Dopey Race Part 5 Warm Up and Stretching

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Written By Ali Marty

Season 3 of Running to the Castle Podcast w/ Dr. Ali Marty

Episode 185 How Slow runDisney Runners Should Warm Up for Dopey Without Feeling Stiff by Mile 2runDisney Races

In this episode of Running to the Castle, Dr. Ali breaks down exactly how to warm up and stretch during the Dopey Challenge so you can protect your body across 4 straight race days and still feel strong by marathon morning. 

She explains the difference between dynamic movement, mobility work, and static stretching…and why doing the wrong type at the wrong time can actually make you feel worse.

Dr. Ali walks through how warming up properly helps your body redirect blood flow to working muscles, loosen stiff joints, and prevent early cramping, especially for slow, back-of-the-pack, or injury-prone runners. 

She also gives clear, practical guidance on when to stretch, how long to hold stretches, which muscle groups matter most after each race, and how to layer in tools like compression, foam rolling, and elevation so soreness doesn’t snowball by day 4.

Ali Marty

Hi! I’m Ali. I’ve been in the health and wellness space since graduating with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in 2012. I worked in the typical outpatient clinic with active men and women with orthopedic injuries (shin splints, Achilles tendonitis, muscle and ligament tears, knee pain, IT Band pain, plantar fasciitis, and hip and knee arthritis until 2018 at which point I started Mobile Physical Therapy in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over the past few years I’ve transitioned to helping women running runDisney races after they’ve had an injury and they want to finish strong and enjoy the rest of their runcation.

https://dralipt.com
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Dopey Race Part 4 Fueling & Hydrating