The Castle Run Podcast

The first race weekend of the 2026–2027 season is in the books, so this week we're taking a detour from the book to recap Wine & Dine. I ran the Two Course Challenge (the 10K on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday), skipped the 5K, and talked to a lot of you about how the newly expanded 5K went. We cover Expo and the new PhotoPass stations, merch and resellers, the Three Caballeros 10K, the Mary Poppins half (including Feed the Birds before mile 1), the half marathon course, and the 5K: the start clusters, pacing and the Balloon Ladies, the fact that nobody got swept, and what could be better going into Marathon Weekend.

Did you run Wine & Dine? I'd love to hear how your weekend went, especially if you ran the 5K. Message me on Instagram at @thecastlerunner or email lisa@thecastlerun.com.

LINKS
The new 5K format, explained: https://thecastlerun.com/WD5K
Free printables library: https://thecastlerun.com/printables

NEXT WEEK
Back to the book with costuming, just in time for Marathon Weekend.

THE BOOK: The runDisney Companion — https://thecastlerun.com/book
UPDATES: the Companion Hub — https://thecastlerun.com/companion/
New episodes Tuesdays at 5 a.m.

Book partners are sponsors of the book. There's no affiliate relationship; I don't earn anything when you book with them.

The Castle Run podcast and The runDisney Companion are not endorsed by, affiliated with, or sponsored by Disney or runDisney.

You're registered. Now you actually have to get ready. My first-ever guest, Coach Tom Stokes of Stoked Metabolic (you might know him as @themusclemouse, or as one of @thetutuguys), joins me to talk through training for a runDisney race: how to pick a plan you'll actually follow, letting the schedule do the deciding, fueling your training, consistency and effort, what to do when life interrupts, why strength work matters for runners, trusting the taper, and running on tired legs if you're taking on a challenge. Tom also tells the story of how the tutus started, and we finish with a lightning round. This is Chapter Five of The runDisney Companion.

LINKS
This episode's article: https://thecastlerun.com/training
Work with Coach Tom at Stoked Metabolic (mention the book for $50 off each month of coaching): https://thecastlerun.com/go/stoked
Tom on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themusclemouse/
This week’s free printable, the Training Journal, and the rest of the printables library: https://thecastlerun.com/printables
The new 5K format, explained: https://thecastlerun.com/WD5K
MEI-Travel & Mouse Fan Travel: https://thecastlerun.com/MEI

NEXT WEEK
Costumes & Gear: what to bring on race morning, how to plan a costume you can actually run in, and the gear that will make the miles more comfortable.

THE BOOK: The runDisney Companion — https://thecastlerun.com/book
UPDATES: the Companion Hub — https://thecastlerun.com/companion/
New episodes Tuesdays at 5 a.m.

Book partners are sponsors of the book. There's no affiliate relationship; I don't earn anything when you book with them.

The Castle Run podcast and The runDisney Companion are not endorsed by, affiliated with, or sponsored by Disney or runDisney.

runDisney registration can feel as stressful as race day itself. In this episode I walk through how it works and what you can do to give yourself the best odds: when registration opens, the three ways in before the general public (Perfect status, Club runDisney Gold and Platinum, and Run for a Cause), how the virtual waiting room works, why a few open windows help, and what to have ready before you check out. Then Club runDisney's tiers, prices and perks, proof of time, how start groups and corrals work, and why the Balloon Ladies are on your side. This is Chapter Four of The runDisney Companion.

Registration details change often. Everything here is current as of October 2026, so double-check on rundisney.com before your registration day.

