RunDisney has announced the dates for the 2024 Walt Disney World Marathon and Disneyland Half Marathon, as well as additional events added to the schedule for Fall 2023 and Spring 2024. and California races.
Announcement from runDisney: We are pleased to announce the events and registration dates for the 2023-2024 runDisney racing season. Also included is information about the return of the Disneyland Half He Marathon Weekend, scheduled for January 2024.
From exciting races at Disney parks to virtual events where you can run almost anywhere, runDisney races are anything but ordinary. Heading into the new year, runners can gear up for more miles and magic for the upcoming racing season. See dates and calendar below.
2023 runDisney Virtual Series
- Event: June-August 2023
- General registration: April 25, 2023
2023 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend
- Event: November 2-5, 2023
- Club runDisney Registration: March 14, 2023
- General registration: March 21, 2023
- Virtual Event Registration: March 24, 2023
2024 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend
- Event: January 3-7, 2024
- Club runDisney Registration: April 4, 2023
- General registration: April 11, 2023
- Virtual event registration
2024 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend
- Event: February 22-25, 2024
- Club runDisney Registration: June 13, 2023
- General registration: June 20, 2023
- Virtual Event Registration: June 23, 2023
Disney Springtime Surprise Weekend 2024
- Event: April 18-21, 2024
- Club runDisney Registration: August 15, 2023
- General registration: August 22, 2023
- Virtual Event Registration: August 25, 2023
In addition to the schedule, runDisney also revealed details about the return of racing to the West Coast in 2024 and the fan-favorite Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend from January 11-14, 2024. Did. The Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend will offer multiple race distances. Includes 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Challenge for 2024.
Registration opens on February 7, 2023 for Club runDisney Gold and Platinum members, February 14, 2023 for the general public, and February 17, 2023 for all virtual events. Disneyland Half in 2024 With the return of his Marathon Weekend, runDisney will reintroduce the Coast to Coast Race Challenge in 2024. Details on the challenge and how to qualify will be published later this month.
Arguably the most interesting and surprising part of the 2023-2024 runDisney race calendar is the timing of the Walt Disney World Marathon and Disneyland Half Marathon, which are now just a week apart. While the former still occurs as usual, the latter has moved to the other side of the calendar and was previously held in the fall offseason.
This will no doubt be met with disappointment by runDisney diehards who had previously planned to run both races. With all but the loosest of winter holidays, with events only a week apart, this is difficult to achieve.
I haven’t heard runDisney officially explain this yet, but my guess is they’re trying to interpret this as intentional. – coast or other such nonsense. There is no way it could be true.
There are many other potential (actual) explanations as to why both the Walt Disney World Marathon and Disneyland Half Marathon are scheduled for the first half of January 2024. The best explanation is that tradition dictates the timing and attendance projections of his WDW events. The schedule for the 2024 Disneyland Half Marathon has been set.
The Walt Disney World marathon has long been scheduled for the first two weeks of January to draw crowds to what was once a sleepy offseason. Crowds plummeted in early May. Attendance and wait times have more than halved in just a few days, as opposed to the few days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
This is not only because the Walt Disney World Marathon has grown in attendance over the years, but also because of annual pass blockouts, plus winter breaks in Osceola and Orange County. Honestly, I’m surprised Disney didn’t postpone the Walt Disney World Marathon to late January.
It’s possible that this very scenario is why Disney moved the 2024 Disneyland Half Marathon from early September to mid-January. For one thing, the early fall offseason is less pronounced than it used to be. Halloween time has exploded in popularity, with the Oogie Boogie Bash taking center stage. By contrast, Disneyland Resort is relatively uncrowded even in mid-January.
Additionally, the 2024 D23 Expo could take place in early September. That’s a big attraction in and of itself, and you can’t have both events happening at the same time.
My guess is that the 2024 Walt Disney World Marathon and Disneyland Half Marathon will be held virtually back-to-back because the race weekends are scheduled during the least crowded times of the year, keeping them in line with other major events. I think it’s because they don’t overlap. In the past, runDisney may have been hesitant to do this, especially given the declining popularity of Disneyland races.
But their math for the 2024 Disneyland Half Marathon is that enough demand has accumulated to easily fill this race without run Disney diehards who can’t or aren’t willing to do both. There is a possibility. If the past few years are any indication, they’re probably right.
at the 2024 Disneyland Half Marathon No They may sell out on the first day of public release. If recent precedents for runDisney and Disneyland are any indication, there will likely be hours of virtual queues, locking out some runners.
Another plausible explanation is that the city of Anaheim gave them only a handful of options, and this was the most viable. Conflicts with the city council were one of the big reasons Disneyland didn’t host runDisney events, so it’s something that passes the smell test. It was just an excuse.)
The difference now is that the city of Anaheim far It’s more “sympathetic” to Disney’s interests than it was then. After a series of confrontations, Disney “remembered” the importance of local politics and invested heavily in electing preferred candidates. (Beyond the politicians, Anaheim has learned how dependent it is on Disney in 2020-2021.
Ultimately, you’ll probably never know the real reason to schedule two flagship RunDisney events one week apart. If Disney provides an explanation, it’s a marketing tale and may not be based in reality. It may be
Anyway, it’s interesting to see the race themes for the 2024 Walt Disney World Marathon, Disneyland Half Marathon, and other events. RunDisney has been crushing it with these lately, and if they can keep it up, these events could continue to sell out in record time. As a very casual ‘runner’ who enjoys a lot of ‘, I want something that makes me want to lace up my shoes again at Walt Disney World or Disneyland!
Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Find out more about the hotel on our Walt Disney World Hotel Reviews page. Read our review of Walt Disney World Restaurants for where to eat. To save money on tickets and help you decide which ticket type to buy, check out our post on tips for saving on Walt Disney World tickets. In our post on what to pack for your Disney trip, we take a unique look at smart packing. The Walt Disney World Ride Guide will help you with what to do and when.For comprehensive advice, first consult our Walt Disney World Travel Planning Guide For all you need to know!
your thoughts
Excited about the runDisney race schedule for 2023-2024? Planning to attend the 2024 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend or Disneyland Half Marathon? Disappointed that the two flagship events are one week apart? What races are you running? Are you planning a virtual race? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Even if you don’t agree with us, it’s interesting for us and useful for other readers to hear your feedback. So share your thoughts in the comments below!
