Karen Baysinger
I ran the Goofy Challenge in 2009 and then the Inaugural Dopey Challenge in 2014. I wish I had the $$ to do this one every year, but Disney keeps hiking up the prices. Very well organized events, course support is awesome including aid stations and the cheering crowds. Yes, you have to get up super early to catch the bus from resorts to start line but it's worth it. Courses are flat, weave in & out of the parks, and always entertaining. Huge field of runners, utilizing the entire alphabet for wave starts at the beginning of nearly every race, but the waves help relieve the bottleneck effect. Only 4 star rating due to price.
Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend
Sunday January 11th, 2026
Orlando, Florida
Distance: Marathon · Half Marathon · Marathon Relay · Dopey Challenge · Kids Race
Offical Race Web Site
Come join Mickey and friends for an extraordinary race weekend—put your endurance through the paces, enjoy amazing entertainment and earn commemorative medals. Dare to test your limits? Try a multi-race challenge for the chance to earn even more medals. No matter your skill level, you'll be a part of a community of fun-spirited runners—uniquely Disney!
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Race City Location Map - zoom in · zoom out · big map
displays approximate race location · Orlando FL 32801
Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, Race Date: 2024-01-07, Distance: Marathon
| Division | Time | Name | Age | Home |
| Male | 2:26:51 | VANILSON NEVES | 25 | Sao PAULO, BRAZIL |
| 2nd Male | 2:27:25 | DANIEL DOS SANTOS | 38 | Sao PAULO, BRAZIL |
| 3rd Male | 2:28:17 | PRESCOTT LEACH | 41 | WALTHAM, MA |
| Female | 2:48:08 | STEPHANIE MUSCAT | 34 | GRAND RAPIDS, MI |
| 2nd Female | 2:53:12 | GEORGANNE WATSON | 38 | PHOENIXVILLE, PA |
| 3rd Female | 2:53:48 | SAMANTHA PALMER | 32 | GAINESVILLE, FL |
| Division | Time | Name | Age | Home |
| M 40-49 | 2:28:17 | PRESCOTT LEACH | 41 | WALTHAM, MA |
| M 50-59 | 2:57:26 | JEFF MESCAL | 58 | HEBRON, IN |
| M 60-69 | 3:32:54 | ADAO SILVA DUARTE | 61 | DUBLIN, IRELAND |
| M 70+ | 3:59:30 | JOHN WOODNUTT | 71 | JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA |
| F 40-49 | 3:04:43 | KATHERINE CARGIULO | 44 | SALEM, NH |
| F 50-59 | 3:35:25 | MEGHAN BUFTON | 50 | FORT COLLINS, CO |
| F 60-69 | 3:44:23 | COLLEEN EDWARDS | 61 | BENTONVILLE, AR |
| F 70+ | 5:10:37 | LYNN HENDERSON | 76 | ALISO VIEJO, CA |
You're a runner who loves adventure! Your priority in a race is the course. And now you're about to head out on the most magical course on earth during the final race of the weekend -- a 26.2 mile run that'll take you through four Walt Disney World® theme parks and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. From the Magic Kingdom® Park, home of Mickey, Minnie and the whole Disney gang and the wild adventure of Disney's Animal Kingdom® Park, to the show biz excitement of Disney's Hollywood Studios, and incredible Epcot®, your Marathon adventure is unlike any other anywhere on earth.
You must register for Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge or Dopey Challenge to receive the challenge medals upon completion of all races within the pacing requirements.
26.2-milecourse through all four Walt Disney World® Theme Parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and the Walt Disney World® SPEEDWAY.
Sunday January 11th, 2026
Houston, Texas
Distance: Marathon · Half Marathon · 5K
Offical Race Web Site
The Chevron Houston Marathon offers participants a unique running experience in America's fourth largest city. The fast, flat, scenic single-loop course has been ranked as the "fastest winter marathon" and "second fastest marathon overall" by Ultimate Guide To Marathons. Additionally, with more than 200,000 spectators annually, the Chevron Houston Marathon enjoys tremendous crowd support.
