The Dopey Challenge is a bucket list race - at $550 this year it's not a race everyone can afford. It also sold out in a matter of hours too. So, if you have your eye on the Dopey Challenge - be prepared to spend big bucks and make sure you register the moment it opens.

So, the Dopey Challenge includes running the 5K, 10K, Half, and Full marathons during the WDW Marathon Weekend. One race each day, four days in a row - you earn 6 medals for accomplishing this feat. Since the first race is on Thursday, you have to arrive on Wednesday to pick up your packet. Run Disney puts on some of the best race expos in my opinion. They always have a large number of vendors and they have lots of Run Disney merchandise available as well. Everything is very well organized so you can easily get to where you need to go. When you pick up your packet you get your photo taken as well - this is so they can confirm that you actually run all four races. After the marathon they check your original picture before handing you your extra medals.

Each race takes you through WDW parks - and that's part of the fun of a RunDisney race. The 5K and 10K both run through Epcot, the half marathon takes you through Magic Kingdom and Epcot, the full marathon takes you through Magic Kingdom, Animal Kindgom, ESPN Wide World of Sports, Disney Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. All of the races have characters stationed along the route for snapping pictures. The half and full marathons have choirs, bands, and other entertainment along the routes as well. I loved running around the stadium & being on the jumbotron at ESPN Wide World of Sports - so much fun.

Disney has beautiful medals and at the end of each race you get a snack box and a foil blanket. They didn't originally hand out the foil blankets after the half - they had cool towels. This was great, except that once you had stopped running and were hangning out in the finish area you got cold pretty quick. I guess enough people started asking for the blankets that they ended up bringing them out after a while. They had the cool towels at the marathon finish as well, and they had the blankets available right away unlike at the half.

RunDisney always puts on a great race - I've participated in 4 RunDisney weekends (2 in CA and 2 in FL). They have something for everyone with the variety of themes, but they are pricey.

For the Dopey Challenge I was pleasantly surprised that the marathon wasn't my slowest marathon time to date. I took it easy on the first 3 races so I wouldn't be worn out, and even with stopping for a few charater pictures and some biofreeze at a couple first aid tents, I still managed my 2nd fastest marathon time. I guess I need to run more full marathons!