Inside Disney Sports

Disney's Minnie Marathon Weekend Celebrates Disney's Commitment to Women and Health

Third annual race will serve as signature event of Disney's Women's Initiative

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla- (April 25, 2008) -  The third annual Disney's Minnie Marathon Weekend, an event centered around women's wellness takes place May 2-4, 2008 at Walt Disney World presenting the signature event of Disney's Women's Initiative at the Walt Disney World resort.

Disney's Women Run the World 15K presented by Lady Foot Locker is Sunday, May 4. The 15K will start at 6:15 a.m. at Disney's Animal Kingdom, journey through tinsel town at Disney's Hollywood Studios, continue along the coastal village at Disney's Yacht & Beach Resort, and then continue through the renowned Epcot World Showcase.

Disney's Go Red for Women 5K will start in the Wonder lot at Epcot on Saturday, May 3 at 7 a.m. Participants will continue past the Test Track attraction, trot around the Fountain of Nations, journey through the 11 nations of the World Showplace and will finish with an underground experience running beneath the renowned attraction Spaceship Earth crossing the finish line in Epcot's imagine lot.

In addition to the races, the Minnie Marathon Weekend Expo will return and is scheduled to take place in the Milk House at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, Friday May 2 from 12 p.m.-7 p.m. and on Saturday May 3 from 10 a.m.-5 a.m. The event will showcase some of the marquee names in active women's fashion, mini massages and makeover consultations, personal shoe and apparel fittings, giveaways, wine tasting, among other offerings.

The weekend will benefit the American Heart Association. Although the weekend is designed for women, men are encouraged to participate on behalf of the women in their lives.

Registration for Disney's Minnie Marathon Weekend is now closed. Participants can pick up their packets Friday, May 2 12 p.m.-7 p.m. and Saturday, May 3 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in the Milk House at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. Late packet pick up will be available on Saturday, May 3 for the Go Red For Women 5K from 5:45 a.m.-6:45 a.m.

The Endurance Series at Walt Disney World Resort gives recreational athletes of all ages and abilities the chance to walk, jog, run, skate bike and swim their way "around the world." From running and skating marathons to road races and triathlons, participating athletes from across the country and around the world compete to stay in shape, to achieve personal-best times and often to raise donations for charitable causes.

Popular Endurance Series events include the Walt Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon (January), Disney's Race for the Taste 10K (October) and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 13K (October). For more information, please visit www.disneysports.com.

 About Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex

            Opened in 1997 at Walt Disney World Resort, Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex is the premier sports venue for amateur and professional sports in the United States. The sprawling 220-acre state-of-the-art complex features the Milk House, a 165,000-square-foot field house which seats 5,000 for basketball; the 9,500-seat Champion Stadium ballpark; the Hess Sports Fields, which include multiple baseball, softball and soccer fields; and the Jostens Center, a multi-sport field house set to open summer 2008. In addition, the complex has 10 tennis courts, including a stadium court, and a track and field complex. The complex is home to more than 180 amateur and professional sports events each year, including the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp, the Major League Baseball Atlanta Braves spring training, a Tampa Bay Rays regular-season series, the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, the Pop Warner Super Bowl and the AAU National Championship events. Please visit www.disneysports.com for more information.