This past weekend, our team gathered at the most magical race weekend of the year – the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, presented by State Farm. And THIS is the magic of us!

Our Race to End Duchenne team filled 160 race entries across 4 days of races, endured before-dawn wake-up calls and chilly temperatures, and together logged thousands of training and race miles for one goal – to #EndDuchenne!

Thanks to these amazing individuals and their supporters, and a last-minute $15,000 match from Ashleigh & Dan Bemis, $300,000 was raised to support PPMD’s mission.

We had 4 boys and young men with Duchenne who participated in races this year – congratulations to Garrett for completing the 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon; Seth for completing the 5K and Half Marathon; Michael for completing the Half Marathon; and Deacon for completing the 5K!

Long-time team member Jack Napoli placed 3^rd in the Half Marathon, with a finish time of 1:14:25. Jack has been running with our team for more than 10 years, in memory of his cousin Danny. Congratulations Jack, we’re so proud of you!

Brian Denger, long-time team member, parent, veteran runner, and friend to all, was the recipient of the Make Every Day Count Award, in memory of Danny Garofalo. Team Danny captain Mike Napoli presented the award to Brian, to honor his commitment to living each day to the fullest, and facing the challenges of Duchenne head-on, while always taking time to help others in the community. Congratulations to Brian, this award is so well-deserved!

It was a weekend full of reunions, new connections, smiles and memories, and we loved every minute of it! Check out the photos here. Thank you and congratulations to all of our team members for your accomplishments this weekend.

Register for 2024

We can’t wait to see you again next January, at the 2024 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, which will take place January 3-7, 2024. Registration will open in the spring, so keep an eye on your email and on our race calendar if you’d like to join us!