Despite the cold weather across Central Florida, thousands of runners hit the pavement Sunday morning for one of the most “magical” races on Earth.
- Thousands of runners braved the cold for the Disney marathon
- An estimated 100,000 people attended the race weekend
- Disney canceled the half marathon due to severe weather
It’s the last day of the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, which included a 5K, the Dopey Challenge, half marathon and today’s marathon.
As runners waited to start their 26.2-mile run, the temperature was 39 degrees in Orlando.
It's time! 26.2 magical miles through @WaltDisneyWorld starts now at the #runDisney #WDWMarathon presented by @Cigna! pic.twitter.com/WytEBBKpKU
— runDisney (@runDisney) January 8, 2017
Fredison Costa was the overall winner, completing the race in 2:23:14. For the women, Giovanna Martins completed the race in 2:48:06.
Disney canceled its half marathon on Friday due to severe weather. The race was scheduled to take place Saturday morning. Lightning in the area was a concern for organizers.
Runners registered for that race were given several options due to the cancellations. Disney offered a full refund for race registration in the form of a Disney gift card, two 1-day park hopper tickets, deferred-registration for another runDisney race or a chance to run in Sunday’s full marathon.
The Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend is one of the most popular race weekends in the country, bringing about 100,000 people to the Orlando area and pumping millions of dollars into the economy.