April 2026 runDisney Roundup

It's been a busy spring for runDisney since February's Princess Half Marathon Weekend. We've had a couple very hectic registrations, a new Virtual Series theme, and a warm Springtime Surprise (with Brooks continuing their run of excellent designs). Let's do a quick rundown of it all.

Wild registration for 2027 WDW Marathon Weekend

Shortly after the Princess Half Marathon Weekend, general registration opened up for the Donald Duck-centric 2027 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. As has been the case for the last few years, registration was fast and furious (as you can tell from the dreaded "more than an hour" wait screen. Surprisingly, the Goofy Challenge was the first to go this year in just over 40 minutes, followed by the 10k. The Dopey Challenge, Half Marathon, and Marathon weren't too far behind, and the 5k finally sold out in about 80 minutes.

Some speculation for the Goofy going first was because runDisney allocated more bibs for the Half Marathon, leaving less supply for Goofy. And similar to Wine & Dine, the 5k lasted the longest with the increased supply for 2027. Hopefully you were able to snag a spot via registration or charity route (although a lot of charity spots filled up quickly as well).

2026 Virtual Series Announcement and Registration

In late March runDisney also announced the theme of the 2026 Virtual Series to celebrate some favorites from the '90s. The '90s theme of the 2023 WDW Marathon Weekend was wildly popular (and my favorite theme to date), so it looks like runDisney is dipping back into the Millennial nostalgia well. The three 5k themes were centered around Emperor's New Groove, Hercules, and Pocahontas, with the Challenge themed after A Goofy Movie.

I've given my take before on the Virtual Series "races" - it's mostly akin to paying for the medals and merchandise. There's no requirement to prove someone you ran the race(s), although I'm sure if run regularly or if you're training for any distance above a 5k you'll hit the distances. And if someone needs the carrot of themed medals to get active then more power to them. But it would take something stellar for me, personally, to want to spend money on a virtual run.

That said, these sold out shockingly fast. The three individual 5k races were all sold out within a couple hours, and the Challenge stuck around for a couple days before registration filled up completely. It goes to show the demand for anything runDisney is always pretty high.

2026 Springtime Surprise Brooks Shoes Released

A very warm Springtime Surprise came and went to end the 2025-2026 runDisney season. Along with Springtime Surprise, Brooks released another couple pairs of shoes that did not disappoint. After some less-than-inspiring designs earlier in the season (looking at you Wine & Dine and Disneyland shoes), Brooks nailed the assignment with two great designs in the Winnie the Pooh Ghost 17's and the Genie Glycerin 23's.

Winnie the Pooh has never been my favorite, but it is hard to argue these shoes are perfect for the Pooh fan. Similar to the Chip & Dale themed shoes first released during Marathon Weekend, these feature different outsoles and midsole foams for Tigger (left shoe) and Pooh (right shoe). I especially like the dripping honeycomb Brooks logo on the upper.

The Genie Glycerin 23 shoe, however, is right up my alley. I loved Aladdin as a kid, and I've only grown to appreciate Robin Williams' Genie more and more for how manic, funny, and heartfelt he is as an animated character. These are a bit reminiscent of the Stitch shoes in color and face on the upper, but there are so many other great features as well. The gold midsole pops, as does the small red accents at the top lace loops. There's also a lamp on the inner upper at the heel. I was (and still am) very tempted by these designs, and I'm actually hoping they sell out online soon so I don't invest in yet another pair of running shoes.

Even though the 2025-2026 runDisney season is in the books, we're mere weeks away from 2027 Princess Half Marathon Weekend themes and then registration followed by the 2027 Springtime Surprise theme and registration (many hoping for a return to Star Wars themed races so we'll see).