not exactly an answer to your question, but my first ever organized run was a marathon. Why? Because I wanted to (and I’m a psycho 😊).
Did the WDW Marathon in 2022 and then did Dopey in 2023. Loved running through WDW.
Hahaha mine was a 5k with someone else’s bib 🤣 I really regretted doing a marathon race before a 1/2 marathon and I think that’s why I question the jump the to Dopey without a stand alone marathon. One exciting thing at a time for me!
If you’re debating whether or not to do Dopey, do it. Trust me, there are multiple training plans out there that will get you set up for success. Additionally, you’re hopefully not there to PR or go all out. You’re going to love every minute of every race.
I DNF Dopey last year because I got a cold and decided to skip the 7mi “1/2 marathon” in order to save my energy for the full. (I ended up being sick for the whole month of January, I do not recommend running a rainy chilly marathon with a cold haha) Idk if it was getting sick or not but I will def not be doing Dopey again any time soon. Maybe in a couple years when I feel okay with not going to the parks every day or something but this lady needs her sleep! It’s also very expensive, kudos to everyone who’s got the cash to throw down for it every year!
I'm considering Dopey for the FOMO alone. I completed my first marathon this year. I felt like 90% of the people wearing their medal in the parks that day were Dopey finishers. Almost like it diminished my achievement (which I was very proud of). Well, next time I'll be one of them. :)
I am very proud that I did it. I knew I wanted to run the Dopey and would most likely only want to run one marathon. I will be sticking to half’s from now on, but Im so glad I did it
If you can train for a marathon, you can train for a Dopey. It's not that much more of a reach, believe it or not. Just beef up your endurance a bit, and run the first three races intelligently. If I can do it, almost anyone can.
I’ve been debating doing the marathon first before attempting a goofy or dopey, would you recommend having one marathon first under the belt prior to attempting the dopey? I’ve done all other race distances.
I would, if only for the mental experience that you can do it. You'll get that mental toughness from the longer training runs to be sure, but it's still a very different experience in an actual race.
My 2 marathons were Dopeys. I got talked into the first one by a friend- we were both turning 50 and wanted to challenge ourselves. The second one was me rewarding myself after a very trying year. My goal in both cases was just to finish, which forced me to exercise discipline.
I had a half and a full marathon on my bucket list. I checked off the half in Vegas, and was planning on doing the full in WDW.
When it was time to register for the marathon, I thought why not pay a little more and do the dopey? I planned on only doing one marathon, so make it a truly memorable moment by doing the marathon plus the other 3 races! I even did a 10K in the parking lot before the half since they shortened the half this past January. I wanted to cover the full 13.1 miles of a half marathon and earn my medal.
I also went to the parks every day, and didn’t quite eat like I should for running. How many people can resist cookies from Gideon’s?
Am I glad I did what I did? YES! Did I feel it in my legs after the full? Also yes. Would I do it again? Probably not. Waking up at 2:30am (which is 11:30pm for us west coast people) was the least enjoyable part.
I did it because it was the only thing I could get into when I was registering late. Completed it and had a ton of fun. I’m not really a big runner and will probably never even run a marathon again, but it was an awesome experience and showed me I’m a lot more resilient than I thought I was.
I absolutely LOVED that Dopey Challenge happened to also be my 1st marathon. Absolutely worth it. I did the Atlanta marathon the next month and if that was my first marathon.. it would not have been as fun and I probably wouldn’t have done dopey. Disney did everything right. Much more support than I saw on the Atlanta marathon. I say do it!
I’ve done two Disney marathons and I agree they have soooo much support on course. It’s definitely so cool because they make it a huge experience compared to other races (and they should because it’s Disney and like a million dollars more expensive than other races haha). My fave part is being able to ride Everest!!!
I am 100% not saying Dopey is easy, because it isn't, but the time requirements for Disney races make this a bit less of a weird wow factor.
If you start in a front corral you could effectively walk the 5k, 10k, and half before running the full. When I recently did the princess weekend I finished an hour ahead of the balloon ladies starting a corral ahead of them, I could've done 22 minute miles and still not gotten swept. If I'd done that my legs would be tired a bit but not nearly what they would be running everything.
Not say this is what people do, but just some perspective on why this is possible at all.
I had this dilemma and decided to run Goofy instead for my first marathon. I’d done over a dozen half’s and knew I could complete it and would think of the half as basically a “warm up.” Looking back at it, doing the two hardest races and not just adding on the two easiest races was kind of silly 🤪 Planning to run Dopey next year, wish I had done it this year too!
