Long before sunrise at Walt Disney World and wrapped in mylar, TeamCWD braved the uncharacteristically cold Florida temperatures to make our mark at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. With 100 runners donned in TeamCWD shirts and swag and spectators ready with smiley signs, we all came together with one mission in mind: Care Today, Cure Tomorrow. It was an unforgettable weekend and we are so proud of every member of TeamCWD for the work they put in both in training and fundraising.
Wednesday afternoon we gathered at the entrance of ESPN’s Wide World of Sports for a group meet-up and photo. As runners piled into the Expo, the excitement was palpable. We enjoyed seeing friends both new and old, ready to run with TeamCWD. Three CWD staff members and many of our volunteers picked up their 5K bibs for the next day’s race. We all crawled in bed early, ready for the next four mornings of early alarms to both run and cheer on our runners. 
On Thursday, TeamCWD runners completed 3.1 magical miles. Of note, TeamCWD runner and person with T1D, John Wilcox, ran a 22:22 minute 5K! Friday, TeamCWD was again represented in the 10K for a 6.2 mile run through EPCOT and the Boardwalk. One of our CWD board members and her entire family even joined in for the 10K!
On Saturday, the miles began to stack up for the half marathon. 13.1 miles were run by our amazing runners. Saturday was a rainy day and many of our runners started the race in ponchos! Last, the biggest day of them all, Sunday, was marathon day. TeamCWD runners donned their running shoes, packed their fanny packs, and hydrated for 26.2 miles through all four Disney parks. Our TeamCWD cheer squad could be found at mile 9 on Main Street, passing off low supplies to our runners with T1D, before making their way over to the finish line. Plenty of tears were shed as our 40 runners crossed the marathon finish line, many for the first time ever. For 15 of our runners, the marathon completed 48.6 miles and earned them their Dopey Challenge medal. Jerry Kalka, TeamCWD runner and Dopey Challenge finisher, completed the full marathon in 3:02 hours!
As the weekend came to a close, we were all exhausted but our hearts were full. Many of us walked with a limp due to the long miles run and we felt as though we would never thaw out from the cold we endured each morning. We are proud to announce that thanks to the fundraising of our 100 runners, we will be able to bring an additional 10 or more families to Friends for Life Orlando 2025 on scholarship. We are thrilled to be back at WDW Marathon Weekend in 2026 with even more runners and bigger goals. Thank you, TeamCWD!
