My Advice For Dopey Challengers

Hello and welcome to my Dopey Challenge 2025 trip report! For my final dedicated Dopey entry, I’d like to leave you with my reflections on the experience. Read all the entries in this report here. Onward!

All it takes to commit to runDisney’s Dopey Challenge is a credit card and a dream. All it takes to successfully complete the Dopey Challenge is a training plan and a strong mental game.

In between commitment and completion there is uncertainty. By the time I publish this, registration for 2025 will be over and done. Either you’re in or you’re not. Completion pending. But the uncertainty? That I can help with!

Training is on you, as is all the big stuff: hotel selection, costume assembly, etc. Where I come in is the little details – the tips, tricks, and hacks that can take a spectacular WDW Marathon Weekend and make it just that much better… or at least a teensy bit less anxiety-inducing.

All of which is a very long and winding way to present my Dopey takeaways. Want my advice? Here it is!

THE EXPO DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PART OF THE CHALLENGE

I know, I know! You’re so excited to be here at Walt Disney World. You want to charge the race expo, get your bibs and shirts, take pictures and shop – soak it all in. And yes, there are some advantages to getting to the expo at opening.

But trust me: in those first few hours, the situation is a time suck. Either you have to get there WAAAAAY early (which is tough if you’re flying into Orlando that morning), or you’re going to spend eons in line. A line for your bibs, a line for the exhibitor’s hall, a virtual queue for the official race merchandise… before you know it, your morning and even part of your afternoon is GONE.

On the other hand, if you show up around 4pm, you can waltz right into bib pickup with little to no wait. The exhibitor hall will no longer be shoulder-to-shoulder, and you won’t have to throw elbows to make it to the back for your shirts. Heck, by late afternoon you don’t need a virtual queue for the official race merch anymore.

NO, BUT SERIOUSLY – YOU DON’T NEED TO BUY THAT

But Jenn! you cry. By that point, all the good race merch is gone!

GOOD. You didn’t need it anyway.

Oh, I’m kidding. It makes sense that you want to pick up a souvenir or two to commemorate your Dopey Challenge experience. I get that. And hey, if you’ve thought it over and determined an item is worth the stress, make the extra effort to make sure you’re among the first called by the virtual queue. Heck, sign up for Club runDisney if it means that much to you.

Are you sure it means THAT much to you, though? Like, is that Dopey sweatshirt something you’re gonna wear all the time? Okay, but does it have to be that specific sweatshirt? There are all sorts of fun and talented indie designers making Dopey Challenge-inspired pieces of all kinds – clothing, jewelry, ears, you name it. And you can browse the selection and make a thoughtful decision from the comfort of your own home at a time convenient to you.

runDisney does not have the corner on the market, and they’re relying on the frenzy of scarcity to make you swipe your credit card without taking a moment first to think. If they weren’t, they’d try to produce enough to meet demand. Maybe someday they will.

In the meantime, if you truly believe the value is there, go for it! I’m not trying to be a complete killjoy. That goes both ways, though – and if you’ve been fighting the feeling that the merch just ain’t worth it, let me be the first to deinfluence you. Remember: the essence of the Dopey Challenge is in the Challenge itself, not the sweatshirt declaring it so.

GO PARKLESS

Hey, if you’ve got an Annual Pass or money to burn or the indefatigable energy of a coked-up squirrel, definitely spend some time in the parks. And okay, yes, if this is your only shot at Walt Disney World glory, unlikely to return, get park tickets. I spent a fair amount of time in the parks myself my first Dopey go-round.

However, you might be surprised how easy – and pleasant! – it is to spend your Dopey Challenge doing nothing much at all outside of your races. I didn’t go to the parks once during my second Dopey and I didn’t miss it. There was plenty of undemanding, leisurely stuff to occupy my time instead: accompanying friends to the expo, chilling at Disney Springs, hitting up the hot tub, enjoying our resort room… oh, and napping! Put a pin in that one; we’re coming back to it.

I had all my race costumes laid out the night before in plenty of time, and I never felt a time crunch. No stressing over Disney transportation or tiring myself out with a gazillion extra steps. I made every one of my bedtime goals. I mean, no, I didn’t fall asleep by my goal times, but I was in bed with my eyes closed and that counts for something.

I’m certainly not suggesting it’s impossible to both complete the Dopey Challenge and also log four full park days. What I am saying is, you might be surprised how nice it is not to.

