runDisney Races Pausing in California Due to Disneyland Construction
RunDisney revealed races will go on indefinite hiatus following the 2026 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend. This shares details of the announcement, how long the races will likely be on hold, whether they’ll ever return to the California parks, and why this feels like déjà vu all over again.
The announcement from Disney indicates that runDisney events will be placed on hiatus in 2026 due to construction impacts at Disneyland Resort. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this is the second time in less than a decade that runDisney has paused races at Disneyland under the guise of construction impacts.
On October 18, 2017, runDisney announced that “after careful consideration and weighing all possibilities, we have made the very difficult decision to place all runDisney race weekends at Disneyland Resort on hiatus beginning in 2018. This includes the associated Coast to Coast Race Challenges.” As we’ll discuss below, the circumstances were different then, but regardless, runDisney didn’t return to Disneyland until last year–the 2026 Disneyland Half Marathon will mark the third flagship race back after a 6-year gap.
Fast-forward to April 22, 2025, and here’s the announcement from runDisney:
- Update: runDisney at the Disneyland Resort
- Due to upcoming construction impacts, runDisney races at the Disneyland Resort will be placed on hiatus in 2026 after the conclusion of the 2026 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend presented by HONDA.
- We will continue to offer races at Walt Disney World Resort, as well as virtual offerings.
Back when the races were abruptly paused in late 2017, effective only a few months later, there was more to the story than the impact of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge construction. Although that was the official explanation, and a face-saving excuse that most fans accepted, it was one of several factors.
Another factor was Disney’s tense relationship with the City of Anaheim. It was a rough few years, involving a series of standoffs that resulted in the cancellation of Disneyland’s Eastern Gateway and planned luxury hotel on the edge of Downtown Disney. Shortly after the runDisney events were cancelled, Disney and the City of Anaheim reconciled in 2018 and have had a much better relationship since. And by reconciled, I mean that Disney invested heavily in political spending to get its preferred candidates elected.
Disneyland has had zero issues with the City of Anaheim since then. Even beyond more pro-Disney politicians, Anaheim and its residents learned how dependent it was upon Disney in 2020-2021. The local vibe has changed a lot in the last few years. That’s one of the reasons why DisneylandForward was pushed through when it was. Not because Disney needs that zoning project in the near-term, but because the company was opportunistic and correctly sensed that sentiment was favorable for gaining approval.
Yet another variable was that runDisney events in Anaheim had waned in popularity at the time. There were probably several reasons for this alone, from oversaturation to uninspired events, but whatever the underlying reasons, races were not selling out. That on top of construction and tensions with the City of Anaheim all combined to make it a relatively easy decision–even if they called it a difficult one.
Admittedly, I don’t have my finger on the pulse of runDisney dynamics in 2025. From what I’ve heard, navigating logistics with the City of Anaheim is still challenging. Not necessarily due to any underlying political tensions, but simply because it’s a herculean task to shut down so many city streets for the races. Working with outside partners complicates everything, and not everyone is fully on board with hosting the runDisney event across Anaheim.
Less credibly, I’ve also heard that there are challenges within runDisney. The organization has managed to put more of a buffer between the flagship Walt Disney World Marathon and Disneyland Half Marathon, but they’re still less than a month apart. The former gets more attention because it’s the longstanding, marquee event…among other reasons.
Finally, there’s the matter of construction. This time, that feels like less of a face-saving excuse and more of a valid explanation. Nevertheless, I don’t think that construction alone would be outcome-determinative. Which is to say that if all else were going swimmingly with the Anaheim events, runDisney would’ve found a way to navigate the Avengers Campus construction and whatever other projects might break ground within the next 18 months.
The biggest impediment to runDisney continuing in California might not be the in-park expansion projects, but rather, the revived Eastern Gateway project. One of the cornerstones for DisneylandForward is a new parking structure between Harbor Blvd and Disney Way. This is currently the Pumbaa lot for Cast Member parking and a couple of empty parcels, and is also utilized as the staging location and finish line for runDisney races.
The Eastern Gateway is widely believed to be a necessary prerequisite to a lot of the other development plans at Disneyland Resort. While the new immersive theme park and Disney Springs-esque area on the map above are (probably?) nonsense, it is true that Pandora: World of Avatar and other projects (probably?) cannot begin construction until the current Esplanade is adjusted–and that can’t happen without Eastern Gateway.
For all of these reasons, it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if runDisney is on hiatus at Disneyland Resort for at least 5 years. It might actually be closer to a full decade once you account for the Eastern Gateway construction, then the bus loop demolition, followed by the Pandora (or whatever else) construction.
Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if runDisney never returns to Disneyland given all of the above. It’s a challenge to juggle both Walt Disney World and Disneyland events, a hassle to coordinate with the City of Anaheim, and there’s not much incentive to work around construction. At the same time, I also wouldn’t actually expect runDisney to be gone from Disneyland forever. Enough time will pass, employee turnover will happen, institutional memory will fade about all of the above, and Disneyland events will once again be viewed as a potential growth engine.
In the meantime, we’d recommend getting your final “fix” on runDisney in California with the 2026 Disneyland Half Marathon. Just be warned, as registration is likely going to get much more competitive for this race now that runDisney has announced everything beyond this one is going on hiatus!