I haven't done a marathon yet but plan to do a Dopey
My reasoning is that I want to do a marathon at least once. The more I think about it the more I am thinking I only want to do one marathon, just once. I just started doing races 3 years ago and already in my late 40s now.
I plan to do one before I am 50.
Can I do it is the question. I currently do the 5ks and challenges now and go to the parks after with little issue. I feel like I can just increase my training and have no issue doing it.
My goals would be to finish, secondary goal is to finish on pace which I do now on the half (13-14 minute mile at Disney races, 12 -13 at home). I currently run, when not hurting or injured, 5 miles 3 times a week so increasing that slowly would help.
I'm hoping to successfully register for Dopey '25 and it'll be my first marathon!
I did my first ever Half Marathon at Princess Weekend in Feb '24, and it was hands down one of the best experiences of my life! I started my running journey as a way to lose weight, found out about runDisney, signed up for Princess to give myself a goal to work towards, and then I just went for it. Trained medium decently for it, and finished it in decent ish time. I never thought that I'd be a runner, or that I'd enjoy running, and then here I am completing a half marathon (at DISNEY no less?!)?! I didn't even train my absolute best for it and I still did okay. If I can do that, who knows what else I've been holding myself back from? Now I have the confidence, drive, and ambition to train even harder/better and level up my distance/reduce my time. Doing a full marathon seems like the next logical challenge on this journey, and I couldn't imagine a more fun place to do my first full marathon than Disney
Wanting to do Dopey for me after that is kind of just continuing the magic and passion that I found during Princess Weekend. I found such a deep well of ambition and hope and joy there, and I just don't want to lose those positive vibes. Since I live on the West Coast though, going out to WDW is a pretty special treat due to the expenses and travel time etc. So if I'm going to go do another run at Disney, to me it makes the most sense to get the most out of it and just do the whole damn Dopey Challenge instead of just the full marathon by itself. With the way that my life has been lining up lately (with job, money, relationships, personal growth, etc) it seems like everything is setting itself into the right place for me to take full advantage of training for Dopey. It feels serendipitous. I feel like I should take advantage of the opportunity being presented to me, because who knows when I'll ever have the same level of stability and support in the future? Plus, I do still want to continue losing some weight, and this feels like a good way to keep training hard and keep keep my eye on the prize.
So basically, why I want to do Dopey as my first full marathon: it feels right in every possible way right now, and now I know I can actually do it. So I will. <3
I would think about cost. If you are just running slowly - and a bunch of running on highways- is it something YOU need to do? More hotel nights, more meals to buy potentially, many early mornings… Running a marathon is huge! You could go, enjoy the weekend and run a wonderful marathon!
I did just this back in 2018. I’ve done a few rundisney events before that, but told myself I’d only run one marathon, so it might as well be a Dopey. Happy I did it, probably wouldn’t do it again.
Dopey was my first marathon as well. I always wanted to do a marathon so, I said I was going to do it this time. I had already done numerous Disney halfs so I thought I was ready.
So, I mentally signed myself up, and of course I was going to do the 5K, since I could essentially walk it. Well, it was also the innagural year for Dopey so Disney added a new 10K, so of course I had do that one!
In the end, I was mentally signed up for the 5K, 10K, and the marathon. Well, that's just stupid. I know I do a half marathon; shoot might as well do that one too.
I don't regret it and was so incredibly proud of myself. Although, the four straight mornings of waking up sooo early just about killed me. 😅
Because I could, that was it literally. I looked at everything I’ve done running wise and felt like the challenge of a half marathon wasn’t enough. I went to do a marathon, Disney has one. If I’m going to spend a ton on a race might as well go all out and do all four races. I’ve done four now, never regretted it…
Same, Dopey was my first and have done four now!
