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!