With Disney’s Star Wars Half Marathon at Disneyland last year proving to be immensely popular last year, it was only a matter of time (or parsecs?) before the event finally made its debut at the Mouse’s other home base in Orlando, Florida.
Now, Star Wars fans will have the opportunity to do both runs in 2016. The official Star Wars site announced that the runDisney Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend will come to Walt Disney World Resort in a Dark Side-themed event April 14-17. It will feature a kids race, a 5K, 10K and a half marathon.
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The half marathon route runs through Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios before ending up at ESPN Wide World of Sports. We’re assuming there are no detours through asteroid fields, hopefully.
If you finish the 10K and the half marathon (which are on consecutive days), you’ll get a special themed challenge medal for your trouble. Registration for the race opens on Sept. 22.
Of course, if red lightsabers and Force choking aren’t up your alley, you can also attend the Light Side version of the event at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. That takes place Jan. 14-17 and also has all the different races. Since it’s the second annual version of the run, it’s already so popular that it’s sold out, but it’s still possible to get tickets through other avenues here.
But Disney is adding a new twist to this year’s festivities called the Kessel Run Challenge. You can complete this challenge by running in both half marathons in Orlando and Anaheim next year.
Obviously, this is for runners who apparently have more midi-chlorians (and dedication) than most. That’s a grand total of 26.2 miles, and you won’t have the Millennium Falcon’s hyperdrive to help you improve your time. I’ll follow a Falcon pilot’s advice and refrain from telling you the odds.
Nevertheless, I’ve heard nothing but positive things about the experience at last year’s Disneyland race. It’s not only a great way to devote yourself to a goal and work on getting your body in shape (this universe doesn’t offer many chances to put our physicality to use), but also an opportunity to meet fellow Star Wars fans.
Remember, you don’t have to be the fastest runner in the galaxy; all you have to do is survive and finish the mission.
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