Have you ever tried to register for one of runDisney’s 5K races, only to find that all the spots fill up faster than you can register? We’ve been there — it’s not fun!
runDisney
These races are the most accessible for people, as they’re the shortest distance, and allow people just getting into running to enter the races gradually. This also means that they’re some of the most popular, and registration fills up even faster for these than for other races. To work on fixing this issue, Disney has just announced something very exciting — there will now be more race availability for the 5Ks!
On the official runDisney Instagram, it was announced that “there will be more registration availability for 5K races across all four Walt Disney World race weekends, beginning with the 2026 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend!”
©runDisney
While this is great news for runners looking to get into the racers, a lot of Disney fans in the comments brought up some very valid concerns. User @vrycdngrrl commented, “Although this would be amazing for more runners to experience. It is already very congested, very difficult to keep pace when you’re running, and the 5-10K races and the balloon ladies are right on your heel, which makes it even more difficult with the congestion/safety time to stop from. No time to stop for meet and greets which is supposed to be half the experience and overall maybe there needs to [be] more race days to allow more time on course for those who want it.”
Mickey at the post-race photo spot
Other users were asking Disney if there would be an increased field size to help with the addition of more people, while others were asking if a POT would be required, which is “proof of time.” This basically would give Disney a way to ensure the people signing up for these races can make it in the time Disney allows. User @_jackiemh_ commented, “Can we also require course etiquette be taken or something? The courses are becoming unsafe with increased uneducated runners.”
runDisney
For those who may not know, when running in any race, walkers are supposed to stay to the right to allow those running the race to stay on the left. The faster you’re going, the more to the left you can inch. If inexperienced runners are walking on the left side of the course, this causes safety issues and can really mess up people’s times and pace.
©runDisney
Many people in the comments love the idea of making it more accessible, but the races are already packed, meaning that character lines are increasingly long (and some have mentioned that they’re noticing fewer characters overall, which also increases lines), and adding hundreds more racers will only make this worse. We’re really hoping Disney will announce additional details to explain how they’re going to keep people safe while running the race.
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There are no balloon ladies for the 5K. Larger field size will likely increase congestion but I think it will be great to allow more people to experience RunDisney magic.
I did not run this past weekend, but I usually do. Has Disney race etiquette changed? While most races are “walkers to the right,” at Disney it’s always been runners to the outside (i.e. EITHER side). That’s always one of the many announcements made throughout time on the courses.