Everything you ever wanted to know about the runDisney experience.
Jump to specific content here
10k
5k
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn the top 3 main reasons RunDisney runners do not finish (DNF) their races:
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn how to finish the Dopey Challenge even when you’re injury-prone without getting injured with strength training.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn 7 patterns Dr. Ali recognized as a physical therapist to runDisney runners DNF’ing their race.
In this episode of Running to the Castle, you’ll learn how to strategically prepare for the Dopey Challenge, especially if you're a new runner. I cover the essential steps to avoid injury and cross that finish line strong
In this episode of Running to the Castle you'll learn if you want to spend time all training season googling answers to different things and do it yourself having a coach isn't for you.
This episode is a little tongue-in-cheek which is out of the norm for this podcast, and that's OK we can have a little fun even when Dr. Ali is typically on the serious side.
Learn when to officially start training for Dopey and what to do leading up to official training. There are specific things to work out and a top mistake to avoid. Avoid this top mistake so you don’t get injured again and you can stop getting minor injuries throughout training.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn the 3 Main Elements you need to include in the time between Dopey and Princess Weekend.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn how to recover fast from a Marathon so you can keep training for your next race.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn what to do in the first few days after Dopey to recover fast and get rid of pain and soreness.
Listen to the whole episode to hear examples of how many carbs are in honey stinger waffle, honey stinger chews, clifbloks, gummy bears and more. Top tips for the hard miles, fuel by time not mileage, and how often to take in fuel.
For the injury-prone runDisney runner you may want to run the week of your race to get a few final miles in… or you may feel guilty about taking time off.
Listen to this episode to find out which is best: running race week or taking some time off.
Dopey
Disney Marathon Weekend 2026 Race Maps
Disney Marathon Race Map for 2025 race weekend. Find it here with important updates regarding race start time.
If you want to runDisney in one piece, without feeling broken at the finish line, these are 10 things you must do!
It’s been a few weeks since Wine and Dine and if that race didn’t go as planned you probably slowed it way down or took a few weeks off. So how do you maximize these next 7 weeks so you don’t repeat Wine and Dine over Marathon Weekend. This information can be used for any of the distances but I’m mainly going to be talking about half marathon distance and beyond.
Recently I polled a group of runners who ran at least one Disney Challenge this past season and asked them what would they do differently next time. I got over 100 responses that I’m going to share with you today and the take aways from these responses.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn 5 Signs You’re Going to Not Finish Dopey.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn the top 3 main reasons RunDisney runners do not finish (DNF) their races:
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn 7 patterns Dr. Ali recognized as a physical therapist to runDisney runners DNF’ing their race.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you'll learn if you want to spend time all training season googling answers to different things and do it yourself having a coach isn't for you.
This episode is a little tongue-in-cheek which is out of the norm for this podcast, and that's OK we can have a little fun even when Dr. Ali is typically on the serious side.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn how to recover fast from a Marathon so you can keep training for your next race.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn what to do in the first few days after Dopey to recover fast and get rid of pain and soreness.
For the injury-prone runDisney runner you may want to run the week of your race to get a few final miles in… or you may feel guilty about taking time off.
Listen to this episode to find out which is best: running race week or taking some time off.
Marathon
Disney Marathon Weekend 2026 Race Maps
Disney Marathon Race Map for 2025 race weekend. Find it here with important updates regarding race start time.
If you want to runDisney in one piece, without feeling broken at the finish line, these are 10 things you must do!
If you’re running a runDisney race you want to run it in one piece obviously, nobody wants to feel broken running 3.1+ miles. 10 mistakes to avoid if you want to runDisney without feeling broken
It’s been a few weeks since Wine and Dine and if that race didn’t go as planned you probably slowed it way down or took a few weeks off. So how do you maximize these next 7 weeks so you don’t repeat Wine and Dine over Marathon Weekend. This information can be used for any of the distances but I’m mainly going to be talking about half marathon distance and beyond.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn 5 Signs You’re Going to Not Finish Dopey.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn the top 3 main reasons RunDisney runners do not finish (DNF) their races:
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn 7 patterns Dr. Ali recognized as a physical therapist to runDisney runners DNF’ing their race.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you'll learn if you want to spend time all training season googling answers to different things and do it yourself having a coach isn't for you.
This episode is a little tongue-in-cheek which is out of the norm for this podcast, and that's OK we can have a little fun even when Dr. Ali is typically on the serious side.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn what to do during the 6 weeks from Marathon Weekend to Princess Weekend when you ran the half marathon and are running the Princess half marathon.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn the 3 Main Elements you need to include in the time between Dopey and Princess Weekend.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn what to do in the first few days after Dopey to recover fast and get rid of pain and soreness.
For the injury-prone runDisney runner you may want to run the week of your race to get a few final miles in… or you may feel guilty about taking time off.
Listen to this episode to find out which is best: running race week or taking some time off.
Half Marathon
Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend Race Maps 2025
Feeling overwhelmed about not having enough time to run a half marathon before your half marathon? Find out how far you actually should be running for a half marathon race.
If you want to runDisney in one piece, without feeling broken at the finish line, these are 10 things you must do!
If you’re running a runDisney race you want to run it in one piece obviously, nobody wants to feel broken running 3.1+ miles. 10 mistakes to avoid if you want to runDisney without feeling broken
Train this way for a half marathon so you don’t bonk on race day. You want to be able to cross the finish line without feeling broken and enjoy the Disney parks after your race. Here’s how to train.
It’s been a few weeks since Wine and Dine and if that race didn’t go as planned you probably slowed it way down or took a few weeks off. So how do you maximize these next 7 weeks so you don’t repeat Wine and Dine over Marathon Weekend. This information can be used for any of the distances but I’m mainly going to be talking about half marathon distance and beyond.
Focus your energy on the right things in the 2 weeks leading up to your 10k or half marathon, or challenge race weekend.
In this episode of Running to the Castle you’ll learn 5 Signs You’re Going to Not Finish Dopey.