Here are full details about that upcoming event:
If you’re looking to “Celebrate Joy” get ready, get set …to smile! runDisney is going to “Celebrate Happy” during the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend presented by Honda, January 29–February 1, 2026. For even more happy news, it’s happening during the 70th anniversary of the Disneyland Resort! This race weekend will be themed to different ways to celebrate what delights us most, imagine the Happiest Race on Earth at the Happiest Place on Earth.
Here’s a first look at the happy event themes for the 2026 race weekend:
Disneyland 5K presented by Honda
On January 30, join Joy from Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out films to “Celebrate Joy” during your 3.1 miles!
Disneyland 10K presented by Honda
On January 31, get ready for 6.2 magical miles with Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey as you “Celebrate Imagination!”
Disneyland Half Marathon presented by Honda
On February 1, “Celebrate Togetherness” during 13.1 miles of “it’s a small world” wonders — be sure to bring a friend!
Dumbo Double Dare presented by Honda
You can also “Celebrate Achievement” with Dumbo and earn an extra medal by finishing both the 10K and the half marathon for a total of 19.3 miles!
Kids 9 and under can “Celebrate Laughter” on January 31 as they jump into exciting runs featuring Stitch, a.k.a., Experiment 626.
Disneyland Yoga presented by Honda
Get ready to stretch and “Celebrate Smiles” on January 29 during a morning yoga session with the magnificent Miss Piggy in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Runners wanting to participate in the 2026 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend events should mark their calendars for April 29, 2025 at 7:00 AM PT | 10:00 AM ET, when general registration will begin.
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and many other SoCal cities!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on runDisney once again suspending races in California? Think this is simply a matter of construction, or are logistics for the races in Anaheim too big of a hurdle to overcome? Excited about the 2026 Disneyland Half Marathon? Which race(s) will you run? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I’m beyond grateful I was able to participate in this year’s Disneyland 10k. My first destination race. Hard to imagine topping that. And mini break Disney trip with my adult kids (who doubled as my support crew). And I feel bad that other people will miss out on this unique running experience.
Thanks again for the excellent g reporting and analysis.
The Brooks / RunDisney shoe partnership seems to have gone nowhere. We got a press release sometime last year, and nothing since then.
The collaboration was available at the Springtime Surprise event and online on 4/7/2025. Tom also mentioned the collaboration here in one of his best shoes to wear to Disney posts. https://www.disneytouristblog.com/top-walking-shoes-disney-travel/
The shoes were made available to order on the Brooks website Monday after the race weekend finished and pretty much sold out same day. They were VERY popular. There will be more new designs unveiled for each race weekend this season.
Thanks Ali and Sarah. I apparently hadn’t been paying close enough attention to notice these blink and you miss it limited editions. The Minnie shoes are nice but the Ghost Max 2 runDisney Mickey Mouse has an unfortunate ketchup and mustard vibe to it. Glad others are liking it, but I would have passed even if it was still available. Instead I’ll get ghost 17 or maybe some ghost 16s on sale.
I ran the “Minnie Marathon” several years in a row at Disneyland in the 1980s and 1990s when I was a Matterhorn Mountain Climber. Fitness was a part of my life as a Mountaineer, and the marathons – forerunners to future public race events – were for cast members only and included backstage areas and the parking lot in the routes. Those were fun days under the Eisner and Wells leadership team.
Frank your comment sent me looking up what a Matterhorn Mountain Climber was- it sounds like it was awesome for people in the parks to see. Was it fun in addition to hard work? It seems to me that it isn’t something a lot of people can claim to have done. I wish that I was someone who had seen them.
Hi Cathy, thanks for the reply and the question! Yes, it was great fun – best “job” ever! Minimal supervision. Freedom to climb wherever we desired, and also whatever struck us as personally challenging. Always visible and entertaining guests below, all while applying common sense, highly-honed skills, and strict safety practices we brought to the park as real-life climbers and mountaineers. And the view is always incredible! Catalina Island. The Hollywood sign. The dome of the Spruce Goose in Long Beach. And one sad morning – the plume of black smoke rising from the Cerritos air disaster. This was our world, high above The Magic Kingdom. Different every single day. And always fun. Yes, we enjoyed letting you know that we could see you and wave directly to YOU on the ground from the icy slopes of the majestic Matterhorn. Or to your little group sitting on the curb at Casey’s Corner as you patiently waited for the parade. We loved our show, and also how authentic the climbing was. No simulations. Just the real thing. We all keep in touch to this day via a private Facebook group, share stories of our times on “the rock,” and post private photos. Much more could be said. Cheers to you and all who come to read these words!
Frank aka “Otto,” Matterhorn climber, 1985-93
Frank, I love your stories! As a cast member during some of the years you were climbing, I can say it was not only the guests who enjoyed the great show you guys put on for us, but it helped make our workdays that more magical. Thanks for all of your hard work and bring back such good memories. I’m really hoping Universal’s new emphasis on live entertainment inspires (pressures?) Disney to bring back the same. I’d love to see another generation of climbers.
During the 2010s I ran a lot of the Disneyland events and when it was just the Disneyland Half over Labor Day weekend, it was truly the most entertaining race I had ever done. Characters, marching bands, photo ops, car shows, cheerleaders, and parade floats everywhere. It would only take a minute to stop and get a picture. However, over the years as they add Tinker Bell, Avengers, Star Wars races, had less and less entertainment at each run, and allowed more and more runners. These races are super expensive to sign up for, so as we got less and less for our money, we eventually stopped running them in 2016. Since I’m already training for the 2026 Disney World Goofy Challenge, I might sign up for the Disneyland Half also.