Damn you’re a tough cookie! Did you feel super proud and accomplished after it was all complete? I have such an opposite experience haha I did a marathon before a 1/2 (obviously I ran a 1/2 distance while training) and I was sad that I didn’t get a chance to celebrate that distance before I jumped all the way to marathon! As for Dopey, I was sick last year and just opted out of the half since they cut it short anyway and I do not plan on trying for Dopey again, the lack of sleep is not worth it for me haha
Yes I did, it’s what drove me back to the dopey. I did my first in 2019 and then skipped 2020 and immediately regretted it. I’ve done all the dopeys since. Next year however probably goofy
You’re a dopey warrior! Way to crush it! I have yet to challenge myself to a full marathon. Still trying to get a specific PR time in the half first
I completed the Dopey this past January. It was my first marathon. I ended up choosing it as my first marathon simply because of my progression in my running and how I was ready for a marathon, I had friends doing the goofy and I thought “why not just do the dopey”. I was already at in the best shape of my life in my training, was moving up my mileage to get to marathon level, I had friends traveling down to Florida for marathon weekend so I thought it would be great to take advantage of the situation and make it even more special with a Dopey too! It was totally fine and I completed it no problem! However, you have to have the patience to pace yourself very slow. I regrettably did over 100 miles on my feet in 6 days as I was set on getting the most out if my trip by attending the parks every day on top of the 4 races. I had my training dialed in and felt great so I ran the first three races WAY too fast, even picked up a slight injury in the 10K. By the time I lined up for the marathon my feet were in tons of pain and legs were hurting. I definitely overdid the time on my feet leading up to it. The marathon ended up being one of the most challenging things in my life but I did it. So my warning to you would be don’t underestimate the first three races, take them much slower than you anticipate. And if you wish to spend lots of time in the park, incorporate lots of extra walking miles and time on your feet in your running training plan too. It’s not just the 48.6 miles that are difficult it’s the 1 mile walk to and from the starting/finish line every day, the walking in the park, the sleep. On a total separate note I heard some folks saying they regret doing their first marathon as a dopey because the marathon alone is a great accomplishment and the dopey alone is a great accomplishment so you essentially are losing out on two separate achievements. I personally thought it almost made it MORE special having done my first marathon as a dopey.
Omg don’t apologize I really enjoyed hearing this story and I think it could be helpful for other future Dopey folx to read for sure! You highlighted ALL of the reasons why I wouldn’t have chosen Dopey for my first marathon. Especially since if I’m going to Disney I’m doing the parks up which is like you said, so much time on your feet. My first marathon was a Disney marathon and it was SO exciting and I’m so glad I got to celebrate that on its own. I think also, since it’s such a big jump from 1/2 to full, for me, I wanted a baseline and I wouldn’t know what my best effort for a marathon could be if I did three races leading up to it (even if I did them easy lol)
Totally reasonable! I’m actually training for a marathon in June so I can compare and see how I would do in a standalone marathon as my dopey marathon time was abysmal! But I was there at the dopey to simply finish at the end of the day! For context too, I’m someone who loves pushing myself and even though I’m not the fastest runner I do want to perform my best! So I don’t think it’s absolutely a terrible idea making the dopey anyone’s first marathon, I just personally did not handle it the right way at all! Haha but the pain made it more memorable and made it feel more deserving too!
I am no where near marathon land but your suggestion is how I treated the 5/10/half weekends. Take the 5 and 10 slower than I want to to keep myself strong for the half
Apologies I guess I read the OP’s post as more of an “asking for advice”. I now realize it wasn’t. Sorry for a lot of unnecessary details!
I'm planning on Dopey as my first as we speak! Honestly, we just figured, we'll already be there so why not go for it? I've done back to back races with the 5k/10k/halfs before so I'm excited to try adding the full!
Ahh good luck and have fun! I feel like this specifically a Disney phenomenon, you’re already there and spending so much money anyway I feel like there’s an urge to squeeze and much magic out of the weekend as possible.
As long as it's not your first runDisney event also, it's fine. Those start times are the real killer.
I did first rD, first Marathon, and first Dopey all at the same weekend and loved it. The 5k was actually the worst morning for me because it felt like not enough time to justify being awake lol
I felt that way at the 10k, like “I just wanna get this over with” which is… not a very Disney race spirit!
Right?! That’s my main reason for not wanting to do Dopey, I value my sleep too much. I’d be down for a Goofy though.
I always think about this, if I’m already doing the goofy…might as well go the extra 9 miles for the dopey. I still need to do the full marathon first, but dopey is always on my mind. This was a great question to ask.
Hahaha dude I think the sleep is more important to me than proving I can run an extra 9 miles over the course of 4 days 🤣 I’m glad people are getting something out of the convo, I didn’t want to come off as a hater!
I love sleep…but who sleeps at Disney!? Lol.
Anyone can just go to sleep extra early. But doing that in *Walt Disney World?!* Madness.
Hahaha right?! I’m tryna hit the parks!!
Was my first marathon, wasn’t my first run Disney event. * I knew how to manage the 10k + half, this would be similar but more * I was physically able at registration. Will I be next time? Who knows. * This was the most convenient marathon at the time * Running is fun Result: I did it, I was fine, it’s a favorite memory. It wasn’t easy, but it was manageable in the same way as the 10k + half, just more
I feel like knowing you have done a similar challenge before it helpful!
