235: East River High School Choir: ChEAR Squad with a Soundtrack

Rise and Run · Mar 26, 2026 · 2h 3m · transcript

You know that moment late in a runDisney race when your legs are toast, your brain is negotiating, and then you turn a corner and hear a choir lifting the whole road? We sit down with director Zach and students from the East River High School Choir, one of the groups that brings big, joyful sound to the final mile at Walt Disney World. They share how the runDisney relationship started, what Disney Entertainment actually means when they ask for a “gospel choir,” and how song choices are designed to push runners to the finish line.

We get into the real logistics too: a 2:45 AM school call time…