In an announcement posted this afternoon on the runDisney blog, Disney confirms what MousePlanet reported Monday, that all race weekends at the Disneyland Resort are on hiatus beginning in 2018. The already-announced Star Wars – The Light Side Half Marathon and the Tinker Bell Half Marathon have been cancelled, and with no additional races being scheduled. This decision also means a hiatus for the Coast-to-Coast and Kessel Run challenges. The runDisney announcement did not say how long the hiatus would last.
The Disneyland Resort responded to the announcement, saying:
“While construction for the next several years will impact our ability to deliver the runDisney experience our guests love, we are excited about our future as the Disneyland Resort continues one of its largest multi-year expansions, which includes a new 14-acre land—Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. For fans who love to be part of runDisney events, we will continue to offer races at our other properties around the world in 2018.”
As we reported, nearly 2,000 runners took advantage of an early-registration offer to sign up for the 2018 Star Wars race weekend, which was scheduled to take place January 11–14, 2018. Disney says they will contact each of the registered runners today by email, and provide a full refund of registration fees and for any event merchandise they may have pre-ordered.
Disney cites the ongoing construction related to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and the Disneyland Resort expansion as the basis for this decision, saying, “Given the level of construction to support the ongoing Disneyland Resort expansion, we have been working hard to determine how we can continue providing our West Coast participants with the best possible runDisney experience, which is designed around the ability to run throughout our resorts while enjoying entertainment offerings and characters.”
The company says race events will continue at the Walt Disney World resort in Florida and the Disneyland Resort in Paris. The virtual race series will also continue.
This announcement also impacts partners in the runDisney Charity Groups Program, many of whom plan their annual fundraising efforts around runDisney events in Anaheim. Anticipating that runDisney was about to cancel the 2018 events, members of the runDisneyRun Facebook group had already created the LA Hyperspace Marathon and Ultra virtual race, a charity run benefiting Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). Other groups are looking at partnering with other local races, such as the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, or hosting non-race events as they work to raise funds for their respective charities.
The last race currently scheduled for the Disneyland Resort is next month's Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend. Registration is still open for the Super Heroes Half Marathon and Infinity Gauntlet Challenge events, for those who want to get in one more race around Anaheim before the hiatus.
Runners pass the Team MousePlanet cheer station during the Disneyland Half Marathon. MousePlanet file photo.
With just one Disneyland Resort event left on the calendar, Team MousePlanet is pulling out all the stops for our cheer station at the halfway point of the 2017 Super Heroes Half Marathon on Sunday, November 12. These cheer stations have become one of our largest community events, and we plan to go out in style. If you'd like to help us distribute cheer and carbohydrates to the runners, please visit our MousePlanet discussion forum to sign up.
Rows of personalized signs greet runners during the Disneyland Half Marathon. MousePlanet file photo.
If you're running in the 2017 Super Heroes Half Marathon, be sure to request a free personalized cheer sign to be displayed at the Team MousePlanet station on race day.
