CONFIRMED: BIG Change To This runDisney Event
runDisney has made a big change to one of its popular events. Find out what you need to know!
More 5K Availability
runDisney has become so popular that events sell out in hours. Long gone are the days where you could register at your convenience or even just a month or two before the event. runDisney has listened to athletes and has made some changes!
Earlier this year, runDisney shared that they would be adding more availability to their 5K events. This new increase in availability would begin at the 2026 runDisney Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend, which is taking place this weekend!
With this increase in capacity, many athletes were speculating changes were coming.
Changes Before The Event
Athletes were emailed their Start Groups a month before the event. The new 5K bib has a tear off for your race shirt. However, there is another tear off tag at the bottom. This bottom tear tag in place is used for your entry into your Start Group.
You can read all of the changes that came to the runDisney 5K HERE.
CONFIRMED - Pace Requirements Enforced
It has been confirmed that runDisney is now enforcing the 16 minute per mile pace requirement for the 5K. Previously, this event did not have a strict time limit, allowing many athletes to take a slower pace or stop for characters without fear of being swept.
Today, the 5K event had three hard sweeps, which clears and resets the course for the next wave of athletes. The course was cleared and reset after Group C and E, and completely cleared for the completion of the event for Group G. Athletes reported seeing Balloon Ladies at the end of Groups C, E and G.
REMINDER: the Balloon Ladies are not the official hard sweep for the event, instead they act as a visual aid for the 16 minutes per mile pace requirement.
runDisney is now enforcing the 16 minute per mile pace requirement for the 5K event.
With this new format, a lot more athletes were able to participate in the 5K. However, many athletes were left wondering if it was worth it. Athletes that were at the end of Start Groups before the hard sweeps (C, E, and G) reported unfavorable experiences due to long character lines (over an hour wait or sometimes event closed) or an over crowded course.
Many speculate that this will have athletes moving back a Start Group or two so that they can be in a Start Group with a fresh clear course. Example being someone in Group C waiting to start in Group D. At this time, athletes can move back to any Start Group until the Start Line is clear. Athletes cannot move up a Start Group (example someone assigned to Start Group C cannot move to Start Group B).
This is the first time the event had in theory three 5k's, so we will definitely be watching if runDisney makes any more changes for the 5K for the 2027 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.
What did you think of the changes runDisney made to the 5K? If you participated yesterday, how was your experience? Do you think runDisney could do something else to improve the experience for the athletes? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to share this post with your friends!
