RunDisney has introduced dates for the 2024 Walt Disney World Marathon and Disneyland Half Marathon, in addition to different occasions which were added to the schedule between Fall 2023 and Spring 2024. This put up shares the announcement, plus ideas concerning the timing of the flagship Florida and California races.
Here’s the announcement from runDisney: Mark your calendars as immediately we’re excited to share occasion and registration dates for the 2023-2024 runDisney race season, together with data on the much-anticipated return of the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend in January 2024!
From thrilling races by way of Disney parks to digital occasions you may run virtually anyplace, a runDisney race is something however odd. As we glance in direction of the brand new yr, runners can gear up for much more miles and magic to come back throughout subsequent race season – have a look beneath on the dates and calendar:
2023 runDisney Virtual Series
- Event: June to 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
2024 runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend
- Event: April 18-21, 2024
- Club runDisney Registration: August 15, 2023
- General Registration: August 22, 2023
- Virtual Event Registration: August 25, 2023
Along with this schedule, runDisney additionally revealed particulars concerning the return of races on the West Coast in 2024, and the fan-favorite Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend going down January 11-14, 2024. The Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend will supply up a number of race distances together with a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and Challenge in 2024.
Registration opens February 7, 2023 for Club runDisney Gold & Platinum Members, February 14, 2023 for most people, and February 17, 2023 for all digital occasions. With the return of the 2024 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, runDisney may even be reintroducing the Coast to Coast Race Challenge in 2024! More details about the Challenge and find out how to qualify might be accessible later this month.
The most fascinating and shocking a part of the 2023-2024 runDisney race calendar is definitely the timing of the Walt Disney World Marathon and the Disneyland Half Marathon, which at the moment are just one week aside. While the previous is happening as regular, the latter is transferring to the other facet of the calendar, having beforehand been held within the early fall low season.
This is undoubtedly going to be met with disappointment by runDisney diehards, lots of whom beforehand deliberate on operating each races. That’ll now be troublesome to perform with solely per week separating the occasions, apart from these with probably the most relaxed winter breaks.
While I’ve but to listen to runDisney supply an official rationalization for this, my guess is that they’re attempt to spin this as being deliberate–maybe even making a mixed ‘Land & World’ bundle that immerses runners in additional magical miles from coast-to-coast or different such nonsense. There’s no approach that’s true.
There are a variety of different potential (actual) explanations for why each the Walt Disney World Marathon and Disneyland Half Marathon are scheduled for the primary half of January 2024. The greatest rationalization is that custom dictates the timing of the WDW occasion, and attendance projections decided the scheduling of the 2024 Disneyland Half Marathon.
Walt Disney World’s Marathon has lengthy been scheduled for the primary two weeks of January in an effort to attract crowds to what was as soon as the sleepy low season. Crowds used to plummet in early January, as vacationers headed residence from vacation journeys. It was a pointy distinction to the times between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with attendance and wait instances greater than lower in half within the span of some days.
That’s previous tense not simply due to the Walt Disney World Marathon, which has been buoying attendance for years, but additionally due to Annual Pass blockouts plus Osceola and Orange County winter breaks. Honestly, I’ve been stunned that Disney hasn’t moved the Walt Disney World Marathon to later in January due to that.
It’s potential that’s exactly the state of affairs that led to Disney transferring the 2024 Disneyland Half Marathon from early September to mid-January. For one factor, the early fall low season isn’t as pronounced because it as soon as was. Halloween Time has exploded in recognition, and Oogie Boogie Bash is an enormous draw. By distinction, mid-January remains to be comparatively uncrowded at Disneyland Resort.
On prime of that, it’s potential that the 2024 D23 Expo might be held in early September. That’s its personal large draw, and each occasions can’t happen concurrently. (There isn’t sufficient complete resort capability in Anaheim.)
My guess can be that scheduling the race weekends through the least busy time of yr and never coinciding with different main occasions is why the 2024 Walt Disney World Marathon and Disneyland Half Marathon are primarily occurring back-to-back. In the previous, runDisney may’ve hesitated to do that, particularly because the Disneyland races have been waning in recognition.
However, their calculation for the 2024 Disneyland Half Marathon is probably going that there’s greater than sufficient pent-up demand to simply fill this race even with out the runDisney diehards who can’t or won’t do each. If the final couple of years are any indication, they’re in all probability right.
I’d be extra stunned if the 2024 Disneyland Half Marathon does not promote out on its first day of common public availability than if it does. If latest precedent with all issues runDisney or Disneyland is any indication, there’ll seemingly be a multi-hour digital queue, and a few runners will get shut out.
Another rationalization that’s believable is that the City of Anaheim solely gave them a handful of choices, and this one was probably the most viable. This might be a beautiful rationalization for individuals who are sympathetic to Disney, and is one which passes the odor take a look at as a result of standoffs with the Anaheim City Council have been one large purpose why runDisney occasions stopped being held at Disneyland. (Construction of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was merely a face-saving excuse.)
The distinction now’s that the City of Anaheim is far more “sympathetic” to Disney’s pursuits than the one in place again then. After a collection of standoffs, Disney “remembered” the significance of native politics, and invested closely in getting its most popular candidates elected. Disney has had zero points with the town since, and it’s very troublesome to imagine they might with race scheduling. (Even past politicians, Anaheim discovered how dependent it was upon Disney in 2020-2021.) So, whereas potential, I’m extremely skeptical of this (potential) rationale.
Ultimately, we are going to seemingly by no means know the true purpose for scheduling the 2 flagship runDisney occasions one week aside. If Disney does supply a proof, it’ll seemingly be marketingspeak and never grounded in actuality. The actual purpose(s) might be a mix of the above explanations, or one thing completely different solely that I didn’t think about.
Regardless, it’ll be fascinating to see the race themes for the 2024 Walt Disney World Marathon, Disneyland Half Marathon, and the remainder of the occasions. RunDisney has been crushing it with these recently, and if they will proceed that run, it’s seemingly that these occasions will proceed promoting out in file time. As a really informal “runner” who dislikes the act of operating however very a lot enjoys “themed things,” I’m hoping for one thing that compels me to lace up my sneakers at Walt Disney World or Disneyland as soon as once more!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Excited concerning the 2023-2024 runDisney schedule of races? Planning on doing the 2024 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend or Disneyland Half Marathon? Disappointed that the 2 flagship occasions are one week aside? Which race(s) will you run? Planning on doing any of the digital races? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions we can assist you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!