LINKS
This episode's article: https://thecastlerun.com/registration
The free Registration Day Checklist and the rest of the printables: https://thecastlerun.com/printables
Pacing calculator (how much time you'll have on the course): https://thecastlerun.com/cushion
The new 5K format at Wine & Dine 2026, explained: https://thecastlerun.com/wine-dine-2026-5k-changes/
Running Wine & Dine this week? My 2026 guide: https://thecastlerun.com/wine-dine-2026-guide/
run. eet. repeat. Book signing at eet, Thursday, October 22, 3–6 p.m., benefiting Kellsie's Hope: https://thecastlerun.com/eetWD
MEI-Travel & Mouse Fan Travel: https://thecastlerun.com/MEI

NEXT WEEK
Training: how to pick a training plan, why a schedule matters, training on tired legs for a challenge, testing your fuel, and tapering.

THE BOOK: The runDisney Companion — https://thecastlerun.com/book
UPDATES: the Companion Hub — https://thecastlerun.com/companion/
New episodes Tuesdays at 5 a.m.

Book partners are sponsors of the book. There's no affiliate relationship; I don't earn anything when you book with them.

The Castle Run podcast and The runDisney Companion are not endorsed by, affiliated with, or sponsored by Disney or runDisney.

runDisney feels like it has been around forever. It hasn't. The name itself only dates to 2010, and the first Walt Disney World Marathon was in January 1994, with about 5,600 runners.

In this episode I follow the thread of each of today's four race weekends back to where it started: Marathon Weekend, from that first marathon to the half, Goofy and Dopey; Wine & Dine, from the Disney Classic 10K and the Tower of Terror 13K to the night half marathon; Princess, from Mini Marathon Weekend to the race that changed who runs runDisney; and Springtime Surprise, by way of Disneyland, Tinker Bell, Star Wars and the Rival Run. This is Chapter Two of The runDisney Companion.

LINKS
This episode's article and the runDisney history timeline printable: https://thecastlerun.com/history
All the printables: https://thecastlerun.com/printables
Running Wine & Dine this month? My 2026 guide: https://thecastlerun.com/wine-dine-2026-guide/
The new 5K start groups at Wine & Dine 2026, explained: https://thecastlerun.com/wine-dine-2026-5k-changes/
run. eet. repeat. Book signing at eet, Thursday, October 22, 3–6 p.m., benefiting Kellsie's Hope: https://thecastlerun.com/eetWD
MEI-Travel & Mouse Fan Travel: https://thecastlerun.com/MEI

NEXT WEEK
Registration: how it works, how to maximize your chances, proof of time and Club runDisney.

THE BOOK: The runDisney Companion — https://thecastlerun.com/book
UPDATES: the Companion Hub — https://thecastlerun.com/companion/
New episodes Tuesdays at 5 a.m.

Book partners are sponsors of the book. There's no affiliate relationship; I don't earn anything when you book with them.

The Castle Run podcast and The runDisney Companion are not endorsed by, affiliated with, or sponsored by Disney or runDisney.

Before we talk race weekends, corrals and costumes, I owe you the story of how I got here. I wasn't a runner. I wasn't a Disney person. I was a Big Law attorney working 100-hour weeks when my dad got sick — and one day my body refused to sit still with what I was feeling, so I put on my sneakers and ran.

A heads-up before you press play: this episode talks about a parent's illness and an end-of-life decision. If today isn't the day for that, Episode 2 is out now too, and you can always come back.

This is Chapter One of The runDisney Companion, told the way I'd tell it across the table: the first run, the first Disney trip after we lost my dad, the 2016 Princess Half Marathon, the post-race crash nobody warned me about, the phone call that got me out of law, and the move to a home a stone's throw from Cinderella Castle. One hundred runDisney races later, here we are.

