Saxonburg resident Scott Ekas celebrates completing the Walt Disney World Marathon on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Florida. It was his second completed marathon. Submitted photo

Lifelong Saxonburg resident Scott Ekas crossed off another running milestone over the weekend: the 2025 Walt Disney World Marathon.

Ekas, a 1989 Knoch High School graduate, ran the race Sunday in Florida, finishing in 5:41.19. It’s his second marathon, and he said he plans to run the famed marathon again.

“I loved it and plan on participating in it again,” said Ekas, 53. “There were photo opportunities with Disney characters along the course, in addition to three marching bands, DJs and a choir.”

More than 12,000 runners participated in the marathon, which Disney has held since 1994.

“The Disney marathon has a lot of benefits — it’s a very flat course, the participants are overwhelmingly energetic, with many people dressed as Disney characters,” he said. “Being able to run through the parks is a welcome distraction, and the cheering crowds offer plenty of encouragement.”

Ekas said he ran his first marathon in 2022 in Erie. He said during training for that race he injured himself rock climbing in Yosemite National Park. He ran the Disney marathon to prove “to myself I could properly train and complete the race without severely injuring myself,” he said.

He suffered a minor calf injury but used ice baths for recovery between training runs. Ekas said he used the marathon’s RunDisney training programs and recommends it “to anyone who’s going to attempt a marathon.”