Marathon Compass
← All races
Marathonopen entry

Walt Disney World Marathon

Orlando, FL · Sun, January 10, 2027 · 05:30 start

The verdict

Great first marathon.

Forgiving to run · low friction to enter and reach.

CompareRegister
01

How it runs

Course · +363 ft gain · Flat throughoutReconstructed from named climbs
HIGHWAY OVERPASS RAMP
mile 13.28 · +24 ft · 4.33%
StartMile 7Mile 13Mile 20Finish

91% of the course sits between -1% and 1% grade. What climbing exists is entirely highway overpass ramps between the parks — short, steep-ish and quickly over. The final two miles through Epcot are flat.

Built from this course's named climbs at their real mile markers; between them the line is interpolated, and the descent is placed using the course's curated shape classification rather than measured. It shows where the hard parts fall and how big they are, and it reproduces the real net change end to end — but it is not a GPX trace.
What this course asks of you
  • flat goal-pace running
  • brief 4% ramps that recover quickly
  • heat and humidity management over hills
Race morning
55→63 °F
Race-morning temperatureRace-morning temperature · Medium confidenceOpen-Meteo historical archive10-year history at the start line, sampled at the race start hour.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: A normal is not a forecast. Any individual year can sit well outside it — this is the centre of the distribution, not a promise.
25°F90°F

Cooler than only 33% of the 39 races we track.

Dew point at the startDew point at the start · Medium confidenceOpen-Meteo historical archive10-year history at the start line, sampled at the race start hour.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: Same caveat as temperature, and dew point varies more between years than temperature does.
10°F78°F

Drier than only 26% of the 39 races we track. Dew point, not humidity — it's what actually caps how fast you can shed heat.

Climbing per mileClimbing per mile · Medium confidenceThe race's published course dataTotal elevation gain divided by 26.2 miles.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: Total gain only. We don't hold where on the course the climbing falls, so a course with one steep wall and one with constant rollers can share this number.
0 ft160 ft

Flatter than only 38% of the 39 races we track.

Climate: 10-year history · Open-Meteo historical archive, sampled at the start line and start hour. The morning band is climatology plus uniform typical post-dawn warming, not a measured hourly series. Elevation from the race's published course data.

02

Can you qualify here

M 18-34 · 4:00:00

Not a Boston/NYC qualifying race for your profile.

03

Training plans for this race

Just Finish Strong

Build the habit, cross the line healthy

No eligible plan for 48 km/wk in 18 weeks.

Solid First Time

Race-ready training, target 4:00–4:30

No eligible plan for 48 km/wk in 18 weeks.

Ambitious BQ Track

Chase a Boston-relevant time, peak volume

No eligible plan for 48 km/wk in 18 weeks.

04

What the Walt Disney World Marathon really costs

A first marathon costs more than the entry fee — budget the whole weekend before you commit.

Entry fee
Entry fee · Medium confidenceThe organiser's registration pageThe price listed when this race was catalogued.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: Most races raise the fee in tiers as race day approaches, so this is a floor rather than what you'll pay later.
Travel + 3 hotel nights (est.)
~$420from South Florida
All-in cost against the catalogAll-in cost estimate · Low confidenceMarathon Compass travel modelEntry plus travel and 3 hotel nights, estimated from South Florida.Where this can be wrong: A crude model, not a quote. It assumes one origin — if you don't fly from South Florida the travel half is close to meaningless for you.
$0$2,700

Cheaper than 64% of the 39 races we price. Entry plus travel and 3 hotel nights, estimated from South Florida.

Register for the Walt Disney World Marathon →
05

Green Score breakdown

Method →

The original five-axis composite. It's kept for continuity and for the methodology page, but it mixes how hard a race is to run with how hard it is to enter — which is why the four dimensions above lead instead.

9.1/ 10 composite

Terrain8.8

Climb and net gradient — how hard the ground is.

Climate9.0

Typical race-morning heat and dew point.

Travel9.0

Distance and cost of getting there from home.

Field9.0

Field size and pacing support on course.

Logistics10.0

How hard it is to get an entry.

