If you ran in the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend earlier this month (January 8-11), you might not have realized it, but you were being watched from ABOVE. Like, literally drones flying overhead monitoring the entire event. And this was the FIRST TIME EVER that the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has used drone technology for a runDisney race!
Before you freak out about Big Brother watching your running form, let’s talk about why this actually happened and what it means. Spoiler alert: It’s actually kind of a smart move, especially considering everything that’s been going on at Disney World lately.
Four Drones, Four Theme Parks, Thousands of Runners
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office deployed FOUR drone pilots to cover Marathon Weekend. Yes, four! One of them, Corporal Andrew Pupo, took some absolutely STUNNING aerial shots of all four Disney theme parks and the runners making their way through the courses. The Sheriff’s Office shared these photos, and honestly? They’re pretty incredible. You get this bird’s-eye view of Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom with all these tiny runners weaving through the parks. It’s like seeing Disney from a completely different perspective!
But here’s the thing: Drones are normally PROHIBITED on Disney World property. Like, completely banned. You can’t just fly your personal drone over Cinderella Castle for Instagram photos (trust us, people have tried and gotten in trouble). So the fact that law enforcement got special permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to do this is a BIG DEAL.
The FAA had to specifically authorize these four pilots to fly during the marathon events because it’s such a unique situation. We’re talking about a major exception to Disney’s strict no-drone policy!
Why Disney Marathon Weekend NEEDS This Level of Security
Here’s where it gets interesting. Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend isn’t just people running around the parks. It’s a MASSIVE logistical operation that completely changes how Disney operates for several days. Let’s break down why drone surveillance actually makes total sense:
The Roads Shut DOWN: During marathon events, major roadways throughout Disney property close completely. Like, roads that normally have thousands of cars, buses, and emergency vehicles just… shut down. Runners are literally running on these roads instead of vehicles driving on them. That’s a huge security challenge because traditional car patrols can’t access large parts of the property!
Runners Go Backstage: The marathon routes take participants through backstage areas that regular guests NEVER see. We’re talking about behind-the-scenes spaces with equipment, maintenance areas, and infrastructure that’s not designed for thousands of people to be running through. Security needs to monitor all of that!
Four Different Races: Marathon Weekend included a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and full Marathon over four days. Each race had different routes, different numbers of participants, and different security considerations. That’s a LOT to manage!
It’s Spread Out EVERYWHERE: The full marathon is 26.2 miles! You can’t just stand in one spot and see the entire course. Traditional security methods with people stationed at various points leave huge gaps in coverage. Drones solve that problem by being able to see everything at once and move quickly between locations.
This Comes After a ROUGH Start to 2026 for Disney
Look, we need to address the elephant in the room. Disney World has already had TWO deaths on property in 2026, and we’re not even halfway through January yet. Both incidents happened at Disney Springs in early January, and while they’re completely unrelated to the marathon events, they’ve created a heightened security awareness across the entire resort.
So when you’ve got thousands of people running through theme parks, on closed roads, and in backstage areas, you better believe security is going to take every precaution available. The drone surveillance isn’t random or unnecessary. It’s a direct response to the reality that even the “happiest place on earth” faces real security challenges.
With drones overhead, security teams can: ✓ Spot medical emergencies immediately and guide responders to exact locations ✓ Detect if any unauthorized vehicles breach road closures (major safety issue!) ✓ Monitor crowd density at water stations and transition points ✓ Identify potential problems before they escalate ✓ Coordinate ground personnel more effectively across the massive course
Honestly? It makes you feel a bit safer knowing that if something goes wrong during a race, there are eyes in the sky that can respond instantly rather than waiting for someone on the ground to notice and radio it in.
Did You Even Notice the Drones?
Here’s the funny thing: Most runners probably had NO IDEA they were being monitored by drones! If you were focused on your pace, your breathing, and not collapsing before the finish line, you probably weren’t looking up at the sky searching for surveillance equipment.
And that’s kind of the point! Good security should make you SAFER without making you feel like you’re in a police state. The drones operated at altitudes where they could see everything they needed to see without buzzing annoyingly overhead or interfering with the race experience.
The photos Corporal Pupo took are gorgeous and show just how comprehensive the aerial view is, but from a runner’s perspective on the ground? You were probably too busy trying to remember if you applied enough Body Glide to care about drones!
What This Means for Future runDisney Events
Okay, so here’s the million-dollar question: Is this going to be the new normal for Disney marathons?
If the drone surveillance worked well this year (and by all accounts, it seems like it did), then yeah, we should probably expect to see drones at future runDisney events. The technology proved its value, law enforcement knows how to coordinate with the FAA for authorization, and Disney has precedent now for allowing this specific exception to their no-drone policy.
For runners, this shouldn’t really change your experience at all. You’ll still register, train, run the race, and hopefully cross that finish line feeling amazing. The only difference is that there’s an extra layer of security monitoring from above that you probably won’t even notice unless you’re actively looking for it.
And honestly? After the year Disney World’s already having, extra security seems like a smart move. Nobody wants to think about worst-case scenarios during a fun race weekend, but having comprehensive security coverage means you can focus on your run while professionals handle keeping everyone safe.
This whole drone situation is actually a perfect example of how Disney World operates differently than any other place on earth. They’ve got their own security forces, they work closely with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, they can close roads across a property that’s bigger than Manhattan, and they can get FAA authorization for drone surveillance during major events.
It’s the kind of operational complexity that most guests never think about because Disney works so hard to make everything LOOK effortless and magical. But behind the scenes (or in this case, above the scenes), there’s an incredible amount of coordination happening to keep tens of thousands of people safe during events like Marathon Weekend.
The drones are just the latest tool in that toolkit, and if they help prevent emergencies or respond to problems faster, then we’re all for it!
So, Did You Run?
Were YOU one of the thousands of runners who participated in the 2026 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend? Did you notice the drones at all, or were you too focused on not dying during the race? 😅 Drop a comment and tell us about your experience! And if you’ve run Disney marathons in previous years, how did this one compare? Did you feel like security was more visible, or did everything seem pretty much the same as always?
We want to hear from the people who were actually THERE because your perspective matters way more than ours from the sidelines. Share your stories, your finish times, and whether you think drone surveillance is a good addition to these events or if it feels like overkill. Let’s chat! 💬🏃♀️