HEY, TAKE IT EASY, DOPEY

The Dopey Challenge is hard. Make everything you can soft.

First of all, PLEASE TAKE NAPS. I put that in all caps because that’s how strongly I feel about taking naps. Sustained sleep deprivation is the enemy. If you’re lucky enough to be the type who can fall asleep instantly at 7pm and pop up with your 2am alarm refreshed and ready, I salute you! For the rest of us: NAPS.

In a pinch, nap on Disney transpo. Taking a bus or boat or monorail ride? Micronap! I took a bus nap after the 5K and it saved my life. I go into further detail about the virtues of naps in this post.

Facing down a chilly race morning? Fleece blankets make ELITE corral throwaways. Extra layers notwithstanding, I was shivering in the 5K corral. I picked up an abandoned blanket and BAM – toasty warm! Old sweatshirts and similar are good; blankets are BETTER. Believe it!

Speaking of staying comfy, I have some advice specific to those who plan to hang around at the finisher’s area after the race. Even if you don’t historically, you’re going to want to check a gear bag. Put anything you want in it, but make sure you include these two items:

One, a sweatshirt or jacket or something in case you get cold after you cool down. Your post-race glow will fade, and you want to be ready.

Two, and this is important: SUNSCREEN. Yeah, you (hopefully) put some on before the race, but that was hours ago and you’ve been sweating. Bring some sunscreen and slather it on any exposed areas, especially your face. There isn’t a whole heckuva lot of shade in the finisher’s area.

Bonus: pack sunglasses if you don’t plan to wear them during the race itself.

STAY LONGER

Now that I’ve finished telling you how you can save money on your Dopey trip by leaving right after the marathon, allow me to walk that advice back. I recommend adding an extra day. Stay until Tuesday. I wish I had!

While you’re actively in the throes of your Dopey Challenge, it’s hard to properly relax. Everything you do, every decision you make, is made in a tight orbit around your races: what you eat, what you drink, when you sleep. You finally finish the marathon, you have a celebratory dinner, and then you wake up the next morning and head home just as your true vacation, arguably, is starting.

That’s why for my 2026 (fake) Goofy Challenge I reserved my room through Tuesday. I just want one full Disney day to fete my post-race victories and show off my medals properly as I stare down the beginning of a couple weeks’ rest. Bar crawl at Disney Springs, anyone?

DOPEY WOULDN’T OVERTHINK IT… OR OVERDO IT

The physical toll of the Dopey Challenge is real. Forty-eight point six miles is no joke, no matter who you are. How much you will have to push yourself to make it to the marathon finish is a question only you are properly equipped to answer. Some combination of circumstances you can and cannot control will seal your fate. (Also, why not hedge your bets and walk the 5K? I did!)

But don’t get so caught up in your body that you forget to take equal care of your mind. For me, the mental game can be the hardest part. The stress of it all can get to you. Make sure you come as prepared with strategies for your brain as you do for your feet. Not sure where to start? Try this post!

SO IS DOPEY TWICE & DONE FOR ME?

There’s a lot of hype around the Dopey Challenge, and deservedly so – it’s an incredible experience; among my fondest memories and proudest achievements.

It is not, however, for everyone, nor is it for everyone every time. There’s no need to drop the money and the time on a Dopey bib if your heart’s not in it. You are still a runner. You are still a runDisney athlete. Everyone who toes the start line, from the 5K to the challenge, is equally worthy. Set the goal that feels right to you.

I loved my 2025 Dopey Challenge run, but I did not sign up for 2026. The monetary and time commitments are too great for me to make it an annual thing… unless a large corporation would like to sponsor me? Are runDisney sugar daddies a thing yet? Wake me if they are. In the meantime, I’d rather budget for more race weekends where I can.

I don’t think I’ve quite hung up my Dopey bibs for good, though. There are sexagenarians and even septuagenarians out there still completing Dopey Challenges. Perhaps I shall do it every decade. See ya in 2035!

A DOPEY CAVEAT

Unless… if a running buddy of mine decided to gun for Dopey and asked me to join, you know I’d sign up without hesitation. ‘Tis love that makes the running world go ’round, you know, and my friends were the beating heart of my Dopey Challenge.

However you decide to tackle Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend – whether you follow all my recommendations or none of them – I know you will come out the other side transformed. Here’s to the journey. I am told it begins with a single step.

Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Threads @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!