Denver runner claims women’s title; Sunday’s half marathon concludes the first runDisney event at Disneyland Resort since 2017

ANAHEIM, Calif. (Jan. 14, 2024) – Like thousands of runners across the country who have been eager to run a race at Disneyland Resort, Peter Banks was excited to race at The Happiest Place on Earth. And his first race – the Disneyland Half Marathon – ended in a fairytale finish.

Banks, 38, of Henderson, Nevada edged Brandon Wolfe, 32, of Pasadena, California, at the line in a close finish. Banks trailed Wolfe for much of the race but made a charge at the end.  He won the Disneyland Half Marathon for the first time with a time of 1:15:02, four seconds faster than Wolfe (1:15:06), the defending champion, and 52 seconds faster than the third-place finisher, Peter Siess of Dover, New Hampshire (1:15:54).

Seven years after claiming the 2017 Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon women’s title, Jennifer Masamitsu of Denver, Colorado crossed the finish line with a winning time of 1:23:38. She was more than a minute and 19 seconds faster than Jamie Weglarz of Fort Myers,Florida (1:24:57) and Brittney Kingsley of Fargo, North Dakota (1:29:19).

Runners from across the nation and around the globe ran past popular Disneyland Resort locations such as Cars Land, Pixar Pal-A-Round, Sleeping Beauty Castle, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, plus several Anaheim landmarks along the 13.1-mile course.

It was the perfect finish to a race weekend that was on hiatus for seven years. The event was filled with Disney entertainment, characters and a unique atmosphere of camaraderieamong runners of all ages and skill levels. In all, the event featured yoga, a 5K, a 10K, a half marathon and kids races, plus a health and fitness expo.

Next up is the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend (Feb. 22-26) at Walt Disney World Resort followed by the runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend (Apr. 18–21) and the Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend (Sept. 5-8). These races, which include runners of all fitness levels, provide the opportunity to run through Disney theme parks, experience world-class entertainment and earn unique Disney medals.

For more information on runDisney races, visit www.rundisney.com. For news releases, photos and video of runDisney races, visit www.disneysportsnews.com.