- Mar 13, 2024
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All the runners out there know that what seems like a relatively cheap hobby can quickly turn expensive.
runDisney
And you know what makes it even pricier? If you’re a Disney Adult who likes to run! The runDisney events are extremely popular and sell out quickly, drawing in big crowds so that fans can run through the parks in the wee hours of the morning dressed up as their favorite Disney characters. But what does it really cost you to participate in these races? Let’s break it down.
DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.
For this example, I’m going to price out the cost for the runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend, which takes place February 25th-March 1st, 2027. It’s one of the more popular race weekends, and it features three races, like most of the other weekends do (the exception is the Marathon Weekend in January, which has four races).
©Disney
Now, at the time of writing, all the races for this event are already sold out, but the cost is as follows for each race’s registration:
©Disney
In addition to the race events, you could have signed up for the Disney Princess Yoga, which is scheduled for March 1st and is $127 per person.
Alright, now that you’ve got the race registration done, you’ll need to reserve your hotel for the event! I’ve priced out hotels with an arrival date of Thursday, February 25th and a departure date of Tuesday, March 2nd. This gives you the chance to attend all the race weekend events, including visiting the runDisney Expo the day before the races start (so long as you arrive earlier in the day on Thursday).
Disney Princess Half Marathon Expo
Starting with a more expensive option, staying those dates at Disney’s Contemporary Resort would cost you at least $4,000.52. That price would be for a Garden Wing Room with Resort View, the cheapest option at that hotel. Being at the Contemporary means you get the perks of Extended Evening Hours, Early Theme Park Entry, a seven-day booking window for Lightning Lanes, and the close proximity to Magic Kingdom — just a walking path or Monorail ride away.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
For a Moderate Resort option, you could stay at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort — Riverside. This one’s a fan-favorite! Here, a Standard Room for the duration of the race weekend is $2,018.26 total. That gets you all the regular perks of a Disney Resort guest, plus you’ll have boat transportation to Disney Springs.
Port Orleans — Riverside Lobby
Of course, we’ve got to have a budget option as well. For our Value Resort, I priced out Disney’s Pop Century Resort with a Standard Room. This one would cost you a total of $1,604.26 for five nights. The bonus benefit of staying here (besides the price) is that you get access to the Disney Skyliner.
Pop Century
So, as you see, your resort selection can make the price of your trip vary wildly!
If you’re going to Disney World and running a race, you’ll likely still want to visit the parks while you’re there! Assuming you want to hit up parks a few days after you’ve run your races, here are the ticket prices for those dates:
Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom
Upgrading those tickets to Park Hoppers will add about $95-$100 to your total (but, honestly, you probably don’t want to do that because you’ll already be tired from racing, and Park Hopping takes a LOT of energy). Single-day base tickets vary in price greatly depending on which day you visit and which park you choose.
Now, dining is a tricky one to budget for because preferences are incredibly different from person to person. If you ate entirely quick service meals throughout your trip, you could expect to spend about $15 a person at lunch and dinner each day. Breakfast is a little bit cheaper, but you may also want to budget for a snack or beverage, so I’d recommend a budget of $50 per person, per day.
Columbia Harbour House
If you wanted to squeeze in a table service meal each day, I’d move that budget up to $75 per person, per day. But if your tastes are more expensive and you want signature dining or two sit-down meals, you could realistically spend $100 per person, per day. This means that depending on your tastes, your food budget could be anywhere from $300 per person total to $600 per person total for the trip.
Now, if you’re going to run a race, you’re going to need supplies! When I asked our team what items were must-haves for a runDisney race, our runners had six top picks.
HOKA Clifton 10
The first item on the list was a good pair of shoes! Our team is fans of the Hoka Women’s Clifton 10s, and two of our runners said they’d done runDisney races in them. Their main piece of advice here is to break them in thoroughly before you wear them to Disney World. A pair of these will cost you about $175, so add that to the budget.
©Amazon
Another must-have? A set of compression sleeves for your calves. These will help with blood flow while you’re running and keep the swelling and discomfort under control. You can get them in several colors, and we found this set on Amazon for $14.
©Amazon
When you’re running the race, you need a place to store your phone, room key, snacks, and any other items you want to carry on your person. For that, we recommend getting a running belt! They’re like fanny packs, but much slimmer, and they can be adjusted to your waist for a snug fit while you run. This one is on Amazon for $13.
