Review of Mickey and Friends medals for the 2024 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend

A part of Disney that I do not believe gets talked about enough is runDisney. This group of events is somewhat of a cult following and is not specific to ridiculously great athletes. Instead, Disney hosts multiple runDisney events throughout the year and people of all walks of life seem to enjoy participating.

2024 will be the first year that both my wife and I participate in any of the runDisney events. We are very excited to be taking part in the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. Alright, I might be embellishing the excitement from my wife who probably has not run since being forced to in high school gym class. I on the other hand love to run and although I have only participated in shorter events, I am excited to expand my depths and participate in the Dopey Challenge.

Before I get into what the Dopey Challenge is, I wanted to point out that my wife, Ashley, and I will be working on a series here at Along Main Street that focuses on the runDisney aspects of Walt Disney World and beyond. This particular marathon weekend does take place at Disney World and if you participate in all four races, you will be running through all four theme parks. The key to these races is having fun and many people will dress up or at least take part in Disney bounding.

Yesterday, the Walt Disney Company released what the medals will look like for those taking part in the marathon weekend. The most medals a runner can earn over the weekend is six. The Dopey Challenge covers all four races, however, some people might only participate in one, two or if you are like my wife, three. However, to earn all six you must complete all four races. The first race is a 5K that takes place on a Thursday. The next is a 10K that takes place the very next day on Friday. Follow that up with the half marathon on Saturday and the full on Sunday. A total of 48.6 miles.

Without showing you the photos (check them out here), I'm going to review and rate the six different medals for the 2024 Walt Disney Marathon Weekend.

Walt Disney Marathon Weekend Medal No. 1: 5K Challenge

First up is the 5K challenge. The medal for this race features none other than Mickey's best friend, Pluto. Pluto was my late father's favorite Disney character and I am saddened to say he is no longer with us. This should be a relatively easy race to finish as I've heard most participants walk the whole thing since it isn't timed.

This medal is vibrant with the 5K in bright red. It offsets nicely with the bronze color medal and golden-yellow color of pluto himself. I would rate this a solid 7 out of 10.

Walt Disney Marathon Weekend Medal No. 2: 10K Challenge

I didn't mention that the 5K is only 3.1 miles. Well, the 10K is obviously double that total at 6.2. Remember though, you are participating in both of these races on back-to-back days. As someone is going in a group made up of people who are all slower than me, I have no problem walking the first two races.

The 10K medal is my second-least favorite. I love the color orange and seeing the orange pinecone makes me smile. Chip and Dale are high-fiving one another on the medal and I don't hate it, but wish it stood out in a more positive way. I give this a rating of 5.5 out of 10.

Walt Disney Marathon Weekend Medal No. 3: Half Marathon

As a huge Donald Duck fan, the half marathon medal is easily my favorite. The medal has Donald and Daisy both going around the 13.1 that is in big font and in purple on the front of the medal. It also appears that the two characters might be able to rotate. If they can, then I rate this medal a 9 out of 10, but if they don't then it will be dropped down to a 7 out of 10.

Walt Disney Marathon Weekend Medal No. 4: Full Marathon

Finally, this brings us to the full marathon medal. The medal is cute with both Mickey and Minnie in their running outfits. These two look to be stationary, but they still make a solid medal. Completing this full marathon might be a daunting task, but walking away with even the ugliest medal is worth the challenge. This medal is coming in behind the half marathon at a 7 out of 10.

Walt Disney Marathon Weekend Medal No. 5: Goofy Challenge

I absolutely love the Goofy Challenge medal. In order to earn this medal, participants must finish the full 26.2 miles of the full marathon along with the half marathon. This means the 5K and the 10K technically don't need to be finished to earn this medal. My wife will not receive this one but is planning on stealing mine and claiming it as her own. Honestly, I don't mind.

When ranking this one, I have it as the second best medal at a rating of 8 out of 10.

Walt Disney Marathon Weekend Medal No. 6: Dopey Challenge

Now for the final medal of the group. In order to earn the Dopey Challenge medal, particpants must finish all four races. The problem is, the medal is not all that great. My wife doesn't like the Chip and Dale medal and isn't a huge fan of this one either. However, she does like the Dopey medal more than the Chip and Dale one. Personally, I have them flipped.

That's right, I find the Dopey Challenge medal to be the worst of the six and that's frustrating and disappointing since completing all four races is the most difficult task. I believe the most difficult tasks should receive the best rewards. I guess I was wrong. The Dopey Challenge medal doesn't appear to have any raised texture (3D look) and is just meh. I give it a rating of 3 out of 10.

Are you running in the Dopey Challenge or participating in any of the races during the Walt Disney Marathon Weekend? What about any of the other runDisney events that take place throughout the year? Make sure to subscribe to us on Twitter and/or Facebook and let's discuss this in more detail!