runDisney Celebrates 10th Anniversary of the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend
Can you believe that runDisney will be celebrating it’s 10th anniversary of the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon this weekend? Today I wanted to bring you a look back on some of the greatest moments and compelling stories from the past 10 years. I’m sure we have even more in store this weekend too with a 5K on Friday, November 1, 10K and kids races on Saturday, November 2, and half marathon on Sunday, November 3.
Runners and Guests can start celebrating the race weekend on Thursday, Oct. 31 when the Health & Fitness Expo kicks off at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Visit the Expo from Thursday to Saturday for exclusive race weekend merchandise, interactive demonstrations, and innovative tech and gear to encourage health and fitness.
We hope you’re getting as excited for race weekend as we are! To toast to the 10th anniversary, let’s look back on the top 10 moments in Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend:
- 2010: Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon began on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010. At the time, it was the first runDisney event held at night and the first to involve a relay option.
- 2010-2012: Anton Van Zyle is one of two people in runDisney race history to win three consecutive half marathons. He won the first three Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathons in 2010, 2011 and 2012, also making him the only male to have won the race more than once.
- 2014: Chris Sorrick became the youngest participant to win the Half Marathon at the age of 21.
- 2016: For the first time in event history, the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon started in the morning.
- 2016: runDisney began serving up some new flavors, expanding to a four-day event that included that additions of the 10K race and a new challenge event – Lumiere’s Two Course Challenge.
- 2016: Jason Simpson from Boulder, Colorado set the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon course record with a time of 1:10:24.
- 2016: We met Walter Beckman, the determined blind runner from Pensacola who completed Lumiere’s Challenge and is returning to run during the 10th anniversary weekend.
- 2017: Brazilian runner Giovanna Martins made history as the first woman to be the overall winner of a runDisney half marathon race (1:19:22).
- 2017: For the first time, runDisney race participants had the chance to run through Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, with both the 5K and Half Marathon courses crossing through the land.
- 2017: For the first time in event history, runDisney used the Cast of the Adventurer’s Club both on-course and during the Post-Race Party.
Not running but still want to celebrate the 10th annual Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend with us? Join the ChEAR Squad as a spectator to support runners during the 10K and Half Marathon, or attend the Post-Race Party on Sunday night for an after-hours party at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival where you’ll have access to all the Global Marketplaces, select Epcot attractions, rare characters, and party-exclusive merchandise. Visit www.runDisney.com for more information and tickets for both the ChEAR Squad and Post-Race Party!
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