4 Game Changing Announcements for 2026 runDisney Races

Here at Disney Food Blog, we love runDisney events. When else can you run a marathon in the happiest place on earth? With five amazing races every year, runDisney keeps us hooked.

Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend 2022

The runDisney races have changed a lot this year, and for a good reason. They’ve surged in popularity to where last year’s races sold out within seconds of registration opening. Here’s every game-changing announcement for runDisney in 2026!

The most noticeable difference for this year is the 5K registration. The 5K race is the most popular, since it’s the shortest and most accessible race. Its popularity meant that it would sell out fast. Last year, only one of our team members was able to register since tickets sold out within minutes of registration opening.

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Thankfully, this year’s runDisney events aim to fix that – there’s more 5K availability plus staggered start times (no more waking up at 3 AM!). It’s a game-changer for casual runDisney runners.

©runDisney

Another game-changer is more characters. runDisney events are known for having rare characters on the marathon course. With the race’s surge in popularity, many runners online have complained that slower-paced participants aren’t able to meet characters due to long lines. At this year’s January marathon, characters included Space Cadet Donald, Sherlock Goofy, and rare Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Ortensia.

Oswald at Disneyland

Another great upgrade this year is the themes. Previous races have had many themes with our favorite characters and movies, but they haven’t been cohesive for every marathon weekend until this year. The 2026 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend this fall has each separate race hosted by a character from an EPCOT country.

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The 5K is The Aristocats from France, the 10K is the Mexico Pavilion’s Three Caballeros, the Half Marathon is hosted by Mary Poppins from the UK, and the Wine & Dine Challenge is held by dwarf Grumpy who resides in the Germany Pavilion. The themes quickly went viral, and we’re sure Disney will do it again for future marathons.

It’s Grumpy!

Another game-changer is runDisney’s newest merch collab. runDisney recently partnered with Brooks running shoes for a whole Disney-inspired collection. These shoes have some of our favorite characters like Mickey Mouse, Chip and Dale, and Stitch, so we can race anywhere in Disney style. They even made an exclusive Disneyland shoe for the 2026 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend last week to celebrate Disneyland’s 70th anniversary!

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We’re so glad Disney has made some changes to make our next runDisney race even better. Stay tuned to Disney Food Blog for the latest runDisney news!

Brooks x Disney Shoe Collection Is Available NOW

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