From the moment it was teased back in August of 2026 at D23, the upcoming Lilo Update at DDLV has created a somewhat disgruntled eruption of responses across social media and Reddit, with way too many folks complaining about the possibility of a “tropical Christmas” which they feel “wouldn’t be Christmas-y at all”. Personally, I’m stoked about the possibility of bringing a little Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian: “Merry Christmas”) to the Valley and celebrating “Stitchmas”–in fact, even before the Lilo Update was announced, I had planned to bring back our Stitchmas-themed Christmas tree this year. Whether you’re on board with the concept of the upcoming tropical holiday or not, you might be interested to know that the timing of this update may have been inspired by an upcoming runDisney event: a series of virtual 4ks called “The 12ks of Christmas” which are Lilo and Stitch themed this year.
What is a runDisney event? runDisney has been officially described as “the running side of Disney”: these are Disney-sponsored foot-race events (marathons) during which participants run through the Disney Parks and surrounding areas in order to receive special medals as rewards. A typical example of a runDisney event might include a 5k, 10k, Half-Marathon, and a Challenge Medal which may be earned by participating in both the 10k and Half-Marathon and finishing on-pace. runDisney also occasionally offers virtual events, such as the upcoming 12ks of Christmas and the current 2026 Virtual Spooktacular. These virtual events are run on the honor system, with racers tracking their own times, but they also award medals.
The 12ks of Christmas virtual runDisney event is themed to Lilo and Stitch this year. This currently sold-out virtual runDisney event includes the opportunity to earn four commemorative medals: one for each of the three included 4ks and a challenge medal for running all three. The 4ks are as follows: An Ohana Wonderland, Cute and Fluffy, and Mele Kalikimaka. The challenge medal is called the Stitchmas Challenge. For images and more, please visit the official page here. The event runs from December 1, 2026 thru December 31, 2026.
Given Gameloft’s partnership with Disney, it makes sense that this virtual runDisney event helped to inspire the timing of the Lilo Update. Disney and Pixar Games, the division of the Walt Disney Company which oversees the company’s global video game business, has as one of its primary objectives the idea of using games as a first-point entry for potential new audience members. What better way to develop a whole new audience for runDisney events than by thematically linking an upcoming update to one of the most successful Disney games out there to an upcoming virtual runDisney event?
Unofficially observing/celebrating runDisney events in your own Valley can be a fun and “lucrative” experience. I’ve been celebrating these events in my own Valley for three years now: they’re a huge part of how I currently have nearly 2,000,000 Dreamlight! If you’d like to get started with these activities in your own Valley, there’s no better time than the present. In the month of October 2026, we have two potential runDisney events to celebrate: Wine and Dine, occurring the weekend of October 22-25, and the Virtual Spooktacular, occurring from October 1-31, but which I’ll be observing the weekend of Halloween.
Wine and Dine is a half-marathon weekend, including a 5k themed to the Aristocats, a 10k themed to the Three Caballeros, a Half-Marathon (13.1 miles) themed to Mary Poppins, and a Challenge (10k plus half-marathon, equaling 19.3 miles) centered around Grumpy from Snow White. To celebrate Wine and Dine in your own Valley, you can either choose to do a full three-day weekend (5k on Friday, 10k on Saturday; Half-Marathon on Sunday), or simply to focus on the Grumpy Challenge (10k on Saturday; Half-Marathon on Sunday). If you want to get really fancy, you can even choose to dress each day to match the medal themes! To get started, you’ll want to record your starting amount of Dreamlight, Storybook Magic, and Mist. If “running” the full three-day weekend, on Friday, you would work to earn 5k Dreamlight, 5k Storybook Magic, and 5k Mist, followed on Saturday by working to earn 10k Dreamlight, 10k Storybook Magic, and 10k Mist. You would then close out the weekend on Sunday by working to earn 13k Dreamlight, 13k Storybook Magic, and 5k Mist. If you choose to simply focus on the Grumpy Challenge, you would work to earn 10k Dreamlight, 10k Storybook Magic, and 10k Mist on Saturday, followed by 13k Dreamlight, 13k Storybook Magic, and 13k Mist on Sunday. (Please note: yes, I realize that 13 miles is not the same thing as 13 kilometers; I divided things up this way simply because I abhor math and this was easier for my brain to conceptualize.)
The runDisney Virtual Spooktacular features three races and a Challenge: the Dig & Dash 3-miler, the Headless Horseman 4-miler, and the Eternal Waltz 6-miler. To celebrate this in your own Valley, once again you’ll want to begin by recording your starting amount of Dreamlight, Storybook Magic, and Mist. To “run” this three-day weekend, on Friday, you would work to earn 3k Dreamlight, 3k Storybook Magic, and 3k Mist. On Saturday, you would work to earn 4k Dreamlight, 4k Storybook Magic, and 4k Mist. You would finish up on Sunday by working to earn 6k Dreamlight, 6k Storybook Magic, and 6k Mist. The medals for these races are themed to the gravediggers from the Haunted Mansion, the Headless Horseman, and the Bride from Haunted Mansion, so you might choose to dress accordingly, for added fun.
Observing both weekends would net you a total of 41,000 Dreamlight! Not to mention 41k Storybook Magic and 41k Mist! Best of all, though, hopefully you’ll also have a lot of fun doing an activity that many people find unusually tedious. Whether you choose to institute runDisney weekends in your own Valley or not, I hope learning that such a thing exists at least adds a new dimension of understanding of the many varieties of Disney experiences which might serve to inspire things in the Valley.
