Published on March 25, 2019 by Patty Holliday

The Walt Disney World Marathon weekend is a race weekend like no other. Fireworks at the start, flat, fast course, and incredible medals at the end. But what really makes this marathon stand out: the runDisney character stops. Things do change every year, but here is a list of characters you might meet on the courses during Disney World Marathon Weekend.

runDisney Character Stops | Disney World Marathon Weekend

Some people run for time, glory or fabulous medals. Me? I run for characters.

If you’re like me and need some distractions to make the miles fly by, then running a marathon at Disney World is an excellent choice for you.

Why? Because it’s loaded up with runDisney character stops along the way!

And each race is treated the same, no matter which distance (or distances- crazy Dopey runners!) you decide to run.

So who can you expect to find on the course during Disney World Marathon Weekend? The answer is: someone different every year and every race. BUT…

Below are the runDisney character stops lists from the 2019 race weekend. You can get an idea of what to expect when you run Disney and are looking for characters on the Half Marathon Course or Full Marathon Course.

And if you’re brand new to runDisney, be sure to take a spin through this post.

runDisney: The Ultimate Guide to Magical Miles

Pre-Race runDisney Character Stops

Your runDisney characters journey is going to start before the race.

runDisney character stops are available in the family reunion area before each race, starting around 3:00 am. And no, that is not a typo. When you runDisney, you also get up very early!

Security will not let runners enter the family reunion area until they are ready- so keep this in mind. You might need to cool your jets a bit if you arrive VERY early.

And be warned: they do cut off the lines as the need to get characters on the course and runners into the corrals will necessitate. So if you want these characters before the race, arrive early and head directly to the line you wish to stand in!

Disney World 5K runDisney Characters

The 5K was themed for Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit this year. In the past, the 5K has been slotted as “Pluto’s race” so this was a change for the 2019 runDisney 5K during Marathon Weekend.

He’s considered a rare character, which meant he would have stopped traffic on the course. And that’s why he was out pre and post run for everyone to get their pics.

Oswald Are You Serious?! 2019 Walt Disney World Marathon Medals

runDisney Character Stops Pre-5K

Oswald

ESPN Mickey

ESPN Minnie

Dopey

 

runDisney Characters on the 5K course

Atta and Flick

Norway- the Vikings

Italy- Pinocchio

Morocco- Genie

UK- Scottish Goofy

Test Track-Racing Donald

 

runDisney Character Stops Pre-10K

Dopey

ESPN Mickey

Minnie

Pluto

runDisney Characters on the 10K course

Holiday Mary Poppins

Ralph and Vanellope

Rescue Rangers Chip and Dale

Evil Witch from Snow White

Mardi Gras Stilt Walkers

Italy: Jiminy Cricket

Morroco: Abu

ESPN Club- Football Goofy

Showcase Plaza- Max

runDisney Character Stops Pre-Half Marathon

ESPN Mickey

ESPN Donald

ESPN Goofy

Dopey

runDisney Characters on the Half course

World Drive- Jack Sparrow

Toll plaza- Cars

Ralph/Vanellope

Villains: Evil Queen, Queen of Hearts, Maleficent

Tomorrowland: Mike and Sully

Teacups: White Rabbit

Goofy

Ariel’s Grotto: Sebastian

Castle breezeway: Stepsisters/Lady Tremaine

Frontierland-Woody/Bullseye

Cinderella/Prince Charming/Tiana/Naveen

Chip and Dale

Incredibles/Edna Mode

Green Army Men

Up characters

Clarabelle

Finish Line: ESPN Chipmunks/Pluto

runDisney Characters on the Full Marathon course

The full had a ton of characters on the course, and this is not all-inclusive.

Sarah ran the Dopey this year and she took pictures- I think for the first time ever on the marathon course?! I was so impressed because this girl doesn’t like to stop!

Captain Hook

The Incredibles

Guardians of the Galaxy: Star-Lord and Gamora

Fantasia Ostrich

Evil Queen

Clarabelle

Haunted Mansion Grave Diggers

Darkwing Duck

Launchpad McQuack

Judy Hops and Nick Wilde

The Tweedles

The Mime from Rapunzel

Dr. Facillier

Jafar

Penguins from Mary Poppins

Princesses switching out

The Fairy Godmother

Buzz/Woody/Jesse from Toy Story

Alice in Wonderland

Chip and Dale

Green Army Men

Inside Out: Joy and Sadness

Chip and Dale and Daisy at the finish line

How Long Are the Lines for the runDisney Characters?

For this answer: well, it depends.

If you are a speedy runner in the front corrals, your stop will be much shorter than someone mid-pack. The way back of the pack can sometimes luck out with little to no lines because most of the runners have gone on by. But that really depends on the race and how long runDisney allows the characters to stay out on the course.

If you run the marathon, you can pretty much walk up to any character near the end of the race in Epcot.

By then, everyone is just ready to finish and tend to keep moving past the characters on the course.

runDisney Characters at Race Retreat

If you are running the half or the full (or both!) then you can also pay for the race retreat experience.

Inside a special tent at the start and finish, you can stay warm and dry while waiting for your race. And recover with food and drinks once it’s all over.

And yes, you can pay for alcoholic drinks on the inside. Cheers!

But the reason a lot of people buy race retreat is for – you guessed it- the characters.

Half Marathon Race Retreat Characters

Mary Poppins

The Penguins

Bert

Full Marathon Race Retreat Characters

Hades

Pain and Panic

Hercules

Megara

This should answer the ever burning question “What runDisney Character stops are on the Walt Disney World Marathon Course?” – with a little extra information thrown in!

Let me know if I missed anyone in the 2019 Walt Disney World Marathon runDisney character lists and I’ll get things updated.

Tips for runDisney Race Pics

Check out this video if you’re looking to brush up on your race picture skills!