Don't forget that this race season, the Walt Disney World Resort will be celebrating 50 years of magic! Learn more about that celebration here!
runDisney Returns 2021 - 2022: What We Know
runDisney will be returning to in person racing beginning in November 2021 with the Wine and Dine Half Marathon weekend. We have race dates for all four race weekends and registration dates for two of them.
- Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend
- Race Weekend is November 4 - November 7, 2021.
- Registration Opens to Club runDisney on July 6th and General Public on July 13th.
- 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Two Course Challenge will be offered
- Post Race After Party is still planned!
- Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend
- Race Weekend is January 5 - January 9, 2022
- Registration Opens to Club runDisney on July 20th and General Public on July 27th
- 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge, and Dopey Challenge will be offered
- Castaway Challenge is not listed as an option this year
- Princess Half Marathon Weekend
- Race Weekend is February 24 - February 27, 2022
- Registration Opens to Club runDisney on August 17th and General Public on August 24th
- 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and Fairy Tale Challenge will be offered
- New Sunrise Yoga offering that you can register for as well!
- Springtime Surprise
- Race Weekend is March 31 - April 3, 2022
- No More Star Wars Theme, but a rotating theme each spring
- No specific details yet, but promising unique opportunities with this weekend
- STAY TUNED!
runDisney Returns 2021 - 2022: What's New??
Virtual Races
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| Virtual runDisney Races are Sticking Around! - www.runningonpixiedust.com |
It looks like runDisney is continuing to embrace the virtual race options moving forward and I hope this change is here to stay. Registration for virtual races opens about a week after the in person races, presumably to give people who got shut out of in person racing a chance to register at least for virtual participation. Virtual races with runDisney aren't cheap - but they're a lot cheaper than a trip to Florida so it may be a good choice for runners who want to add a little magic to their miles without having to grab their pixie dust and fly to Florida. I ran the Star Wars Virtual Rival Run 10K in 2021 and share my thoughts about the runDisney virtual race experience here.
Kids Races
The kids races have been a popular way for little mouseketeers to join the runDisney fun, but they are missing from registration pages this year. Not sure if this is a permanent move, or maybe accounting for the fact that these little ones don't have a vaccine available at this time and the traditional kids race atmosphere may not be the safest for them yet. Instead, runDisney Kids Races are now becoming Kid Adventures focused on health, fitness, and fun.
Sunrise Yoga at Princess Half Marathon Weekend
Runners heading to Walt Disney World for Princess Half Marathon will get the chance to register for a unique, new treat - sunrise yoga in front of Cinderella Castle. This offering will get you entry to the park prior to opening for a one-of-a-kind experience to find your zen in the most magical place on Earth. It comes with a steep price tag - $95 - but, I have a feeling this will be a popular option that will sell out fast.
And What About runDisney Springtime Surprise?
This one has me super intrigued. The teasers are promising big things in my opinion including unique race distances which will be a nice return since runDisney "standardized" their race weekends several years ago when they got rid of their Expedition Everest Challenge and Tower of Terror Ten Miler. We don't know what this could be yet, and I really hope the runDisney social media team teases us a bit before making any big sweeping announcements on this one - let us have some fun solving a puzzle!
runDisney Returns 2021 - 2022: Tips, Tricks, and Final Thoughts
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| Make Every Mile Magic! - www.runningonpixiedust.com |
runDisney created a page on their site solely devoted to details about the Post-COVID experience. Things will likely look different than the last runDisney race you did, and it may evolve and change as this race season progress. Stay up-to-date with all the "know before you go" details direct from runDisney here.
I expect that these races will be incredibly popular and sell out in record time. We haven't had an indication from runDisney officially about capacity for the races, but my guess is that fewer bibs will be available than in the past. This means that if you want to run - be ready to login and register as soon as the registration pages go live. Even ahead of race registrations, I also think you're going to see resort hotels running low on inventory and flights booking up. Also, the travel agent program will not be returning and I don't see any mention on their website (at least yet) of charity bibs. (UPDATE - Charities do have bibs! This is a great way to support a good cause and score a bib to your favorite race!) Your travel agent can still hook you up with hotel reservations and tickets - just not the race bibs themselves.
Looking for a travel agency to help you out? Visit my friends at Getaway Today. Don't forget to use code PIXIEDUST to save an extra 10% off you package!
Moral of the story - don't delay and be ready for an all out sprint on registration day! It's going to be a busy, but exciting race season and I can't wait to follow the fun (and hopefully sneak down for one of the race weekends myself!!) Here's to many magical miles ahead!
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