ORLANDO, Fla. — Over 30,000 runners are experiencing the magic Sunday as Walt Disney World welcomed its annual marathon event.
This marked the 32nd year of the event, and it’s one of the largest races in Central Florida.
At 4:30 a.m., the first group of runners started a 26.2 marathon, and another group started 30 seconds afterwards.
The marathon is part of Walt Disney World’s Marathon Weekend.
and the MARATHON IS ON AT @WaltDisneyWorld @runDisney. Runners crossed the start line at 4:30 a.m., and are running 26.2 miles. Live coverage for you coming up on @MyNews13 starting at 6:00 a.m. pic.twitter.com/cUrb1Db6ya
— Destiny Wiggins (@_DestinyWiggins) January 12, 2025
Adam Ball, the vice president of ESPN Wide World of Sports and Disney Water Parks said this Marathon Weekend shows just how the local community and participants from around the world come together and support one another.
“Anybody can do it, whether it’s your first time,” he said. “We have so few people here who’ve never won a race before. We have people that it’s their 20th marathon today. And so really, anyone can do it when you’re local, whether you’re from the other side of the country, or another country.”
Marielle Despres was the championship winner for the women's group. She’s from France, but now lives in Clermont.
Despres trained for the marathon for two months with her husband and her three kids as her support system.
“Each time I do trainings, they were with me and saying, ‘Let’s go, let’s go.’ It was amazing,” she said.
The first race was a 5K held on Thursday, followed by the 10K on Friday morning.
The event weekend continued with the half marathon on Saturday and the marathon on Sunday.
And after an early and long morning, Despres only had two things on her mind: to rest and enjoy her day.