If you want to take part in a Disney race, move fast. They have gotten very popular in recent years and many sell out within an hour of registration opening.If you go
To register, go to http://rundisney.com. Registration typically opens noon ET on a Tuesday months before the race. For instance, sign-ups begin Tuesday for Disney World races in January. Get to a computer early — 12:05 p.m. could be too late given how long the registration page takes. You may be able to register through tour groups and charities, with donations or fundraising required.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – At Walt Disney World, you might find Darth Vader, Tinker Bell or a classic Disney princess running alongside half-marathon participants.
These events are no ordinary races, and the trips that participants take are no ordinary Disney visits. Few care about race times, particularly with opportunities to pose with costumed characters such as Donald Duck and Boba Fett. Racing is mostly about getting to the photo ops before lines get too long.
Disney has races to honor classic Disney and Pixar characters (January and September), princesses (February), Tinker Bell (May) and superheroes from Disney’s Marvel comic books (November). There’s also one at Disneyland Paris in September.
This weekend, the Florida theme park hosted its first Star Wars Half Marathon. Calling it The Dark Side, it followed last year’s debut of The Light Side race at Disneyland in California. Another Light Side half-marathon is scheduled for January 2017, with registration opening in June. The races combine two of the world’s biggest franchises, while capitalizing on Disney’s $4 billion purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012.