Hi Matthew! Welcome to planDisney!
What a fun visit you have coming up! I have great memories from my January trips to the Walt Disney World Resort. The weather is mild and there is still so much to explore. I think you will love it!
I have participated in the races on Walt Disney World Marathon weekend and am happy to give you some insight based on my experience. I would choose the same days for the theme parks that you have chosen and I'll explain why!
First, on Friday, January 7, 2022, the race is the
Walt Disney World 10K. This race takes place in EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios which makes it a great time to visit
Magic Kingdom Park. The theme parks will all be a bit more crowded because the race weekend is so popular, but Friday will probably be a little lighter for Magic Kingdom Park than Sunday. The
marathon (on Sunday) will travel through all four theme parks, but many marathon finishers will head back to Magic Kingdom Park after the race to take pictures with their medals in front of Cinderella Castle. This means
Disney's Animal Kingdom will probably be less crowded on Sunday than Magic Kingdom Park.
Since the marathon travels through all four theme parks on Sunday, January 9, 2022, I recommend looking at the
course map for Disney's Animal Kingdom so you can navigate the park a little more easily to avoid the route as much as possible. I included a link to the course map above. The Cast Members are really great about directing traffic through the theme parks and you will be able to experience everything!
I hope this helps with your planning, Matthew! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Tabitha