Feel The Force: runDisney Announces Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend

The new series of races kicks off Jan. 15, 2015.

Runners everywhere will be able to channel their inner Jedi Knight at a new weekend of races next January: The Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.

The series will feature kids races and a 5K, 10K and half marathon. For those runners who are feeling the force, err course, there will be extra prizes for finishing both the 10K and the half marathon.

The weekend of racing will be presented by Sierra Nevada Corporation and kicks off Jan. 15. There will also be a Star Wars-themed pre-race party, a health and fitness expo and opportunities to meet Star Wars and Disney characters.

“This melding of the iconic Star Wars franchise and the runDisney brand creates an ideal race experience that will resonate with core running groups as well as attract new runners to the sport,” said Maribeth Bisienere, senior vice president of Disney Sports Enterprises, in a a press release. “We will continue to identify opportunities to collaborate with other Disney franchises and partners to develop more unique runDisney race weekends that will appeal to an increasingly wider range of runners across the country and beyond.”

The Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend is the fourth sponsored weekend of racing at the Disneyland resort. The others are the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, the Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend and the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend.

The press release about the new event reports that the runDisney brand has helped local economies. The Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, for example, generates approximately $20 to $30 million in revenue to Anaheim.

Registration for the Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend begins June 10.

For More: runDisney.com