 Hey everybody and welcome to my long in-process blog from the Dopey Challenge 2025 at Walt Disney World. I know I've been sharing Vlogs about my Dopey Challenge Journey and I'll be linking them into this update as well. But I'm old school. I like being able to write down my thoughts about something so monumental that I was able to do in my life. Not only for myself personally, but also the ability to give something back through donations to the American Cancer Society. Something that is very meaningful to me. And while I'm still clinging to the Dopey being "one and done" for me, I will be back with Team Determination most likely in 2026 for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon. So stay tuned. Let's get on with it and move back to January 7, 2025. Over 2 months ago (and maybe close to 3 by the time I actually get this posted). As I made my way from Southern California to Orlando to begin my challenge. Day Zero - Travel Day  Seeing these signs made it more real  If you didn't take a picture of the MCO carpet, did you even go to Orlando?  Oddly enough, my first stop on my Dopey Challenge journey would not be at Disney World, but at Universal Orlando. I booked Aventura on my arrival night in hopes that I could head over to Islands of Adventure and get a nighttime ride on my favorite coaster.  I made it!  My first ever nighttime ride on my favorite coaster. It did not disappoint. And my first coaster of 2025. The year I also turn 50. So it was a good one to start with.    A few pics of the room at Aventura. I'll be honest, this was the 4th hotel we've stayed at on Universal Property, and it's 3rd out of the 4 for me. I much prefer Cabana Bay for a similarly priced hotel.  Only Dockside comes in below Aventura for me TBH. Day One - Expo Day Expo Day is here, but I've got some time to kill before my room at All Star Movies is ready, so after a quick boat ride I found myself back at Islands of Adventure.  Early entry is the best. 2 rides on Hagrid's and 3 on Velocicoaster before the park even opened!  And of course a quick trip to the Studios for a visit with my buddy E.T..  On my way to Disney World, had to make a stop for supplies. I think this makes me an honorary Floridian or something.  We'll get back to a tour of All Star Movies soon, but I absolutely love the decorations people had in their windows.  This was when it got REALLY real   I was wholly unprepared for how large the expo was, or what a party it is.   Merch Haul!
 After the expo I decided to head over to Disney's Animal Kingdom for a last (could have also been my first) ride on TriceraTop Spin.   And of course a ride on Everest. Below you'll see my training wrap-up and my day at the Marathon Weekend/Dopey Challenge Expo! Day Two - Walt Disney World 5kI have to be honest, on the mornings before my wife arrived my biggest concern was actually waking up. 5k Day, good start! Although it was so early, my phone still thought I was on CA time (11:33pm)
 The first of 4 VERY early mornings at Epcot  Customary morning picture in front of Spaceship Earth  Absolutely loved that they put a display of what characters would be out before the race.
 A full hour after the race started I finally began my Dopey Journey!   Since the 5k wasn't timed, I was in no rush at all.     It was then off to Disney's Hollywood Studios for some after race fun and pics.  It's one of the tips in our "10 Dopey Tips" video, but seriously, spring for the PhotoPass package. It's so worth it.  After a quiet morning at the park experiencing some of my favorite attractions and some gross pizza, I called it a day at about 1:00pm and headed back to the hotel.  Seriously, people are going to miss this?  This is what's going to be missed  After nap time and since I didn't think we'd ever be staying at the All Stars again, I decided to take a little tour around the hotel.  Nothing against the hotel, it's great for families. But our kids are grown. Maybe someday if/when we have grandkids we'll be back. Although we really do love the Moderates.  It was great for me for my first 2 nights of the Dopey as I was literally just in the room to sleep. Which did prove hard due to the thin walls.  If you'd like to see more of the All Star Movies resort, you can view the slideshow below.  After a quiet dinner in the room it was "put on a movie you've seen a lot and fall asleep early" time. 10k morning would be here before we know it! Day Three - 10k Day 10k Day is here! It's another cold one, but some running would actually be taking place today!   Customary morning picture in front of Spaceship Earth  Since I had to wait so long to start the 5k I made a point to get near the front of my corral so I could start a bit earlier for the 10k  Cold morning but ready to go!  I see you balloon ladies ...      Loved seeing the World Showcase Cast Members out for pictures!  On the boardwalk. I see you hotel we'll be checking into in just a few hours!   