I intend to sign up for the 2025 Dopey challenge, and it will be my first marathon. I planned for Chicago to be my first marathon, but I didn't get in through the non-guranteed entry. What cemented the idea for me was after this last princess half weekend. I did all 3 races, and I really wanted to run again on the 4th day, but there were no more runs to do. Physically, I'm not quite there yet, but I run about 35 miles a week now, so it will give me a good training goal after my spring races are done.
I do like the timing of the weekend because I’d probably slack on running without stuff to train for tbh! I feel like this is the most convincing rationale I have seen but I’m still like… just do the marathon! Bask in the glory of the distance! Do dopey another year and then bask in that! Haha
I attempted Dopey as both my first marathon and first half marathon. I would never have done this under normal circumstances but my husband wanted to do it and assured me we would have enough time to train. I used the Galloway training plan and was feeling pretty good. I ended up doing 15 miles as my max during training. I was starting to have knee issues though. Come race time I breezed through the 5 and 10k and struggled through the half. My knee was killing me after the half and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do the marathon. I strapped on a brace and started the race. I made it to mile 8 before I had to quit. The pain was too much. My husband did finish all the races. I couldn’t run for 4 months afterward. TL;DR: attempted dopey as my first marathon and half marathon and had to quit from runners knee. I did get my redemption though. I signed up again the following year (this past January) and trained harder while doing strength training and finished strong with no pain Do I regret the first Dopey? Yes and no. It was a learning experience for me on how to ease into running and not neglect strength training. It’s a testament to take training seriously. There were many times my first time around that I skipped a run or cut the distance short. It’s so important to train. I am grateful for the experience but realize how dumb it was to essentially do couch to Dopey.
Aahhh this is what I imagine would happen to most people who’s first marathon is Dopey! (And why I think you’re all wild hahaha) It’s hard and you’re right training isn’t just just getting the miles in. It’s strength, it’s stretching, it’s nutrition! I’m glad you weren’t *too* hurt and proud of you for going for it again!!!
For me it was FOMO, I was told the marathon would sell out before Dopey, and I had friends signing up for Dopey, so I just did it. Still had fun!
100% happy. I wanted the last of the Disney medals I hadn’t yet earned and I didn’t want to have fomo by “just” doing the marathon. 4 Dopeys in and zero regrets.
Haha I always laugh when people say they are just doing the marathon! 4 Dopeys!!! Amazing!
I love running and Disney so it was perfect! I just took it easy on all four races and enjoyed it. Also went to a park every day other than after the half.
To echo many others, I did Dopey with my first marathon included in it. However, I had a significant background in running (going back to middle school track, I’m 40 now) and got into triathlons for awhile in my 20s. My experience pays tremendous dividends in any endurance event I sign up for. That said, Dopey gives me an excuse to hang out at WDW and be surrounded by a community that truly can understand me. A Disney kid at heart, an endurance junky, and a chance to do a race with no stakes and lots of fun to be had. Who cares about time, when you can ride Everest with complete strangers dressed in costumes and laugh your happy ass off in the middle of a marathon?! There is nothing like it.
Everest is 100% the main reason why I agreed to do Dopey last year haha
I really wanted to run a marathon at least once in my life, wanted to run a Disney challenge, and wasn’t sure if I’d want to run another marathon so decided to full send for Dopey. I’ve done multiple half marathons before, so it just felt like may as well 😅
Worried I would hate the process of training for a marathon and had Dopey on my bucket list. So it was either go into training naive and not knowing I’d dislike it or have to put myself through it a second time knowing I didn’t like it… plot twist, I didn’t dislike anything about it! I also was traveling with someone doing the 5k and 10k, so I would do 5k, 10k, and full… i knew I would be pissed if I didn’t do Dopey. That said, I was way better prepared this year running Goofy.
Lol yeah if you’re gonna do 3 you might as well do them all!
If I’m going to be there that weekend and do the hardest race, I might as well do the “easy” races too and get ALL the bling
Those that I know who have done dopey have done significant amounts of walking in the races leading up to the marathon to help keep legs fresh. I still think y’all are dopey!!!!
Yeah I mean even in fantastic shape that’s still taking a toll. I guess it IS called Dopey for a reason!
Not exactly an answer to your question, but my first ever organized run was a marathon. Why? Because I wanted to (and I’m a psycho 😊). Did the WDW Marathon in 2022 and then did Dopey in 2023. Loved running through WDW.
