Running with Mickey: runDisney announces races will resume this year

Runners, get to your marks. runDisney has announced that in-person racing is coming back.

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The last in-person races were held in early 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancelations of the 2020-2021 races held in Walt Disney World.

The races, which can be booked months in advance, were transitioned to virtual events for participants who still wanted to log miles.

On Wednesday, runDisney announced that runners will be able to compete in person, running around the Florida theme park starting with the Wine & Dine Marathon Weekend scheduled for Nov. 4 through 7. The weekend will be themed to the Disney Villains in events called Wickedly Delicious, event organizers said in a news release.

The Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend is scheduled for Jan. 5-9, 2022.

The Princess Half Marathon Weekend is scheduled for Feb. 24-27, 2022.

Finally, there will be a runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend from March 31 -April 3, 2022. The theme of the weekend will change yearly.

In recent years, that race was themed as a Star Wars race weekend.

To accompany the in-person races, all event weekends will also have a virtual option for people who can’t get to the Orlando area, with at-home runners encouraged to run with those who are braving the central Florida weather at the same time on the same date, according to runDisney.

There will also be events for kids at Walt Disney World, but the former runDisney kid’s races are now being called runDisney Kids Adventures and will be “focused on health, fitness and fun for kids,” the company said.

The company said there may be changes at the races compared to years past due to COVID-19, but it will have the latest guidelines as race weekends approach and will keep runners informed through their digital event guides.

For more information on the events, including the costs and when you can sign up, click here.

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