©Amazon
If you’re going to invest in your shoes, you should invest in your socks as well. One of our team’s runners is a big fan of these Balega Hidden Comfort Performance Socks for her runDisney races. Get a pair for $17 on Amazon.
©Amazon
Something that runners claimed was an absolute game-changer is bib snaps! These snaps help keep your runner bib in place, and they’re reusable and fabric-friendly. You can get the plain ones on Amazon for just $9.
©Disney
Last but not least, we have headphones! One member of our team is particularly fond of SHOKZ OpenRun Pro 2 Bluetooth Headphones, as they sit securely over the top of your ears, which is perfect for running. These are one of the pricier items on our list, sitting at around $180.
So far, we’ve got a registration cost that could vary from $175-$449, a hotel cost that could be anywhere from $1600-$4000 (or even more if you go pricier on your resort), tickets ranging from $400-$800, dining ranging from $300-$600, and about $400 worth of gear. This means that the cost for your trip, if you factor in just the elements above, could range from $2,875-$6,249 for five nights and a long weekend of running!
Princess Minnie at the Finish Line for 2022 Disney Princess 5K
But that isn’t all! There are still some additional factors to consider, depending on your personal situation. If you’re flying in, you will need to include the cost of flights and airport transportation. If you’re driving? Don’t forget the gas money! Those who prefer a fancier in-park experience will want to snag Lightning Lanes, and that adds cost to your daily total. And of course, PhotoPass Memory Maker is a good investment if you want those race pics and photos in the park afterward.
runDisney banner
So yes, these trips can be incredibly pricey! However, if you take the budget-friendly route, you can still have just as fun a time. And really, it’s all about doing what you came to do — finishing that race!
Have you ever done a runDisney race? Tell us in the comments!
runDisney
And you know what makes it even pricier? If you’re a Disney Adult who likes to run! The runDisney events are extremely popular and sell out quickly, drawing in big crowds so that fans can run through the parks in the wee hours of the morning dressed up as their favorite Disney characters. But what does it really cost you to participate in these races? Let’s break it down.
DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.
runDisney Registration
For this example, I’m going to price out the cost for the runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend, which takes place February 25th-March 1st, 2027. It’s one of the more popular race weekends, and it features three races, like most of the other weekends do (the exception is the Marathon Weekend in January, which has four races).
©Disney
Now, at the time of writing, all the races for this event are already sold out, but the cost is as follows for each race’s registration:
- The Tiana-themed Disney Princess 5K — $125 per person
- The Snow White-themed Disney Princess 10K — $175 per person
- The Jasmine-themed Disney Princess Half Marathon — $269 per person
- The Ariel-themed Disney Princess Fairytale Challenge (all three races) — $449 per person
©Disney
In addition to the race events, you could have signed up for the Disney Princess Yoga, which is scheduled for March 1st and is $127 per person.
Hotel Costs
Alright, now that you’ve got the race registration done, you’ll need to reserve your hotel for the event! I’ve priced out hotels with an arrival date of Thursday, February 25th and a departure date of Tuesday, March 2nd. This gives you the chance to attend all the race weekend events, including visiting the runDisney Expo the day before the races start (so long as you arrive earlier in the day on Thursday).
Disney Princess Half Marathon Expo
Starting with a more expensive option, staying those dates at Disney’s Contemporary Resort would cost you at least $4,000.52. That price would be for a Garden Wing Room with Resort View, the cheapest option at that hotel. Being at the Contemporary means you get the perks of Extended Evening Hours, Early Theme Park Entry, a seven-day booking window for Lightning Lanes, and the close proximity to Magic Kingdom — just a walking path or Monorail ride away.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
For a Moderate Resort option, you could stay at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort — Riverside. This one’s a fan-favorite! Here, a Standard Room for the duration of the race weekend is $2,018.26 total. That gets you all the regular perks of a Disney Resort guest, plus you’ll have boat transportation to Disney Springs.
Port Orleans — Riverside Lobby
Of course, we’ve got to have a budget option as well. For our Value Resort, I priced out Disney’s Pop Century Resort with a Standard Room. This one would cost you a total of $1,604.26 for five nights. The bonus benefit of staying here (besides the price) is that you get access to the Disney Skyliner.
Pop Century
So, as you see, your resort selection can make the price of your trip vary wildly!
