runDisney’s Best Races

We’ve picked the Happiest Races on Earth designed to wow the inner child and grown-up in you.

Disney’s running business has boomed from one race with 8,200 runners in 1994 to 33 races over nine weekends in 2015 with more than 163,900 runners combined. Whether you’re into Disney Princesses or Disney Villains, Star Wars or The Avengers, 5Ks or marathons, there’s a race for you. These three standouts take runners on a race around the world (Walt Disney World, that is), off to Never Land at Disneyland, and on a tipsy tour of Epcot. Best of all, a certain mouse is waiting at the finish line.

Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend
Distances: 5K, 10K, Half-Marathon, Marathon, Kids Races
Location: Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date: January 7-11, 2015
Registration Opened: April 2014
rundisney.com/disneyworld-marathon/

Running gluttons get their fill at the marathon, the only race that rambles through Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, ESPN Wide World of Sports and the NASCAR-style Walt Disney World Speedway. Choose from the 5K, 10K, 21K and 42K on different days or tackle them all in the Dopey Challenge. Want to run “just” the half and marathon? Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2015. Disney characters at each event greet costumed runners who often stop for mid-race photos. Plus, the coveted New Balance runDisney shoes, featuring Mickey Mouse and friends, debut annually at the race expo. Expect early alarms for the 5:30 a.m. starts and crowded corrals; 56,176 finishers earned Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, Goofy and Dopey medals in 2013, making it the second-largest running festival in North America behind the New York City Marathon.

Tinker Bell Half-Marathon Weekend
Distances: 5K, 10K, Half-Marathon, Kids Races
Location: Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California
Date: May 7-10, 2015
Registration Opened: August 2014
rundisney.com/tinker-bell-half-marathon/

Seeking eternal youth? Follow a flock of sparkle skirt and tutu-clad fairies through Disneyland and the flat streets of Anaheim. The Mother’s Day half-marathon celebrates women, now 57 percent of American runners. In previous years, the first two corrals and awards were ladies only, including top mother-daughter teams and military women. Peter Pan and the Lost Boys run too; men were 1,652 of the 13,143 finishers in 2014. Smaller than Disney’s Princess Half Marathon, the race has fewer crowds and later wake-up times for the 5:30 a.m. start—just a 10-minute walk from Disneyland hotels. Plus, the new Pixie Dust Challenge dares fans to earn their wings at the Tinker Bell 10K and Half Marathon on consecutive days. Throw in the Never Land 5K for a three-peat feat.

Disney Wine & Dine Half-Marathon Weekend
Distances: 5K, Half-Marathon, Kids Races
Location: Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Date: November 6-7, 2015
Registration Opens: March 2015
rundisney.com/wine-and-dine-half-marathon/

The Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon is a decidedly grown-up affair. Runners stay-up past bedtime to race through Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Epcot starting at 10 p.m. Why? An all-night Bacchanalian bash at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, which stays open until 4 a.m. just for the 12,000 finishers and 4,000 ticket-holders, with live music, Disney characters and wait-free Epcot attractions. Registration traditionally includes admission, a finish-line libation and $10 gift card to get started on more than 50 wines from 17 countries and bites from 25 culinary kiosks, including Canada. Bring your wallet and your appetite.

–Karla Bruning