Elite Chicago-area Runner Wins 10-Miler at Walt Disney World Resort

Filed in: runDisney, Uncategorized

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (April 16, 2022) – In his first time participating in a runDisney event, Nolan McKenna of Winfield, IL, raced away with the Disney Pixar Toy Story 10-Miler on Sunday at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.

With a winning time of 54:49, McKenna finished more than three minutes ahead of second-place finisher Nathan O’Connor of Porter, IN (58:21) and more than five minutes in front of third-place finisher Mike Williams of Harrison City, PA (1:00:02). The only challenge McKenna faced was the heat and humidity that was a little higher than he is accustomed to.

“This is a great stepping stone [race],” McKenna said. “This plays perfectly into my training and everything, so I’m very happy with it.”

Emily Wolfarth of Mars, PA, was the first woman to cross the finish line. She was neck and neck with Victoria Sadowski, last year’s female winner, until the last 30 seconds of the race when she kicked it into high gear.

“I said [to myself], I’m not going to start kicking it until I see the finish line because I’ve kicked it too early before,” Wolfarth said. “And I was like, I just got to see that finish line and then start picking it up.”

Wolfarth, who became a mom nine months ago, clocked in at 1:05:37, only five seconds ahead of Sadowski of Randolph, NJ, the second-place finisher (1:05:42) and a little more than four minutes ahead of the third-place finisher, Megan Doty of Novi, MI.

McKenna and Wolfarth both said their experience on the course was just as magical as winning.

“Goose bumps,” Wolfarth said. “I believe in myself so much more now that I hit my goal that I wanted to hit.”

In the wheelchair division, Julius McManus of Point Washington, FL., won the men’s division (57:08), while Sidney Knox of Benton, ME., took the women’s crown (1:05:39).

The race weekend, which featured beloved Pixar characters, began on Friday with the Disney Pixar Cars 5K, Saturday’s Disney Pixar Monsters 10K and the Disney Pixar Toy Story 10-Miler on Sunday. Also included in the race weekend is a yoga event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and a health and fitness expo at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. This is the second year of runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend, which features a different theme every year.

runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend is the fourth and final on-site race weekend during the 2022-23 runDisney season. Beginning this summer, the runDisney Summer Virtual Series takes place from June – August 2023 with general registration beginning April 25.