 10k day was eventful, but also not photo worthy. Had a fantastic brunch with our American Cancer Society team, got to talk about my sister a bit. Checked into the Beach Club and then had to pick up my wife at MCO. We ended our night with a nice quiet dinner at Epcot before turning in early. Day Four - Walt Disney World Half Marathon Now at the Beach Club, I actually had somebody to take my picture before heading to the bus!  Customary morning picture in front of Spaceship Earth
 It was Poncho day/back-up running shoes day (another one of our upcoming tips)  For the first day we ventured outside of the Epcot area  Blurry selfie with our amazing American Cancer Society Development Manager Ashley!  Running down Main Street is so awesome 
 OMG, Derkwerng Derck! =)
 After a nice shower it was off to the Magic Kingdom for a day of fun!   I of course had to visit my buddy Donald and show off my medal. He was quite impressed.   Best time for Castle pics is when there is a cavalcade passing by.  Also went on the Liberty Belle for the first (and likely last) time  After a nice and chill few hours at Magic Kingdom, it was time for a monorail hop over to Epcot and a late lunch/early dinner at Le Cellier. Our first (definitely not last) time here.
 We had a lot of good meals during our trip, but this was probably the best one. The rest of the day was pretty much spent chilling at the hotel and we were in bed by 8:00pm. A very long day is coming up! Day Five - Walt Disney World Marathon Day Here we go! The last early morning and the culmination of everything!  Customary morning picture in front of Spaceship Earth  It was COLD and also the day of many hats! You'll see ...  I had thought about ditching my beanie before the start, then figured I'd just wear it until it got too sweaty and toss it. That was the right call!
 Just got this picture this week. At the TTC I got a fist bump from Ashley our American Cancer Society rock star! This is the kind of support that is priceless!  So many people warned me about the stretch between Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, but TBH I didn't think it was bad. The loops around the MK parking lot were the worst IMO.
 Seriously, there is no better feeling of accomplishment. Look at all those smiles. We all know it's over!  And of course a celebratory ride on Guardians of the Galaxy to cap off the Dopey Challenge! Yes, we did this right after I ran a marathon!  Amazing dinner at 'Ohana. Lots of other fellow Dopey's there that night! Day Six to Ten - The Runcation! Shockingly enough, the next morning we found ourselves at Disney's Animal Kingdom to start our Runcation. We ended up spending 4 additional days in Florida and honestly, I was mostly okay for the duration.
 In fact, the only day I went back to take a nap at the hotel was the day after the Marathon. Of course, most of our days were VERY chill.
 Lots of fabulous meals, lots of medal pics in all of the parks and just a nice chill time.
