That’s So Dopey!
by George Diaz
To the uninitiated, runDisney’s Dopey Challenge – a series of races at Walt Disney World – can seem like a bit of a misnomer.
Some may be tempted to give the event a more descriptive name, like the You’re Crazy Dopey Challenge. Or perhaps the What Are You Thinking? Dopey Challenge.
The event requires participants to run four races over four consecutive days (a 5K, a 10K, a half- marathon, and a full-marathon). The challenge’s mascot is none other than the beloved Dopey from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Dopey Challenge, part of the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, is held annually in January.
To complete the challenge, participants must run a grand total of 48.6 miles, a feat that is a test of strength, endurance, and will. Runners must be 18 or older and keep a 16-minute mile pace for the longer races.
Dopey sells out within hours of registration, with upwards of 8,000 participants in the mix. Why the frenzy to join the pack? We talked to a few intrepid souls from our community to ask about their why. Here are their stories:
Stephanie Calabro
For Stephanie Calabro, the Dopey Challenge began in 2025 as a solo endeavor, with the goal of simply making it through the long weekend grind of four races in a row.
This year’s Dopey, however, turned into a family affair. Stephanie’s brother ran his first-ever half-marathon, right alongside Stephanie. A day later, her niece completed her first marathon, running stride for stride beside Stephanie.
“Disney is so magical,” says Stephanie, who lives in Altamonte Springs, “but being able to experience all of that with my family made it extra special.”
Another matter of the heart made this year’s race especially meaningful for Stephanie, 41. Because the Dopey Challenge is in such high demand and sells out within hours, additional runners are allowed to compete if they raise money for a Disney-affiliated charity.
That’s exactly what Stephanie did, choosing to run for Cannonball Kids’ cancer, which funds innovative, accessible research to provide better treatments and quality of life for children fighting cancer. Stephanie’s friend, Dana Nichols, is the nonprofit’s executive director.
“I was just drawn into that world, seeing everything about pediatric cancer and the lack of funding out there,” says Stephanie. “This allows me to put something I love like running into raising money and awareness for these kids.”
Stephanie, who has participated in marathons off and on since 2012, credits Disney with rekindling her passion for running on a more consistent basis.
“There’s nothing like the Disney race experience,” she says. “I just love it.”
Katie Swanson
Katie Swanson fell in love with Disney’s Dopey experience before she even took her first step in the race.
Each year, thousands of runners gather in a corral of sorts in the wee morning hours, long before the running starts. As Katie mingled before her first Dopey Challenge in 2023, she connected with another runner named Denise. The two had already become Dopey Buddies through a Facebook group. Because Denise was more experienced with the challenge, she was able to give Katie sound advice to help her prepare.
“She’s still someone I talk to, to this day,” says the 22-year-old Katie, who lives in Altamonte Springs. “We talked a ton during my first Dopey and since then, she’s been my biggest supporter, cheerleader, and mentor.”
Katie’s story is like many others who get hooked on Dopey and keep coming back year after year.
“It’s the spirit of being with like-minded people,” she says. “The Disney family community is completely unmatched.”
Dopey has proven to be a perfect fit for Katie, who was already an avid runner. She has been running competitively since her years at Seminole High School, starting with 5Ks and progressing into greater distances. In May, Katie will complete another challenge, when she graduates from nursing school.
With three Dopey challenges under her belt, Katie says she will gladly take a page from her friend Denise’s book and step up to guide anyone who wants to join the pack.
“You can text me,” she says. “I will tell you how I’ve trained. I will support you. And I will be there to cheer you on.”
Kieran Seebadan
Kieran Seebadan’s training for long-distance races involves a minimalist approach.
“I just show up and wing it that day,” he says. “I did some training a few years ago with my wife [Amanda]. She made me train a little bit. But other than that, I get off the couch and show up.”
Kieran recently completed his fifth Dopey Challenge, although his Disney racing roots go back more than a decade. While living in Washington, D.C, Kieran and Amanda planned to fly to Florida so they could participate in the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend and visit family. A pregnancy forced Amanda to bow out of the race, so Kieran ran it by himself.
“From that point on,” says the 40-year-old Kieran, “I started looking into some of the other Disney races because I really liked the vibe of it – the atmosphere, the energy, all that good stuff.”
A subsequent move to Oviedo made it much easier to compete in Disney races, leading to Kieran’s five-year streak with Dopey. He has competed in other races, including the Marine Corps Marathon, but Disney remains his gold standard.
“The production itself is great,” he says. “They have stops where you can take pictures with the characters. It’s another level.”
Kieran’s minimalist approach to training aside, he doesn’t show up thinking Dopey is going to be easy-peasy.
“The challenge is what really attracts me to the event,” he says. “It’s that we can do hard things, right? It’s kind of the mantra that I have going into these races. It’s one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done in my life. Just finishing that marathon is a complete accomplishment in and of itself. And then you add on the other three races. It’s like, ‘Wow, I really did that.’”
Ryan Kopf
Ryan Kopf and his friend Thomas Andreano had one goal in mind when they entered this year’s Dopey Challenge.
“We decided we were not going to run for time,” says Ryan, who lives in Altamonte Springs. “We were going to run for fun.”
The buddies were keeping a brisk 8:30-mile pace while still making time to stop and take pictures with Disney characters along the course. But as they approached the Animal Kingdom theme park, they took a detour. Because Dopey races start so early in the morning, there are no long lines for the rides like there are during regular park hours. So, Ryan and Thomas decided to take advantage of the opportunity and hop on the Expedition Everest roller coaster.
It seemed like a good idea at the time, but there were repercussions when they resumed running.
“Thomas said, ‘That was the worst idea ever,’” recalls Ryan with a laugh. “We both ride roller coasters, but we were both a little queasy.”
Ryan, 48, has been running since 2022, starting with 5Ks and making incremental progress over the years. He has competed in the New York City and Boston marathons, qualifying by raising money for charities. Because Ryan has a son with special needs, he chooses organizations such as Special Olympics as his charity of choice.
Ryan is already looking forward to next year’s Dopey Challenge, but there is one thing he wants to do differently.
“Thomas and I were disappointed in ourselves because we were not dressed up for any of the races,” says Ryan. “We had no costume accessories whatsoever. We were just in our usual racing gear, and we were probably among the few who were not dressed up.”
Elizabeth Williamson
Elizabeth Williamson’s initial plunge into racing a decade ago involved simple economics.
“Quite frankly, it was a cheap thing to do,” she says. “All I needed was a pair of shoes and I could go outside and go run.”
Elizabeth kept on running, working her way up from 3Ks to 5Ks to 10Ks before venturing into half-marathons and marathons, picking up the pace during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020.
An Altamonte Springs resident, she recently completed her third Dopey Challenge. For Elizabeth, 41, the experience is all about a rewarding mix of fun and camaraderie – not being the fastest runner.
Rather than taking on the race solo, Elizabeth runs with a bunch of friends from around the country who have dubbed themselves the Villains.
“We intentionally start the race all the way at the back of the pack,” she says. “We’re like, ‘Hey, you can still have fun in the back.’”
That’s true as long as the group stays ahead of the Balloon Ladies, volunteers who start the race at the very back, serving as pacers and motivators for the runners to ensure that everyone completes the race within the allotted amount of time. They carry large Mickey Mouse balloons, thus the Balloon Ladies moniker. Runners who fall behind the Balloon Ladies can be swept out of the race, meaning they’re taken off the course.
Elizabeth enjoys talking to the Balloon Ladies as well as her Villains friends during the race.
“I’m better as part of this group of friends, which gets larger each year,” she says.