Disneyland Halloween runDisney Weekend 2025 – Race Themes, Dates, Courses, Best One

runDisney returned to Disneyland Resort for a special Halloween Half Marathon weekend in 2024 and now the tradition continues with dates announced for 2025.

Before the recent January runDisney Half Marathon weekend, runDisney events had not been held at Disneyland since 2017. I was there in January capturing the entire runDisney Disneyland 10K race experience to show you what it's like now that runDisney is back at Disneyland.

We'll dive into the race dates, race themes, the likely course maps, and then based on all of that information which runDisney Halloween race we recommend, we had a great time experiencing this race in 2024. There is also yoga offered during the event. Scroll down for what has been released for far about that offering.

runDisney Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon 2025

The 2025 Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon takes place September 4-7, 2025.

Registration for Club runDisney members starts on November 26, 2024. General registration starts on December 3, 2024.

runDisney Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon

We love Halloween at Disneyland. The celebration has continued to grow and this year the offering will run for the most amount of dates at Disneyland ever. Halloween at Disneyland typically takes place from late August to Halloween.

The runDisney races always increase crowds at the theme parks. Even with that said, September should remain one of the least crowded times to visit Disneyland.

The Health and Fitness Expo will also likely be open for all of the runDisney dates at the Disneyland Hotel if it follows past precedent. You can read our full guide to runDisney here.

Is there a Disneyland runDisney Halloween Virtual Option?

No virtual Halloween race option has been announced yet for the upcoming Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend.

Participants in the virtual races track their distance and then self-report to receive a medal. While visiting Disneyland during the recent Half Marathon weekend I was waiting in line with a group of people that had all signed up for the virtual race and was tracking their distance walked in the park for their medals. I thought that was a nice combination of park time and the virtual medal. We will have to wait and see if Disney brings this race back.

runDisney Halloween Registration Dates

Disney has shared the information for when registration opens for these upcoming races. The runDisney Halloween Half Marathon weekend registrations are split between two dates.

Club runDisney Gold & Platinum Member Registration at November 26, 2024 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET

General Registration at December 3, 2024 at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET

These races SOLD OUT in 2024 so if you have your heart set on participating in 2025, make sure to register in advance!

runDisney Halloween Race Themes

The following themes are from 2024, we will update with the 2025 runDisney Halloween Half Marathon races and themes when we get the information.

Disney just announced the race themes for the upcoming runDisney Halloween Half Marathon weekend races. The spooky race themes are as follows. Generally, the race themes all leave open the opportunity for characters in fun Halloween costumes to be present at any race. For instance during the recent ducks-themed Disneyland runDisney 10K, characters like Goofy and Chip ‘n Dale were still out on the course.

First up is the 5K which will be a “3.1-mile trick-or-treat themed adventure through Disneyland Resort” hosted by Chip ‘n Dale. If I had to guess this will be a race that features the classic characters in their Halloween costumes. I love this design race logo design. It is really in keeping with the style of the Anaheim Halloween parade tradition.

Next up is the 10K which Disney describes as a “hauntingly fun run” where “some Haunted Mansion inhabitants join with spectral forces”. They share details further saying that runners should be on the lookout for “Hitchhiking Ghosts, the Hatbox Ghost, [and] Singing Busts.” This race sounds incredible and like a truly spooky surprise for Disneyland runners. Talk about a great runDisney theme. I hope we see them execute here with rare characters, fog throughout the park, and a spooky atmosphere. I'll dive into this race a little bit more in the commentary below.

Next the Half Marathon which will be “hosted by Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck and Clarabelle Cow dressed as the Sanderson Sisters from Disney’s “Hocus Pocus””. This race sounds incredible and with the popularity of these three characters, the energy will be palpable with them up on the stand kicking off the race.

The challenge medal – complete both the Disneyland 10K and Disneyland Half Marathon – is themed to Nightmare Before Christmas this year! Look at this awesome design.

