Long Awaited Disney Park Event Opens Registration, Leaves Fans Disappointed

in Disney, Disneyland Resort, Events

Disneyland Castle with X through entrance

Disneyland opened registration today for its first runDisney weekend event since 2017. The event takes place January 11-14, 2024, and features a 5K, 10K, and half marathon race. The courses feature various and often rare character meet and greets and entertainment.

runDisney
Credit: Disney

Unfortunately for expectant runners, within 90 minutes of registration opening, every race including the runDisney Kids Races were sold out. This comes after the registration opening was reportedly delayed for over 10 minutes. With runDisney events being in person again after Covid made everything virtual, many of the races have been selling out rapidly. The 2023 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend celebrated “30 years of running” Disney marathons and saw most of the races sold out within minutes. The registration for that event also saw a delay of almost an hour, website crashes, and races selling out even as people were in the midst of signing up.

Disneyland only offers one runDisney event each year, held in January, compared to the four offered at Walt Disney World. Runners can choose from the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend held in January, the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend in February, the runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend in April, and the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend in November. In addition, starting in 2024 runners can partake in the runDisney Coast to Coast Race Challenge by competing in any 10-mile race held in both Orlando and Anaheim, receiving a special medal and recognition upon completion.

rundisney medals
Credit: runDisney

The runDisney races were put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2021 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend was the first in-person event to take place after the pandemic. If runners are unable to attend races in person or the events sell out, each race offers a virtual option to be completed anywhere in the world, allowing fans to still receive a medal. The 2023 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend and runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend events in Walt Disney World are also sold out, showing a trend for the in-person races. At this time, there has been no date set for the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend.

in Disney, Disneyland Resort, Events

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