Established in 1972, the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc. (HMC), a Running USA Founding Member, annually organizes the nation's premier winter marathon, half-marathon and 5K. In 2012, more than 20,000 runners participated in three race weekend events organized by 7,500 volunteers, creating Houston's largest single-day sporting event. HMC has hosted numerous world-renowned road races, including the 2012 U.S. Men's and Women's Olympic Trials - Marathon on January 14, as well as the USA Men's and Women's Half Marathon Championships since 2005 and 2007 respectively, and the 1992 U.S. Women's Olympic Trials Marathon.
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Prize Money: $188,000
Race City Location Map - zoom in · zoom out · big map
displays approximate race location · TX 77012
My Best Runs Comments
Bob Anderson
They say they do everything big in Texas, and this race lives up to that reputation. I've heard many great things about this race.
They say they do everything big in Texas, and this race lives up to that reputation. I've heard many great things about this race.
Kat Powell
Wanted to qualify for Boston, but was not ready to meet the challenge. The concrete was hard on my body and the cold beer at mile 20 was more appealing than a Boston Qualifier at the time. I am sure this flat marathon appeals to those conditioned athletes looking for a PR or Boston qualifier.
Wanted to qualify for Boston, but was not ready to meet the challenge. The concrete was hard on my body and the cold beer at mile 20 was more appealing than a Boston Qualifier at the time. I am sure this flat marathon appeals to those conditioned athletes looking for a PR or Boston qualifier.
Chevron Houston Marathon, Race Date: 2025-01-19, Distance: Marathon
| Division | Time | Name | Age | Home |
| Male | 2:08:17 | Haimro Alame | 34 | Tel Aviv, ISR |
| 2nd Male | 2:08:25 | Yemane Haileselassie | 26 | Houston, ERI |
| 3rd Male | 2:08:29 | Shadrack Kimining | 28 | Iten, KEN |
| 4th Male | 2:08:50 | Hugo Taupiac | 25 | Houston, CHL |
| Female | 2:20:42 | Kumeshi Sichala | 29 | Addis Ababa, ETH |
| 2nd Female | 2:22:56 | Erika Kemp | 29 | Providence, RI |
| 3rd Female | 2:25:09 | Tsige Haileslase | 24 | Houston, ETH |
| 4th Female | 2:26:49 | Amber Zimmerman | 25 | Houston, ETH |
| Division | Time | Name | Age | Home |
| M 40-49 | 2:24:21 | Calum Neff | 40 | Houston, CAN |
| M 50-59 | 2:43:23 | Israel Arroyo Garcia | 51 | Ecatepec, MEX |
| M 60-69 | 2:48:35 | Brian Murphy | 62 | London, CAN |
| M 70+ | 3:37:25 | David Crawford | 74 | Renton, WA |
| F 40-49 | 2:43:08 | Allie Guillard | 40 | State College, PA |
| F 50-59 | 2:44:56 | Maria Zambrano | 54 | Calgary, CAN |
| F 60-69 | 3:18:31 | Coco Dughi | 62 | Boulder, CO |
| F 70+ | 4:01:02 | Sharon Vaughn | 72 | Austin, TX |
The Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon use a single start line for both races. The start features four corrals with the first corral starting at 7:01 a.m. Corrals B and C will follow the A Corral using a pulsed start method – three minute time intervals separating the corrals – to reduce course congestion. Corral D will follow immediately after the C corral with no pulsed intervals. Corral assignments are determined by the predicted finish time of each runner indicated during registration. Corral A seeding is by request only, and the deadline to submit a qualifying time is November 30, 2018.
Hot Chocolate San Francisco
Sunday January 11th, 2026
San Francisco, California
Distance: 15K · 5K
Offical Race Web Site
The Hot Chocolate 15k/5k San Francisco course highlights the city’s biggest attractions. We hold our races to the highest quality standards, from start to finish, course design and accuracy, emergency medical plans that exceed industry standards all in the name of your safety. Along those lines, all Hot Chocolate 15k/5k
RAM Racing events have a USATF-certified course with a distance that has been certified for accuracy. Please note that although we’ll try our best to avoid it, the course and start time is subject to change.