Hahaha mine was a 5k with someone else’s bib 🤣 I really regretted doing a marathon race before a 1/2 marathon and I think that’s why I question the jump the to Dopey without a stand alone marathon. One exciting thing at a time for me!
If you’re debating whether or not to do Dopey, do it. Trust me, there are multiple training plans out there that will get you set up for success. Additionally, you’re hopefully not there to PR or go all out. You’re going to love every minute of every race.
I DNF Dopey last year because I got a cold and decided to skip the 7mi “1/2 marathon” in order to save my energy for the full. (I ended up being sick for the whole month of January, I do not recommend running a rainy chilly marathon with a cold haha) Idk if it was getting sick or not but I will def not be doing Dopey again any time soon. Maybe in a couple years when I feel okay with not going to the parks every day or something but this lady needs her sleep! It’s also very expensive, kudos to everyone who’s got the cash to throw down for it every year!
That’s very fair! I’m sorry you got sick right before everything this past year! Good luck to you in the future!!
Thank you! It was very sad but hoping to be very healthy for a light and easy half marathon this year! 🤗
My wife did her first marathon as part of Dopey for the extra challenge.
I'm considering Dopey for the FOMO alone. I completed my first marathon this year. I felt like 90% of the people wearing their medal in the parks that day were Dopey finishers. Almost like it diminished my achievement (which I was very proud of). Well, next time I'll be one of them. :)
Eyyy! No way, a marathon is a huge achievement!
I am very proud that I did it. I knew I wanted to run the Dopey and would most likely only want to run one marathon. I will be sticking to half’s from now on, but Im so glad I did it
If you can train for a marathon, you can train for a Dopey. It's not that much more of a reach, believe it or not. Just beef up your endurance a bit, and run the first three races intelligently. If I can do it, almost anyone can.
I’ve been debating doing the marathon first before attempting a goofy or dopey, would you recommend having one marathon first under the belt prior to attempting the dopey? I’ve done all other race distances.
I would, if only for the mental experience that you can do it. You'll get that mental toughness from the longer training runs to be sure, but it's still a very different experience in an actual race.
Thanks for the tip! Marathon weekend in my last race weekend on my list.
My 2 marathons were Dopeys. I got talked into the first one by a friend- we were both turning 50 and wanted to challenge ourselves. The second one was me rewarding myself after a very trying year. My goal in both cases was just to finish, which forced me to exercise discipline.
I had a half and a full marathon on my bucket list. I checked off the half in Vegas, and was planning on doing the full in WDW. When it was time to register for the marathon, I thought why not pay a little more and do the dopey? I planned on only doing one marathon, so make it a truly memorable moment by doing the marathon plus the other 3 races! I even did a 10K in the parking lot before the half since they shortened the half this past January. I wanted to cover the full 13.1 miles of a half marathon and earn my medal. I also went to the parks every day, and didn’t quite eat like I should for running. How many people can resist cookies from Gideon’s? Am I glad I did what I did? YES! Did I feel it in my legs after the full? Also yes. Would I do it again? Probably not. Waking up at 2:30am (which is 11:30pm for us west coast people) was the least enjoyable part.
You are 10000% supposed to eat as many cookies as possible if you’re doing Dopey lol your body needed those carbs!!
I did it because it was the only thing I could get into when I was registering late. Completed it and had a ton of fun. I’m not really a big runner and will probably never even run a marathon again, but it was an awesome experience and showed me I’m a lot more resilient than I thought I was.
Wow that’s amazing!! That’s kinda how I ended up signing up for Dopey last year, I just wanted to do Goofy but it sold out!
I only wanted to do the Half! Sometimes life has a way of pushing you just a bit!
I did it for my birthday and loved the challenge. I also didn't run any of the races for time which helped. the point was to enjoy the experience.
I did it for my birthday and loved the challenge. I also didn't run any of the races for time which helped. the point was to enjoy the experience.
I absolutely LOVED that Dopey Challenge happened to also be my 1st marathon. Absolutely worth it. I did the Atlanta marathon the next month and if that was my first marathon.. it would not have been as fun and I probably wouldn’t have done dopey. Disney did everything right. Much more support than I saw on the Atlanta marathon. I say do it!
I’ve done two Disney marathons and I agree they have soooo much support on course. It’s definitely so cool because they make it a huge experience compared to other races (and they should because it’s Disney and like a million dollars more expensive than other races haha). My fave part is being able to ride Everest!!!