Disney parks course, 5:30 AM start, very flat. Not Boston certified (entertainment value high).

The verdict
Best forGreat first marathon
Course difficultyForgiving
Planning frictionLow friction
Est. course effect—
First-timer score9.0/10
Race morning · 10-year history
Start temp
55 °F
Dew point
50 °F
Precipitation
0 mm

Typical race-morning total

Field size
15,000
Getting in · getting there
Entryopen · $225
Registration closes—
Trip estimate~$645

About the Walt Disney World Marathon

The Walt Disney World Marathon is a marathon held in Orlando, FL on January 10, 2027. With a Green Score of 9.1/10, it's one of the easier, more beginner-friendly US races. The course is flat (~14 ft of gain per mile). Typical race-day weather is a mild 55°F, dew point ~50°F (10-year history, Open-Meteo historical archive). Entry is around $225. Marathon Compass rates every race across terrain, climate, logistics, travel, and field size so you can find the one that fits you — and build a training plan tuned to your fitness.

What the heat costs you at the Walt Disney World Marathon

A typical race morning here scores 105 on the temperature-plus-dew-point scale our pace engine runs daily (55°F + 50°F, 10-year history (Open-Meteo)) — a 0.5% pace penalty. Heat is a minor factor here in a typical year — a small early-pace cushion is enough.

100
130
150
105 — typical race morning at the Walt Disney World Marathon on the temp+dew scale (100 = no penalty · 130 = +2% · 150 = +4.5%)
Goal timeRealistic in typical conditionsHeat cost
3:303:31:03+1 min
4:004:01:12+1 min
4:304:31:21+1 min
5:005:01:30+2 min

Method: temp°F + dew°F lookup from the heat-adjustment chart our training plans use daily. Sign in to see this adjustment applied to your own projected finish.

Entry strategy

Entry is open — register before it sells out and the decision is made.

  1. Race dayJanuary 10, 2027
Official registration →Add these dates to your calendar (.ics)

Where to stay

Point-to-point course: stay near the finish, not the start — you'll be glad at mile 26, and shuttles run to the start. Hotels near the Walt Disney World Marathon start selling out 8–10 months ahead with race-weekend minimum stays — book refundable, book early. The links below are pre-filled for race weekend (January 8, 2027 → January 11, 2027).

Race-weekend hotels on Booking.com →Compare on Expedia →

Some hotel and book links may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. Official registration is never an affiliate.

Next

Plan the day itself.

When to wake up, when the corral closes, and the exact clock time Walt Disney World Marathon spectators should be at each split for your goal pace — plus a link you can send to whoever's coming to watch.

Build your race-day timeline →
Compare head-to-head

Evidence

Audited 2026-07-17

Every figure on this page, what it came from, and where it can be wrong. Ordered least-trustworthy first — the estimates are the ones worth checking yourself before they cost you money or a race.

FigureSourceCheckedConfidence
All-in cost estimateMarathon Compass travel modelA crude model, not a quote. It assumes one origin — if you don't fly from South Florida the travel half is close to meaningless for you.—Low confidence
Race-morning temperatureOpen-Meteo historical archiveA normal is not a forecast. Any individual year can sit well outside it — this is the centre of the distribution, not a promise.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Dew point at the startOpen-Meteo historical archiveSame caveat as temperature, and dew point varies more between years than temperature does.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Climbing per mileThe race's published course dataTotal gain only. We don't hold where on the course the climbing falls, so a course with one steep wall and one with constant rollers can share this number.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Net gradientThe race's published course dataDrives the BAA downhill adjustment, so an error here changes the Boston verdict. Their official course designation is what actually counts.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Entry feeThe organiser's registration pageMost races raise the fee in tiers as race day approaches, so this is a floor rather than what you'll pay later.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Field sizeThe organiser or published resultsField sizes drift year to year and entries sold are not finishers.Jul 17, 2026Medium confidence
Race dateThe organiser's own siteOrganisers occasionally move a date after announcing it.Jul 17, 2026High confidence

Fees, dates and qualifying rules change often, and we would rather hear it from you than have it sit here wrong — report incorrect information.