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Race City Location Map - zoom in · zoom out · big map
displays approximate race location · San Francisco CA 94122
My Best Runs Comments
Len Smith
Have heard some sweet things about this event.
Have heard some sweet things about this event.
Kathy Matsumoto
Bonus Swag Code for Jan 12, 2020: SFKATHY20 A large well-organized fun race that features chocolate fondue and hot chocolate at the post race party. Sweet treats at aid stations. All participants get a jacket. Both 5k and 15k are walk friendly. 15k finishers get a large medal. Good race for families, friends, weekend trip.
Bonus Swag Code for Jan 12, 2020: SFKATHY20 A large well-organized fun race that features chocolate fondue and hot chocolate at the post race party. Sweet treats at aid stations. All participants get a jacket. Both 5k and 15k are walk friendly. 15k finishers get a large medal. Good race for families, friends, weekend trip.
Kathy Matsumoto
Bonus Swag Code: SFKATHY20 A large well-organized fun race that features chocolate fondue and hot chocolate at the post race party. Sweet treats at aid stations. All participants get a jacket. Both 5k and 15k are walk friendly. 15k finishers get a large medal. Good race for families, friends, weekend trip.
Bonus Swag Code: SFKATHY20 A large well-organized fun race that features chocolate fondue and hot chocolate at the post race party. Sweet treats at aid stations. All participants get a jacket. Both 5k and 15k are walk friendly. 15k finishers get a large medal. Good race for families, friends, weekend trip.
Hot Chocolate San Francisco, Race Date: 2025-01-12, Distance: 15k
| Division | Time | Name | Age | Home |
| Male | 50:29 | Barrett Reese | WAYNESBORO, VA | |
| 2nd Male | 50:13 | Stuart Vailes | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | |
| 3rd Male | 53:21 | Niall McDermott | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | |
| Female | 54:08 | Dana Mirzadegan | San Francisco, CA | |
| 3rd Female | 58:07 | Lynnette Ledesma | HAYWARD, CA | |
| 4th Female | 58:17 | Allison Arnold | WALNUT CREEK, CA |
| Division | Time | Name | Age | Home |
| M 40-49 | 55:03 | Cesar Lira | Daly city, CA | |
| M 50-59 | 59:10 | Justin Wasielewski | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | |
| M 60-69 | 59:31 | Michael Chasse | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | |
| M 70+ | 1:26:35 | Richard Mallett | TAHOE CITY, CA | |
| F 40-49 | 58:17 | Allison Arnold | WALNUT CREEK, CA | |
| F 50-59 | 1:15:04 | Catherine Huberty | DANVILLE, CA | |
| F 60-69 | 1:09:34 | Carrie Minucciani | MILLBRAE, CA | |
| F 70+ | 1:21:21 | Suzanne Koonce | MENLO PARK, CA |
All 15K finishers will receive an official Hot Chocolate San Francisco medal to commemorate their awesome achievement. Heads up: while this medal may give you chocolate cravings, it’s actually made from metal alloy. We recommend displaying this sturdy, high-quality medal on a wall for maximum bragging rights. Each medal features a chocolate bar lookalike wrapped in gold, hung by a shimmering Finisher ribbon. You’ll be handed your medal after crossing the finish line.
About the course.
- The Hot Chocolate 15k/5k San Francisco course highlights the city’s biggest attractions. We hold our races to the highest quality standards, from start to finish, course design and accuracy, emergency medical plans that exceed industry standards all in the name of your safety. Along those lines, all Hot Chocolate 15k/5k, RAM Racing events have a USATF-certified course with a distance that has been certified for accuracy.
Sunday January 11th, 2026
Valencia, Spain
Distance: Marathon · Half Marathon · 10K
Offical Race Web Site
Around the corner we have one more edition of the 10K Valencia Ibercaja, organized one more year by the C. 10K VALENCIA Athletics premiering the running season in Valencia.
It is a massive urban race with more than 3,000 registered annually of 10 kilometers, where the maximum duration of the test will be 1 hour 40 minutes (100 minutes). The Organization will enable 5 different departures, each separated by 4 minutes apart, the first one being adapted and blind athletes.
The 10K Valencia is one of those tests that no runner should miss.