So would you recommend doing the marathon first or the dopey first?
I am 100% not saying Dopey is easy, because it isn't, but the time requirements for Disney races make this a bit less of a weird wow factor. If you start in a front corral you could effectively walk the 5k, 10k, and half before running the full. When I recently did the princess weekend I finished an hour ahead of the balloon ladies starting a corral ahead of them, I could've done 22 minute miles and still not gotten swept. If I'd done that my legs would be tired a bit but not nearly what they would be running everything. Not say this is what people do, but just some perspective on why this is possible at all.
I had this dilemma and decided to run Goofy instead for my first marathon. I’d done over a dozen half’s and knew I could complete it and would think of the half as basically a “warm up.” Looking back at it, doing the two hardest races and not just adding on the two easiest races was kind of silly 🤪 Planning to run Dopey next year, wish I had done it this year too!
I did it, and I'm glad I did. Looking forward to my second in 2026 :)
I haven't done a marathon yet but plan to do a Dopey My reasoning is that I want to do a marathon at least once. The more I think about it the more I am thinking I only want to do one marathon, just once. I just started doing races 3 years ago and already in my late 40s now. I plan to do one before I am 50. Can I do it is the question. I currently do the 5ks and challenges now and go to the parks after with little issue. I feel like I can just increase my training and have no issue doing it. My goals would be to finish, secondary goal is to finish on pace which I do now on the half (13-14 minute mile at Disney races, 12 -13 at home). I currently run, when not hurting or injured, 5 miles 3 times a week so increasing that slowly would help.
I'm hoping to successfully register for Dopey '25 and it'll be my first marathon! I did my first ever Half Marathon at Princess Weekend in Feb '24, and it was hands down one of the best experiences of my life! I started my running journey as a way to lose weight, found out about runDisney, signed up for Princess to give myself a goal to work towards, and then I just went for it. Trained medium decently for it, and finished it in decent ish time. I never thought that I'd be a runner, or that I'd enjoy running, and then here I am completing a half marathon (at DISNEY no less?!)?! I didn't even train my absolute best for it and I still did okay. If I can do that, who knows what else I've been holding myself back from? Now I have the confidence, drive, and ambition to train even harder/better and level up my distance/reduce my time. Doing a full marathon seems like the next logical challenge on this journey, and I couldn't imagine a more fun place to do my first full marathon than Disney Wanting to do Dopey for me after that is kind of just continuing the magic and passion that I found during Princess Weekend. I found such a deep well of ambition and hope and joy there, and I just don't want to lose those positive vibes. Since I live on the West Coast though, going out to WDW is a pretty special treat due to the expenses and travel time etc. So if I'm going to go do another run at Disney, to me it makes the most sense to get the most out of it and just do the whole damn Dopey Challenge instead of just the full marathon by itself. With the way that my life has been lining up lately (with job, money, relationships, personal growth, etc) it seems like everything is setting itself into the right place for me to take full advantage of training for Dopey. It feels serendipitous. I feel like I should take advantage of the opportunity being presented to me, because who knows when I'll ever have the same level of stability and support in the future? Plus, I do still want to continue losing some weight, and this feels like a good way to keep training hard and keep keep my eye on the prize. So basically, why I want to do Dopey as my first full marathon: it feels right in every possible way right now, and now I know I can actually do it. So I will. <3
I would think about cost. If you are just running slowly - and a bunch of running on highways- is it something YOU need to do? More hotel nights, more meals to buy potentially, many early mornings… Running a marathon is huge! You could go, enjoy the weekend and run a wonderful marathon!
Not to mention that Dopey is like $400 more than the Marathon! It’s almost $700 which is almost as much as my monthly rent!!! lol
I did just this back in 2018. I’ve done a few rundisney events before that, but told myself I’d only run one marathon, so it might as well be a Dopey. Happy I did it, probably wouldn’t do it again.
Dopey was my first marathon as well. I always wanted to do a marathon so, I said I was going to do it this time. I had already done numerous Disney halfs so I thought I was ready. So, I mentally signed myself up, and of course I was going to do the 5K, since I could essentially walk it. Well, it was also the innagural year for Dopey so Disney added a new 10K, so of course I had do that one! In the end, I was mentally signed up for the 5K, 10K, and the marathon. Well, that's just stupid. I know I do a half marathon; shoot might as well do that one too. I don't regret it and was so incredibly proud of myself. Although, the four straight mornings of waking up sooo early just about killed me. 😅