Runners prepare for Disney World Marathon Weekend

Runners showed up at ESPN Wide World of Sports on Wednesday to retrieve their running bibs, check out the Health & FItness Expo and purchase some runDisney merchandise as they prepare for the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.

The event kicks off with a 5K on Thursday, followed by a 10K on Friday, a half marathon on Saturday and marathon on Sunday. There’s also the Dopey Challenge (all four races) and Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge (half marathon and marathon).

Among the marathon field, there will be 59 “perfect” runners who have participated in every Walt Disney World Marathon.

In addition, there are two other story lines to watch for during the marathon:

Kayla Swope from Blue Grass, Iowa and Apryl Tidd from nearby Kissimmee are running as a duo in runDisney’s toughest task – the Dopey Challenge (48.6 miles). Swope is visually impaired. Tidd is her guide. Swope, who has degenerative corneal disease, says she sees mostly shapes and colors with very little detail. She has gone through multiple eye surgeries yet remains an active advocate for athletes with disabilities.

Brian Hurwitz from Boynton Beach, Florida has run in every Dopey Challenge and is set to take on all four races again this weekend, including the 26.2-mile marathon, which will be his 100th marathon. After starting to run a year earlier, he ran his first marathon – the Disney Marathon – in 2005. He continued running as a way to cope with the fact that his son was battling cancer. Now, 17 years later, he is on the verge of completing his 100th marathon at the place where it all started – Walt Disney World Resort.