Ready to run the Pride Lands? runDisney just announced a brand-new installment of its Virtual Series with three 5Ks themed after a true classic: The Lion King. As with previous runDisney virtual events [1], this summer series is great because you don't have to trek down to Disney to earn yourself a shiny medal (more on that part ahead). All you have to do is sign up for one of the 5Ks on rundisney.com [2] (or sign up for all three and do the Virtual Challenge), then complete your run wherever you want: a treadmill, sidewalks, trails, or roads. The window to complete each race lasts from June 1 to August 31, so time to get training [3]!
Now, let's talk about the goods. Each race name links up to a different version of The Lion King — The Timeless Classic, The Broadway Phenomenon, and The Reimagined Classic — to celebrate the three ways this story has been told since the 1994 release of the first animated version. Each medal matches its edition, and you can earn a fourth medal by completing all three races. Enticed? Get a glimpse of the medals ahead, and start practicing your victory roar.
The Timeless Classic
The Timeless Classic medal evokes the 1994 animated version of the film, right down to young Simba's leafy mane from the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence.
The Broadway Phenomenon
The Broadway Phenomenon medal captures the stunning artistic masks worn in The Lion King on Broadway.
The Reimagined Classic
The songs [5], the crisp animation, the star-studded cast [6] . . . we still can't decide what about 2019's reboot of The Lion King caught our eyes (and ears) first, but this medal seems to capture it all.
runDisney Virtual Challenge
If you sign up for the Virtual Challenge and complete all three races, you get an extraspecial prize: a medal that evokes Rafiki's painting of young Simba. Fittingly, it's a symbol that connects all the versions of this story, from screen to stage.
