Bonus: runDisney Wine & Dine 2026 Recap

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: thecastlerun.com/WD5K
Free printables library: thecastlerun.com/printables

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

THE BOOK: The runDisney Companion — thecastlerun.com/book
UPDATES: the Companion Hub — 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.

00:00 Cold open and welcome
01:18 The Two Course Challenge, and skipping the 5K
02:19 The weekend at a glance: weather, theming, planning
03:27 Expo
05:54 The PhotoPass stations
07:24 Merch and resellers
08:59 The 10K: The Three Caballeros
11:00 The half marathon: Mary Poppins
12:30 Feed the Birds
13:51 Characters on the half course
14:29 The half marathon course
15:47 The 5K: the new format
18:35 Pacing and the Balloon Ladies
20:46 Nobody got swept
22:22 What could be better
25:29 My take on the 5K
26:52 Wrapping up
27:18 Tell me about your weekend
27:32 Next week: costuming