Theme Park Tickets
If you’re going to Disney World and running a race, you’ll likely still want to visit the parks while you’re there! Assuming you want to hit up parks a few days after you’ve run your races, here are the ticket prices for those dates:
- 2-day base ticket is $400.45
- 3-day base ticket is $583.86
- 4-day base ticket is $749.03
- 5-day base ticket is $811.48
Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom
Upgrading those tickets to Park Hoppers will add about $95-$100 to your total (but, honestly, you probably don’t want to do that because you’ll already be tired from racing, and Park Hopping takes a LOT of energy). Single-day base tickets vary in price greatly depending on which day you visit and which park you choose.
Dining
Now, dining is a tricky one to budget for because preferences are incredibly different from person to person. If you ate entirely quick service meals throughout your trip, you could expect to spend about $15 a person at lunch and dinner each day. Breakfast is a little bit cheaper, but you may also want to budget for a snack or beverage, so I’d recommend a budget of $50 per person, per day.
Columbia Harbour House
If you wanted to squeeze in a table service meal each day, I’d move that budget up to $75 per person, per day. But if your tastes are more expensive and you want signature dining or two sit-down meals, you could realistically spend $100 per person, per day. This means that depending on your tastes, your food budget could be anywhere from $300 per person total to $600 per person total for the trip.
Race Supplies
Now, if you’re going to run a race, you’re going to need supplies! When I asked our team what items were must-haves for a runDisney race, our runners had six top picks.
1. A Good Pair of Shoes!
https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2025-Magical Guides-HOKA-Clifton-10-Shoes-Affiliates-Product-Testing-Disney-World-7-700x525.jpgHOKA Clifton 10
The first item on the list was a good pair of shoes! Our team is fans of the Hoka Women’s Clifton 10s, and two of our runners said they’d done runDisney races in them. Their main piece of advice here is to break them in thoroughly before you wear them to Disney World. A pair of these will cost you about $175, so add that to the budget.
2. Compression Sleeves
©Amazon
Another must-have? A set of compression sleeves for your calves. These will help with blood flow while you’re running and keep the swelling and discomfort under control. You can get them in several colors, and we found this set on Amazon for $14.
3. A Good Running Belt Is a MUST
©Amazon
When you’re running the race, you need a place to store your phone, room key, snacks, and any other items you want to carry on your person. For that, we recommend getting a running belt! They’re like fanny packs, but much slimmer, and they can be adjusted to your waist for a snug fit while you run. This one is on Amazon for $13.
4. The Right Socks
©Amazon
If you’re going to invest in your shoes, you should invest in your socks as well. One of our team’s runners is a big fan of these Balega Hidden Comfort Performance Socks for her runDisney races. Get a pair for $17 on Amazon.
5. Don’t Forget the Bib Snaps!
©Amazon
Something that runners claimed was an absolute game-changer is bib snaps! These snaps help keep your runner bib in place, and they’re reusable and fabric-friendly. You can get the plain ones on Amazon for just $9.
6. Headphones, Too!
©Disney
Last but not least, we have headphones! One member of our team is particularly fond of SHOKZ OpenRun Pro 2 Bluetooth Headphones, as they sit securely over the top of your ears, which is perfect for running. These are one of the pricier items on our list, sitting at around $180.
Total Tally and Additional Costs
So far, we’ve got a registration cost that could vary from $175-$449, a hotel cost that could be anywhere from $1600-$4000 (or even more if you go pricier on your resort), tickets ranging from $400-$800, dining ranging from $300-$600, and about $400 worth of gear. This means that the cost for your trip, if you factor in just the elements above, could range from $2,875-$6,249 for five nights and a long weekend of running!
Princess Minnie at the Finish Line for 2022 Disney Princess 5K
But that isn’t all! There are still some additional factors to consider, depending on your personal situation. If you’re flying in, you will need to include the cost of flights and airport transportation. If you’re driving? Don’t forget the gas money! Those who prefer a fancier in-park experience will want to snag Lightning Lanes, and that adds cost to your daily total. And of course, PhotoPass Memory Maker is a good investment if you want those race pics and photos in the park afterward.
runDisney banner
So yes, these trips can be incredibly pricey! However, if you take the budget-friendly route, you can still have just as fun a time. And really, it’s all about doing what you came to do — finishing that race!
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Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
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Have you ever done a runDisney race? Tell us in the comments!
