This story was originally published: 11:15 a.m., Thursday, April 20, 2017.
The Force remains strong in Central Florida.
Coming off the heels of Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, Disney World is holding Star Wars Half Marathon — The Dark Side race weekend.
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More than 45,500 runners are expected to take part, with more than 16,000 of them Floridians.
This is the second time the Star Wars Half Marathon has been held in Florida. The Light Side version of the race debuted at Disneyland in 2014.
The weekend includes a 5K, 10K, kids’ races and the half marathon.
The first race, the Star Wars 5K, will take place early Friday morning, with a start and finish at Epcot. Around 12,400 runners have registered for the race.
On Sunday, Disney will hold the big race, the half marathon. The 13.1-mile course will take runners through Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, finishing at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
In addition to the other races, some runners will participate in the “Star Wars Dark Side Challenge,” competing in the 10K and half marathon. Around 8,000 runners have registered for the challenge.
Many runners will also be wearing Star Wars theme attire. They will also have the opportunity to meet popular characters from the movies.
Throughout the weekend, runners can visit the run Disney Health & Fitness Expo, which is located at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
The next run Disney race will be the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend in November.