To say that there’s a bit of construction going on at Disneyland is a bit of an understatement. Both Disneyland, and California Adventure are undergoing a major overhaul as projects like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the new Pixar Pier and even the in development Marvel land are scheduled to open in the next few years. As a result, Disneyland has announced that it will cancel all runDisney races scheduled for 2018 and beyond. But is that the reason?
“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,” a Disneyland spokesman said. “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.”
runDisney has said that it will refund any of those who have already registered for the races, at Disneyland. If you’re a runner, there’s still plenty of fun to be had at other Disney parks around the world as both Walt Disney World in Florida, and Disneyland Paris are huge locations for the fun Disney races.
One question does pop up. Disneyland says that construction is the reason, with projects like a new hotel and a new gate into the park being the main reason, along with Star Wars Land. But two of those projects haven’t started yet, and race routes do not take runners backstage where Star Wars construction would be an issue. So what IS the issue?
The races bring in millions of dollars for the city of Anaheim as the race attracts tens of thousands of people during times that are not generally busy for the park. That means that police get paid overtime, permits have to be pulled to close the streets down, and hotels are filled to capacity. Apparently there are issues between Disney and the city of Anaheim over new construction projects, and the city is holding up the process of letting Disney begin new construction. Neighborhood complaints from surrounding housing and business districts are keeping the city from approving the projects, and letting them go forward. The races bring in millions of dollars for the city…not having the races will cost the city money, until construction is complete. The sooner that the city allows Disney to start, the sooner the city can get back to raking in those millions thanks to Disney.
If you’re asking “what’s the big deal?”, you’ve never run a Disney race. Disney races bring a level of fun, and excitement to running that you don’t et with other races. Yes, it’s busy…but that’s Disney. There’s tons of characters along the way to take pictures with, everyone dresses up, and it’s an experience that you have to try at least once. If you’re not a runner, then a runDisney race could very well make you one. They’re that much fun.
Watch-Check out video from the Star Wars: Dark Side Half Marathon Expo
The Star Wars Light Side Half Marathon was to be the first scheduled race of the season, and that’s been cancelled. The last Disneyland runDisney event will be the Super Hero Half coming up in November. However, there are several big races coming up for Walt Disney World, including the Princess Half Marathon Weekend and Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend.
Stay tuned for more theme park race information. For more information about runDisney, visit their official website by clicking here.
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