Walt Disney World Marathon brings runners from all over the world

ORLANDO, Fla. - Just two and a half hours into the 29th Disney Marathon, overall winner Vanilson Neves, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, crossed the finish line.

This was his third Disney Marathon. The last two times he placed second. 

"I got so close, and now this third time running, he was able to win the marathon," he said through an interpreter. "It's something I’m very proud of, very accomplished, and I thank God for being able to be here today running at Walt Disney World."

About 15 minutes later, the winning female runner, Brittany Charboneau, crossed the line. 

Charboneau was also the winning female runner in the weekend's other Disney races: A 5K, 10K and a half-marathon.

"Doing this at Disney is soul-filling. I just had the best time, the best time on every single race. It was magical, honestly," she said.

Thousands more took part in the race through Disney’s theme parks. 

Some were so-called "perfect runners," people like Deborah Lazaroff, who have run in all of Disney’s marathons. 

"Disney has, like… They know how much Powerade to put out, how many pallets of water to put out. They know everything to a science, so everyone feels like they finished first," she said.

Other runners, like Lyndsay Tyndall, took part in all of Disney's weekend races. 

"And at the end of that one, I remember thinking if I ever come back, I want to do all of them. And now, I'm here. I did all of it and I crushed it!" she said.

The marathon is also something of a charity event for Disney. 

As the runners go, they build up body heat and a lot of them strip off some of the clothes they're wearing.

Hats, T-shirts and sweatshirts get collected by Disney staff after the marathon and are donated to local charities.