Brazilian runner notches third Disney marathon win in four years and continues his country’s dominance that includes 18 wins in the last 20 Disney marathons; Orlando-area runner Marielle Despres claims women’s title; Race wraps up four-day event weekend featuring popular Disney entertainment, cool merchandise, unique medals and classic Disney characters
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Jan. 12, 2025) – Vanilson Neves was more than 3,000 miles from his native country of Brazil on Sunday, but he looked right at home as he won the Walt Disney World Marathon for the second straight year and third time in the last four years.
Neves maintained a commanding lead from start to finish, crossing the finish line far ahead of more than 15,000 runners who braved the cool temperatures along the 26.2-mile course. The course wound through Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Magic Kingdom Park, and concluded at EPCOT. Neves claimed victory with an impressive time of 2:27:17, finishing nearly five minutes ahead of second-place runner Johnny Binzak from Chicago (2:32:00) and third-place finisher Thiago Bianchini from Woodstock, Georgia (2:34:48).
“I prepared hard for this race,’’ Neves said through an interpreter. “So, this victory is something I really wanted.’’
Unlike Neves, Marielle Despres enjoyed an unexpected win in the women’s division. A native of France who recently moved to the Orlando area, she had only run one marathon before Sunday and had never run at Disney, yet she reached the finish line first, posting a time of 3:02:09. Anne Kay Combs of Sterling, Virginia was second (3:03:41) followed by Chelsea Ellis of Greenwich, Connecticut (3:05:22).
“I’m really, really happy to (win) because it’s really, really amazing,’’ Despres said.
Brian Siemann of Savoy, Illinois easily won the wheelchair division (1:56:00), finishing well ahead of second-place finisher Zachary Stinson of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania (2:32:51). And Linden Williamson of Seguin, Texas was the first woman wheelchair finisher (2:11:32) followed by Heather Sealover of Clermont, Florida (2:28:22).
Overall, it was a magical day for many of the runners who experienced loads of Disney entertainment along the course, proudly displayed their finisher’s medals that featured Mickey and Minnie Mouse and celebrated by spending the day in the Disney theme parks.
It was the culminating day of a four-day race weekend that featured a 5K, a 10K, a half marathon and the marathon, plus a health and fitness expo. It will be a similar scene at Disneyland Resort for the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend (Jan. 30-Feb. 2) and at Walt Disney World for the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend (Feb. 20-24) and the runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend (April 3-6) where limited race registrations remain.
After those races, runners will undoubtedly celebrate with a visit to the theme parks. Regular guests can do the same thing because Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort offer a variety of ticket, dining, hotel, and promotional deals throughout the year to help families save on their Disney trips. Guests can visit planDisney for more tips and DisneyWorld.com/Special-Offers and Disneyland.com/offers for more ways to save.
For more information on runDisney races, visit www.rundisney.com. For news releases, photos and video of runDisney races, visit www.disneysportsnews.com.