Disney also has kids races on the Saturday morning after the 10K race. Kids up to age 9 can participate. For this Halloween weekend, the race will be hosted by favorites from “Cars” in their “car-stumes.” This will be super fun to see the characters over in the area hosting the race. It looks like at least Mater in his costume will be at the race course but I assume others could make appearances too.

The runDisney yoga session will also return for this weekend. Disney describes the event – “Hosted by Goofy, participants can start their morning enjoying the unique opportunity to do yoga with a view of Sleeping Beauty Castle before the park opens. Plus, experience special photo opportunities and appearances by some of your favorite Disney characters.” It doesn't look like this event will have a Halloween theme.

runDisney Halloween Race Maps

There is still plenty of information we don't yet have about these Halloween races. For instance, will there still be water stations or will they all be replaced with candy trick-or-treating? Just kidding! We also don't know what the race routes will be but we can assume that they will mirror the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend that just took place in January. Here are those route maps.

Here's the runDisney Disneyland 5K route:

Here's the runDisney 10K route at Disneyland:

Here's the Half Marathon runDisney route:

Alright, now that you have all of that information it's time to dive into which Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon weekend race is right for you!

Which is the best runDisney Halloween race for you?

There are a couple of considerations for the runDisney races at Disneyland that may shift which race is most interesting to you. If you have a fitness goal of running a half marathon or are interested in pursuing the longest distance than you likely already have your mind made up. If you are on the edge, the below reasoning will be an important read.

There is one specific race that is best if you are interested in participating in a runDisney race at Disneyland for the novelty of running through the Disney theme parks, seeing characters, and experiencing runDisney.

If you look at the route maps above for the recent races you'll see how much of the Half Marathon is spent outside of the parks. All of those city streets are dark public roads with little entertainment – there are some local bands and car clubs out but no Disney characters. In the past races had gone inside the Angels Stadium, but the recent 2024 race did not. We don't expect that will change for Halloween. So, with that said from mile 8 through 13.1 you are just running through city streets in Anaheim. Nothing super special!

Also looking at the maps above you can see that a majority of the 10K race is actually inside Disneyland and weaves through the different lands of the park. This was the race that I ran in during the Half Marathon weekend. I made up my mind for the specific reason that the distance outside the parks seemed unnecessary to me. Also when you compare the route of the 10K vs the 5K the 10K also sees more within the parks.

Now, continue with this logic and I would have already recommended the Disneyland 10K race for those interested in runDisney. That would be even before the Haunted Mansion theme was announced. Now, the race has what is likely going to be the most popular theme.

Anytime that Disneyland does something Haunted Mansion themed they reveal an incredible set of costumes that they typically keep stored away from special events (see a photo below from Mickey's Not-S0-Scary Halloween Party in Florida). I bet that this race will be a ton of fun with Haunted Mansion characters, spooky decorations/projections, and perhaps some Disney villains too. Interestingly there wasn't a specific villains themed runDisney race. I would expect to still see those characters out on the routes.

So, with all of that said I highly recommend the 10k Disneyland Halloween race for those interested in experiencing runDisney. I'll also take this moment to predict that the Haunted Mansion 10K will be the first event to sell out for this race weekend.

Disneyland Halloween runDisney Races Support Charity

Disney has also announced that the race will support the Anaheim Community Foundation. The foundation has been around for 40 years and is “focused on the current and emerging needs of Anaheim residents”. The group “provides children, families, and residents in need with critical support to address food insecurity, mental health services, emergency rental/utility assistance, workforce development and at-risk youth intervention”.

During the recent runDisney Half Marathon Weekend Race Disneyland supported Caterina's Club. That group is committed to “spreading warmth through meals, offering affordable housing, and empowering families in need across Southern California”. Disney presented that group with $50,000. The above photo is from Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock on Instagram. He is pictured with the head of the foundation and the Anaheim Mayor.

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