Matt Giacobbe's Staging Area

I felt the staff did a tremendous job with such a large participation pool. The late start was a bit confusing but not a major issue. Running in the stadium and finishing in the training center was very cool. The medal was nice as well.

Once again, the course finished shorter than the advertised half-marathon distance. It is very frustrating to have an inaccurate time knowing the distance was not full. The appeal for this race lies solely in the opportunity to run on the speedway, yet race production has practically 0 photographers on the track! You would think they would want to capture runners’ moments here but they did not. The medal was cool; However, the older theming, which was centered around the speedway/NASCAR, is cooler. The free race shirt was not made of performance material and could have been better. It is disappointing that this race has so much potential but (literally) falls short.

This event had a huge participant size and handled it very well. The medal design is fun and the post-race snacks were great. The course was very serene and flat

Like many others, I completed the Coast to Coast Challenge in this half-marathon. I also ran it as a part of the Chills and Thrills Challenge. This was a simple course, 6 miles within Disney and 7 outside. The water stations were well placed. My only critique is that the post-run party was lame compared to WDW events. They should have photo-ops with the giant distance numbers like they do at WDW. The shirts and medals were well designed. I hope to complete another run at Disneyland when they return after 2026.

This is a wonderful way to spend the morning of the 4th of July. The course is self-timed, with many walkers who are courteous to runners. The 2025 medal was not as nice as previous years’ medals, but that is my only critique. This event benefits a wonderful organization in Special Olympics New Jersey.

The event was well organized and benefited a wonderful organization in RMHC NY Metro. The course was relatively flat through a quiet neighborhood.

The race production was fantastic with plenty of volunteers and aid stations. The course allows the opportunity to run both through the city of Philly and along the Schuykill River. No complaints about the race itself.

I am disappointed with the 2025 medal. When comparing to past years’ medals, 2025 appears lazy and nondetailed. The shirt was nice but I hope the medal design in the future mimics that of previous years.

Overall, I had a great time running this event and would participate again!

Starting with the positives: you get to run on the Speedway which is extremely cool. The other 10 miles run through quiet neighborhoods, down to water where you run through a nice park and Jackie Robinson Stadium, and then back to One Daytona. The course felt almost entirely flat and lead to a PR. The medal was well designed and looks great. Refreshment stations were perfectly placed with water and orange gatorade.

In my opinion, CLASH Endurance has the opportunity to make this a premier event if some adjustments are made. To start, a t shirt was not given with registration. With the ability to use the speedway in race swag it is a big missed opportunity to not have a running shirt given. Additionally, the race expo was bare bones and did not feel like an experience. Much like the race swag, being able to use the speedway (and the 500) for the expo opens so many opportunities which were not taken here. I would also suggest more photographers on the speedway. Only two were present on the main stretch and 0 on the straight between turns 2 and 3. Running on the Speedway is a highlight of this race, more photographers should be there to capture memories of the runners being on the same track as those famous cars. If speakers could be placed along the track I think playing sounds of the cars driving or famous Daytona 500 commentary recordings could make for a more immersive experience as well. Finally, 1 minute waves to start would open the beginning stretch more which felt a bit crowded.

Overall, this event was a good time but there is so much more opportunity to make it spectacular. CLASH has undertaken this event for only a couple of years so far and I believe with adjustments they can make this a larger destination running event than it already is. I would consider running this again.

The expo was well run and had 0 lines when I went the day before the marathon. I was not shopping for merchandise but they seemed to have stock of multiple items. Morning of the race the corrals were easy to navigate. Early start time was no issue, once on the course things went fairly well. Out of 26.2 miles you run about 5-6 in parks split up by around 7 mile increments in between. Most of the course was flat and simple to navigate. I am a fan of the large amount of refreshment stations along the course. Character meetings were ok, not my biggest draw for the race. One of the highlights was a “star wars mile” which was more entertaining than the usual highway stretch. Worst miles were the water treatment facility and 21-22. Finish line area was nice and post-race reunion area was organized well. The vintage theming of the race was nicely designed as well. I would definitely run this again.

Full disclosure, I am not a huge Disney person. I’ve enjoyed trips to the park but would not consider myself a fanatic by any means. Nonetheless, I was very excited to run at Disney. I did plenty of research beforehand (which I recommend), had a hotel on property, and had a goal to PR. I only signed up for the half and was flying in the night before Saturday and returning Sunday night.

Major kudos to Disney on transportation to the Expo from the hotel. Seamless process taking the bus. The expo itself was fine. I did not care for any of the merchandise for sale. However, the race shirt was fantastic! A neutral gray with the half marathon logo on front, nothing too crazy. The half marathon registration also included a luggage tag which was a welcome surprise. While I was not too interested in character pictures it was a nice touch at bib pickup and I witnessed many other guests have a memorable experience which makes it a definite positive. Overall the expo was good but it left more to be desired from a Disney production standpoint.

Race day transportation was seamless as well. I truly do give Disney credit for one of the best bus systems I have ridden. I was on the first bus from my hotel and starting in corral B. The time you wait at the corral was not a major issue, I brought my breakfast and hydration to be ready for a 5 am start time.

The race itself was great from my standpoint. I took time to take pictures with a few characters but not all. The major delay seemed to be the first character, Gaston, who had a long line. Any other character I took a picture with had 0-1 people stopping. I found the hydration stations to be placed a good distance apart for my needs. I never felt the need for one earlier than it appeared. Even at the start I did not feel the field was crowded and was able to weave until there was comfortable spacing.

One of the major draws to these races is the ability to run through Disney parks. In my honest opinion, the Hollywood Studios portion far superseded the Epcot portion. While running through Epcot was enjoyable I did not find it as invigorating. The other mileage is done on roads/highways which were fine.

I was able to hit my PR goal even with picture stops, it really depends on what you value more on race day. I did not think the medal was that great, I was not a big fan of the art style used and the color and finish seems dull This is just my opinion.

Are the RunDisney events worth the cost? If you enjoy running in new places then I would say yes. I found it more enjoyable to stop for pictures and truly immerse myself in the experience than to go full throttle and focus just on running and I still completed my goal. The organization and execution of this event was superb with an enjoyable course.

Bib pickup was easy the morning of, well organized event. Course goes from tropicana field down to the soccer stadium and straight back, relatively simple. The course is somewhat inclined on the way back but not too steep. Post-race festivities included plenty of swag from sponsors, free drinks from the Daiquiri Deck, and great medals! Fun 5K if you are a Rays/Baseball fan and great value for a relatively cheap registration price