RACE
Vanilson Neves won the race for the second time in a row
Published on January 13, 2025 at 1:24 pm
Vanilson Neves celebrates winning his third championship in the race Credit: Mark Ashman/Disclosure
Vanilson Neves, from Ceará, once again made history at the Walt Disney World Marathon and won his third title in the 42.2 km race last Sunday (12). It was the second consecutive title for the athlete, who maintained a solid lead from start to finish. He crossed the finish line in 2:27:17, finishing almost five minutes ahead of second place, Johnny Binzak, of Chicago (2:32:00), and third, Thiago Bianchini, of Woodstock, Georgia (2:34:48).
More than 15,000 runners participated in the race, which ran through Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Magic Kingdom Park and ended at Epcot.
“I prepared a lot for this race. This victory was something I really wanted”, celebrated the champion, who took the podium to applause.
In the women’s division, Marielle Despres had an unexpected victory. The Frenchwoman, who now lives in Orlando, had only run one marathon before the race at Disney. Still, he came in first place, with a time of 3:02:09. Anne Kay Combs of Sterling, Virginia, placed second (3:03:41), followed by Chelsea Ellis of Greenwich, Connecticut (3:05:22).
“I’m really, really happy to win because this is really incredible,” said Despres.
Later this year, other races will be promoted by Disney. In the first semester alone, the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend (January 30 to February 2), at the Disneyland Resort; and Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend (February 20-24) and runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend (April 3-6) at Walt Disney World.
