How hard is it to run Disney World 5K?

I truly believe that almost anyone who wants to finish a runDisney event can do so with proper training. Since you walk regularly, you're not as far off as you think you are. Just because it says run does not mean you have to run it. The recommended 15 minute per mile pace is ultimately a fast walk. The required pace of 16 minutes per mile is seldom enforced during the 5K races.

In April, I had a 9:40am breakfast reservation in the MK. I finished the 5K in just over 90 minutes because I stopped for a couple of very long photo lines, picked up my drivers license that I lost during the 5K, showered and changed, and waited for my sister to shower and change, and we both made the ADR with time to spare.
That's good to know cos we fly home the day of the 5K so i'd definately be looking to shower before heading to the airport :eek:
 
Tlpl...realized I forgot one important thing when talking about letting the 12 year old run on his own.

Make sure he knows race etiquette.

With Disney races the rules state to walk on the sides and left the center open to run/pass. Many people don’t do this (they think the rule is to walk on one certain side and pass on the other, but that’s not so anymore), but I’d he does this then he’s within the rules and will know he's doing it right.

Don’t stop suddenly in front of people: 12 year olds are generally beyond this, but kids often run run run then slam to a stop to pant and recuperate. They’ll get run over doing that. :)

Don’t pass people too closely. People are unpredictable.

Have your info written on the emergency contact section on the back of the race bib in case he trips or something. And vice versa for you. :)


The first time we let DS off on his own I was scouring social media for complaints about a redheaded boy on the course lol. I was very nervous that he was going to ignore all the training we had done. Thankfully no one noticed a redhead that race.
 
As far as training plans go, I'd look into a couple options and pick what you think is going to work best for you. I had previously tried Couch to 5K and it didn't really work for me; if you're truly starting from the couch with a very low level of fitness (as I was/am) I think it progresses too quickly. If you have looked at the program and like it, though, you do have the option of repeating weeks to slow it down. So if you like the program you can make it work for you.

This time I'm using Galloway's Run-Walk-Run method and going off of a 13 week beginners' plan I found in one of his books. I like it much better--it's got the structure I need (run/walk such-and-so minutes or miles on such-and-such day of the week), but it progresses more gently than C25K and I think it's more permissive in terms of finding the run/walk interval ratio that's right for you instead of pushing yourself to do intervals that may still be too difficult.

Edit: As evidence of it maybe not being as hard as you think (at least to get to where you can walk the distance in the time allotted)--I wasn't running at all four weeks ago. This morning I did two miles at a run/walk in half an hour.
 


Not to hijaxk OP’s original question, but I’m curious as to which characters typically appear during the races?

This is specifically for Marathon Weekend as it is the only weekend where I've run a 5K.

Usually in the staging area pre- and post- race there will be setups for character photos with the race mascots: Pluto, Minnie, Donald, Mickey, Goofy, and Dopey. Not all of them will be out at the same time and they may not all be out every day, but there are usually a few characters out in those situations at all times.

On the course it varies from day to day. I've never stopped for a photo on 5K day, so I don't have the best recollection, but I think I remember characters from A Bug's Life, Lilo and Stitch, Aladdin (in Morocco), and Chip and Dale over the past couple years. There are usually 5-6 character stops during the 5K and they aren't always the same so I've forgotten more than I've remembered. Over the course of Marathon Weekend they put out a very diverse collection in the 4 races.
 
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Correct, at most stops there is a Photopass photographer to take your photo, which you can then link to your MDE via your bib number. The attendants are also able to take a photo using your cell phone, just have it ready for them.

Sometimes there are stops without a Photopass person, but there's always been attendants ready to take it with your cell phone as well.
 


I heard they have photopass photographier take pictures for everyone, correct?
Bear in mind that depending on the race there may not be a photopass photographer where you want to take a picture.

Avengers 2017 at Disneyland: photographers galore as you run through the castle. But off to the side where you can a picture of just you and the castle, no photographer stationed. I had to rely on another runner.

Dark Side 5K 2018: long line to get a photo with stormtroopers in front of Spaceship Earth, but no race photographers around. Plenty of very kind volunteers happy to take a photo with your camera/phone, but if you don't have your camera, then you're out of luck.

I always recommend that if you think you're going to take even one photo, have a fully charged cell phone or small camera on you just in case. PhotoPass is great, but it may not be in the place where you really want a photo on race day, but won't realize it until you run by it on race day.
 
I've run 3 5ks, 1 when I was much younger and in much better shape, 1 in northern Virginia a couple of years ago, and the Disney Wine & Dine 5k last year. All 3 were fun, and the other participants were very supportive. But I agree that the Disney race was easiest to finish and definitely the most fun--folks dressed in awesome costumes and a course that was mostly fun (some of the backstage areas weren't great, and running through the parking lot was like running through a parking lot), not to mention the characters along the way. The drawbacks were getting up at 3 a.m for a race while on vacation (and this was a significant drawback that should not be underestimated) and having to take a bus to the race start then wait around for an hour+ for the race to actually begin.
 
I ran my first rD 5K in 2013..Food and Wine, I was in my early 60's. I started training but summer came and it was just too darn hot! So, I basically did it with no training. I'm in decent shape though. Finished with about a 14 min mile. I was really worried about being 'swept' from the course, but when I was about a mile from the end, I was able to look way behind me....there had to be a thousand people behind me!!! No longer concerned with being swept!!! Corrals are really assigned according to when you register. Those that are true runners, with proof of times, tend to get put in the front, corral A. I know that the first time I ran, the guy that finished first in the 5k went on to finish first in the half marathon. We ran in AK...as I was just running past the Tree of Life, the more elite runners were running past on the other side...about 15 mins ahead of us!!! Just a wee bit intimidating!! The second time I ran, I ran a bit faster. Then, last year I ran at the age of 68, with my 24 y/o dd. She doesn't run anywhere...well, maybe to a bottle of pinot grigio!! So, there was a lot more walking than I usually did..used to do a run for a few minutes, walk for a minute or two. But, we still finished in under a 14 min mile.
So, go for it. Just try to start a lot of walking beforehand. If you intend to really run it, then you need to train. But, it is entirely possible to walk/run it, and still finish in the middle.
 

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