Disney Springtime Surprise 2026 Recap
Brave Like Gabe earned their “My First runDisney” celebration button at the 2026 runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend that took place April 16th-20th. Twenty five athletes represented Brave Like Gabe and ran through Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, to celebrate raising over $33,000 for rare cancer research.
The team—composed of rare cancer survivors, caregivers, healthcare providers, supporters, and the very first Brave Like Gabe research fellow—dressed in their best Disney costumes to take on the 5K, 10K, and 10 Mile courses. 7 of our runners did the Springtime Surprise Challenge and ran all 3 races in successive days!
While the costumes and medals to represent Zootopia, Winnie the Pooh, and Inside Out were spectacular, the camaraderie was by far the best part of the weekend.
“My sister in law recently passed away from adrenal cancer, a 1 in a million case. She is our why in supporting Brave Like Gabe.” -Lisa
“Remember the reason we are running. Over the next couple of days, take a moment to think of Gabe and all that she went through in her courageous battle. She never gave up! Gabe has inspired me in so many ways.” -Steve
As runDisney likes to say, every mile is magic. Team BLG showed up with their own brand of magic and pixie dust to make the early morning wake-up calls and long miles worth every moment.
Thank you to our amazing athletes for their generosity of time and spirit. Core memories were made in abundance! We couldn’t have asked for a better team. Check out some of the highlights below!
PS- More Core Memories are on their way! Be the first to know when bibs become available for runDisney and all of our other races by signing up for the notification list.
*All Disney names and logos are used with permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement by Disney, express or implied, of any organization, company, or fundraising campaign. Disney does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of information contained on this website. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Disney, and agreement with those views may not be implied by use of the Disney names and logos. ©Disney