Cheer up and start the year in the best way... Running!!!!
2024
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10k Valencia Trinidad Alfonso, Race Date: 2025-01-12, Distance: Half Marathon
| Division | Time | Name | Age | Home |
| Male | 59:17 | Addisu Gobena | ethi | |
| 2nd Male | 59:17 | Conner Mantz | usa | |
| 3rd Male | 59:18 | Gabriel Geay | tz | |
| 4th Male | 59:20 | Jemal Yimer | ethi | |
| Female | 1:06:05 | Senayet Getachew | ETH | |
| 2nd Female | 1:06:09 | Weini Kelati | USA | |
| 3rd Female | 1:06:48 | Buze Diriba Kejela | ETH | |
| 4th Female | 1:07:35 | Amanda Vestri | USA |
| Division | Time | Name | Age | Home |
Departure and finish in the City of Arts and Sciences and a walk through the city center to complete a spectacular tour of the 10K Valencia.
Louisiana Marathon
Saturday January 17th, 2026
Baton Rouge, LA
Distance: Marathon · Half Marathon · 5K · Quarter Marathon · Kids Race
Offical Race Web Site
Welcome to the Louisiana Marathon Running Festival. Rendezvous with runners from 50 states and over 30 countries who share a passion for Louisiana as they race our fast, flat and festive courses. Stick around for the best Finish Fest on the bayou and enjoy tastes of gumbo, jambalaya, étouffée, duck confit and couch du lait (to name a few dishes offered) while dancing and laughing to local jazz-funk-zydeco-country-blues live performances.
The Louisiana Marathon was established in 2012 to be a major racing event on the winter road racing calendar and running festival celebrating the passion for the sport combined with the Louisiana culture.
Friends, family and curious spectators line up along the 26.2 picturesque miles of roadways filled with inspiring sights and sounds to cheer on the many that chose to run. The Louisiana Marathon course takes runners from downtown, along the river, through the University Lakes, the Louisiana State University campus, and through historic rivertown neighborhoods.
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Louisiana Marathon, Race Date: 2025-01-19, Distance: Marathon
| Division | Time | Name | Age | Home |
| Male | 2:28:23 | Jacob Plocher | 26 | Gautier, MS |
| 2nd Male | 2:30:25 | John Barham | 26 | Albuquerque, NM |
| 3rd Male | 2:30:48 | Colin McCatharn | 31 | New Orleans, LA |
| 4th Male | 2:33:14 | Caleb Bendewald | 30 | Granbury, TX |
| Female | 2:53:49 | Caroline Mahoney | 26 | Bedford, NH |
| 2nd Female | 2:57:06 | Jessalyn Sadler | 36 | Independence, M |
| 3rd Female | 2:57:48 | Megan Kahn | 36 | Loveland, OH |
| 4th Female | 2:59:58 | Marta Pascoa | 24 | Lake Charles, LA |
| Division | Time | Name | Age | Home |
| M 40-49 | 2:47:05 | Eric Capostagno | 43 | West Palm Beach, FL |
| M 50-59 | 3:10:21 | Christopher Gahan | 50 | Alexandria, VA |
| F 40-49 | 3:05:07 | Grace Thacker | 42 | New Orleans, LA |
DEJA VU AWARD
Runners who finish the Quarter Marathon or 5K on Saturday AND finish the Marathon or Half Marathon on Sunday, receive the coveted Déjà Vu Award.
The 10-inch “crawfish tray” is common dinnerware in many Louisiana seafood restaurants, bearing the fruits of the Gulf Coast, but at the Louisiana Marathon, it is also the symbol of dedication, preparation, commitment and endurance. It’s a trophy that few earn.
The Louisiana Marathon is a USAT&F Certified course and an official Boston Qualifier route. It boasts one of the highest BQ rates of all marathons since it features a fast, flat, runner-friendly path through the lakes, along the river, around downtown, on the university campus and in historic neighborhoods.Friends, family and enthusiastic spectators line up along the course in various spotsto cheer on the runners, making for a spirited marathon.
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I do the Goofy race. I run the Half Marathon on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday. Nothing else like it.