 We even got to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Space Mountain and Carousel of Progress (at Magic Kingdom)  Customary morning picture in front of Spaceship Earth. Well, last night in Florida Spaceship Earth picture. Dopey Tips!I want to share our Dopey Tips video below, be sure you check it out if you are planning on taking on this challenge. I did a LOT of research for the Dopey, so I've incorporated some of that into this video. Surprisingly, I didn't find a lot of tips on spectating for the Dopey and most likely other WDW Race Weekends. So I've also included tips for spectators. I wanted to list them here in addition to sharing the video. Spectator Tips:
Runner Tips:
Thank you all for checking out our Dopey Challenge video series and reading all of this if you made it that far. I also want to give a shout out to my amazing wife and family for support through this entire thing. And most importantly, thank you to everybody who took the time out to donate to the American Cancer Society and all of the other charitable organizations. It's truly amazing to see the generosity of others, during a time when we can really use it. That last bit is kind of an extra bonus tip! If you want to do any runDisney race, and don't want to worry about registration issues, find one of the many charities that are offering bibs for any of the races (it's not just for Dopey). I promise you the satisfaction you will get from fundraising for an amazing charity will be just as amazing as the rewards at the finish line! Related Videos
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Yesterday Renée made a return to Disney's Animal Kingdom and decided to see if the Genie could help her on her day in the park. Did it? Well, read on to find out! Before we get into the update, Renée is running the Dopey at the WDW Marathon in January and is raising money for the incredible Give Kids The World. You can donate here. Written by Renée Girard  Good afternoon from Disney’s Animal Kingdom! It’s been a while since we’ve had some WDW content, and we thought we’d let Disney Genie do the planning today. Let’s see what kind of adventure this takes us on…   We already had lunch, so skipping Flame Tree, but Finding Nemo sounds like a good idea. Except it’s raining and we don’t feel like waiting an hour, so it’s the 2:30 show instead.  Finding Nemo: The Musical is a shell of what it was pre-Covid, but the performers are outstanding and most of the fantastic songs remain.     South American tour groups have returned. Nature is healing.  Genie has updated the selections. I already found Nemo… rain is holding me back from venturing over to safari but hey, I’ll give it a chance.  Took a detour at the Restarantosaurus Lounge for a drink, a hidden gem, where cast member Jimmy is the real MVP.  Genie tells me to see Nemo at 4:30 but I already did. Park offerings are limited. Tell me what I should do and I’ll do it.  With pretty much no wait and was along our pathway, It’s Tough to be a Bug wins for our next stop. Will check in with Genie after the show for our next suggestion.     Hopper is alive!  Ok Genie wants me to check out the safari so I’ll stop by and might take a detour to the 5pm Lion King show.  There are so many pathways surrounding the Tree of Life, including the It’s Tough to be a Bug exit, where you get spectacular views like this.  Whoops another detour from Genie, at Dawn bar for beer and saying hi to some friends!   Safari will have to wait. For now, It is Time.  Festival of the Lion King was fantastic   On to the safari as recommended by Genie, and looks as if he has made the right call.  Always love the safari.    Genie has us getting food in 50 min so not sure what to do next but we’ll gladly take a walk around.  Not waiting till 6:50 to get food as recommended by Genie… No wait at Nomad Lounge!   Gave up on following Genie and just took a walk through Pandora. Thanks for following our journey today! Related Videos
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 Today Renée was able to head to Disney's Animal Kingdom for their Cast Menu preview as they prepare for their reopening on Saturday. The park has really gone all out with the precautions and social distancing guidelines to hopefully keep everybody safe. Let's head into the park and see what it looks like! Hello from Disney’s Animal Kingdom!    Social distancing shouldn’t be an issue here today.
An open trash can and some safety reminders welcome you to Pandora.  No touchy!  Flight of Passage has been walk on all morning.  Social distancing lines are on the ground for the entire queue.  Lots of plexiglass barriers added throughout the queue for Flight of Passage. 
 You walk through the first preshow right into the second one where your party stands on larger dots rather than the usual numbers.
No wait for Navi River Journey. More social distancing lines and plexiglass.
 One of the relaxation stations in Asia at Animal Kingdom.  No wait on Expedition Everest. Similar queue spacing and plexiglass here too.
Characters are appearing from a distance on boats.  Social distancing rules go out the window when afternoon storms roll in.  Current menu at Yak and Yeti. Sad to see the fried green beans didn’t make the cut!  Let’s go get that dino! Everyone has been very respectful of distancing and masks for the most part today.     Dinoland is a ghost town.     Lots of dividers in the queue and on the trucks at Kilimanjaro Safari.     Some more of the socially distant entertainment passing by along the water.  Gotta take advantage of absolutely no one in line at Flight of Passage one more time.
Pretty sure I’ll never see it like this ever again.
Solo ride on Flight of Passage.   This was magical.
  Thanks for following along on our preview day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! I have to say that I felt completely safe, and I was definitely apprehensive going in. It was a little weird with CMs in masks and face shields, and yes, it’s hot, but the crowds were non existent.  Related Videos
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