BOOK PARTNERS
They're companies my family and I have used and trust.
MEI-Travel & Mouse Fan Travel: thecastlerun.com/go/MEI

FIND ME
https://thecastlerun.com
Instagram: @thecastlerunner

CHAPTERS
0:00 Cold open
0:15 Welcome to The Castle Run
2:25 Chapter One: how I came to be the person writing this book
3:28 Big Law and the house of cards
4:18 My dad's diagnosis
5:54 The first run
6:59 My 36th birthday
8:09 Why I kept running, and our first Disney trip
11:38 Finding runDisney: the 2016 Princess Half Marathon
12:35 The post-race blues
13:15 "Put a date on the calendar"
14:07 Leaving the law and moving to Windermere
15:14 100 races and The runDisney Companion
16:05 A quick note, and my book partners
17:49 What's next

THE BOOK: The runDisney Companion — https://thecastlerun.com/book
UPDATES: the Companion Hub — https://thecastlerun.com/companion/
New episodes Tuesdays at 5 a.m.

Book partners are sponsors of the book. There's no affiliate relationship; I don't earn anything when you book with them.

The Castle Run podcast and The runDisney Companion are not endorsed by, affiliated with, or sponsored by Disney or runDisney.

Four runDisney race weekends, one season, and one question: which one is yours? Here's how to choose — and why you shouldn't overthink it.

In this episode I walk through Wine & Dine, Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, Princess, and Springtime Surprise: when each one falls, the longest race, the challenge, the theme, which courses run through Magic Kingdom, and who each weekend is for. This is Chapter Three of The runDisney Companion.

2026–27 SEASON
Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend: October 22–25, 2026
Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend: January 6–10, 2027
Princess Half Marathon Weekend: February 25 – March 1, 2027
Springtime Surprise Weekend: April 8–11, 2027

LINKS
The new 5K start groups at Wine & Dine 2026, explained: https://thecastlerun.com/wine-dine-2026-5k-changes/
MEI-Travel & Mouse Fan Travel: https://thecastlerun.com/go/MEI

NEXT WEEK
The history of runDisney, and how each of these race weekends came to be.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Cold open
0:11 Welcome to episode two
1:12 Don't overthink it: what every race weekend shares
2:36 What's different: timing, distance, challenge, theme, course
4:30 Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend
5:39 Age requirements by distance
6:11 My first Wine & Dine, and its night-race roots
8:50 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend
12:49 Why Dopey makes this my favorite weekend
14:15 Princess Half Marathon Weekend
16:12 My first race
18:38 Springtime Surprise Weekend
22:01 Virtual races
22:48 So which one? Don't overthink it
23:36 The book, updates, and MEI-Travel
24:10 What's next

THE BOOK: The runDisney Companion — https://thecastlerun.com/book
UPDATES: the Companion Hub — https://thecastlerun.com/companion/
New episodes Tuesdays at 5 a.m.

Book partners are sponsors of the book. There's no affiliate relationship; I don't earn anything when you book with them.

The Castle Run podcast and The runDisney Companion are not endorsed by, affiliated with, or sponsored by Disney or runDisney.

Welcome to The Castle Run Podcast—a limited series built around The runDisney Companion, the beginner’s guide and the veteran’s love letter to all things runDisney.

I’m Lisa DiNoto Glassner. I live a stone’s throw from Cinderella Castle, I’ve run more than 100 runDisney races, and last month I finally published the book I’d been meaning to write for years.

Now we’re going to walk through it together.

Each week, we’ll take on one piece of the runDisney experience—choosing your race, registering, training, planning your trip, race weekend, recovery, challenges, and all the other good stuff that happens along the way. Sometimes I’ll bring in an expert guest. Mostly, it’ll just be you and me, shooting the pixie dust about running Disney.

Whether you’re considering your first runDisney race or have a drawer full of medals, pull up a chair. We’ve got a lot to talk about.

Learn more at thecastlerun.com/podcast

THE BOOK: The runDisney Companion — https://thecastlerun.com/book
UPDATES: the Companion Hub — https://thecastlerun.com/companion/
New episodes Tuesdays at 5 a.m.

Book partners are sponsors of the book. There's no affiliate relationship; I don't earn anything when you book with them.

The Castle Run podcast and The runDisney Companion are not endorsed by, affiliated with, or sponsored by Disney or runDisney.