Official Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend 2016 Thread (Jan. 14-17, 2016)

There was Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, Chewie, Boba Fett, Luke & Leia, Star Wars Rebel Characters, Jedis and the 501st

There weren't a lot of Disney Characters dressed up as their Star Wars Version (I don't actually recall any on the course last year) - I would need to look through my photos at home to confirm.
 
bc7ate9 said:
For anybody who has done the Star Wars race before, what characters do you have the opportunity to meet? Are all the Star Wars characters you can meet at Star Wars Weekends out? Are there other Disney characters too? I wonder if it'll be too soon for characters from the new movie...this will be our first Disney race so we don't really know what to expect (we are just starting to research it, but we have a trip in September that we are planning for first!)
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One of our best character experiences was around mile eight, maybe, on the streets of Anaheim. There was a whole line of 'Bobafets' and a Darth Vader, with no line! Of course, they were not Disney characters, but their outfits were awesome. We waited at least 30 minutes for a picture with Chewie (10K) and more than that for a pic with Darth (half) in the park. And they never even posted our picture with Darth for us to buy!
 
Oh, wow! Line length was going to be my follow up question...We've met all the major characters at Star Wars Weekend. It's super fun that people on the street are dressed up too! A whole line of Bobafets is definitely as good as one Official Bobafet with a long line (he's my husband's favorite). :-)
 
I didn't stop for character pics during the 10K or Half so I dont have any pics to look back on besides storm troopers. I know I saw Chewie, Leia, Luke, Boba Fett, Ezra and Sabine from SW Rebels. Thats all I remember. And I dont know who was 10K and who was in the Half. This blog post has some listed though http://noguiltlife.com/star-wars-half-race-recap/ and http://noguiltlife.com/inaugural-star-wars-10k-race-recap/ I do know there were no other Disney characters and that was the only part I hope they change this year!!!! And the most awesome part was mile 8 (or was it 7?) where the cosplayers were out!
 


Dis_Yoda said:
There was Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, Chewie, Boba Fett, Luke & Leia, Star Wars Rebel Characters, Jedis and the 501st

There weren't a lot of Disney Characters dressed up as their Star Wars Version (I don't actually recall any on the course last year) - I would need to look through my photos at home to confirm.
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Jedi Mickey, Princess Leia Mnnie, Darth Goofy, Stormtrooper Donald and ewoks Chip and Dale were at the finish line for the 1/2. But there were no photo ops for them along the course. I wish there had been, but the lines would have been crazy. In addition to the characters previously mentioned, there were Jedi Knights on Main Street and in DCA for the 1/2 and a Gammorean Guard in DCA for the 1/2.

The line for Ezra and Sabine from Star Wars Rebels was very short along with the lines to get photos taken with the Jedi Knights in the parks. The cosplay part of the course had much shorter lines than the parks did. I had a 5 minute wait for Vader with stormtroopers, Boba Fett, and the Imperial Guards. Another similar wait for Chewbacca and C-3PO. In hindsight, I should have taken photos with the Rebel pilots, but maybe I can fix that next time.

I have very high hopes for next year's course characters and cosplayers on account of The Force Awakens coming in December.

Honestly, I would love it if runDisney could set up a special time and place in the parks after the race where runners could get post race medal photos taken with race specific characters. Maybe it's completely unrealistic, but I would have loved medal photos with the Disney characters in Star Wars costumes. Those would have been almost as awesome as my Jedi photos with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald from the 24 hour party where adults could wear costumes.
 
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Sleepless Knight said:
Honestly, I would love it if runDisney could set up a special time and place in the parks after the race where runners could get post race medal photos taken with race specific characters. Maybe it's completely unrealistic, but I would have loved medal photos with the Disney characters in Star Wars costumes. Those would have been almost as awesome as my Jedi photos with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald from the 24 hour party where adults could wear costumes.
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I would LOVE this. And honestly, we'd pay extra for it. Don't tell Disney... ... ;)
 


Sleepless Knight said:
I would love it if runDisney could set up a special time and place in the parks after the race where runners could get post race medal photos taken with race specific characters.
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It's a great idea. I wonder if anyone has ever suggested it?

The characters on the courses keep it from being boring, but I don't stop for them. Apart from amusement they are lost on me. I cannot stop and start. I cannot take the time for a line. Bathroom breaks already kill me!

To have them available AFTER the run would be terrific.


Reminds me of the January Castaway Cay Challenge. As the meeting the day or so before the run, they told us that they would have special backdrops for photos. They told us that there's no bagcheck, and to not bring valuables onto the island. They told us to not bring our other medals onto the island.

And everyone erupted LOL. Because it's a CHALLENGE. Everyone running the 5K had ALSO already run at least one other run. We ALL had at least one other medal, and we would be getting the 5K medal and the Challenge medal. Hellooooo.

The runDisney people did NOT get it! It astonished me, how little they seemed to understand about runners and especially rD runners. They literally had no clue that this was something people would be wanting, nay, NEEDING, to do.

Finally the Cruise Director Christiaan (who apparently is a runner and who is ALWAYS awesome) stepped in and said that they would be sure to make the backdrops available ON the ship AFTER the run, so people could take pictures with all their medals.

Thank you Christiaan! No thank you rD.


So be sure to suggest it to them! They literally might never have thought of it.
 
Why not a "Way To Go! Wookie Party" to replace last year's Welcome Wookie Party.. Pics with characters & medals!! :)
 
bumbershoot said:
It's a great idea. I wonder if anyone has ever suggested it?

The characters on the courses keep it from being boring, but I don't stop for them. Apart from amusement they are lost on me. I cannot stop and start. I cannot take the time for a line. Bathroom breaks already kill me!

To have them available AFTER the run would be terrific.


Reminds me of the January Castaway Cay Challenge. As the meeting the day or so before the run, they told us that they would have special backdrops for photos. They told us that there's no bagcheck, and to not bring valuables onto the island. They told us to not bring our other medals onto the island.

And everyone erupted LOL. Because it's a CHALLENGE. Everyone running the 5K had ALSO already run at least one other run. We ALL had at least one other medal, and we would be getting the 5K medal and the Challenge medal. Hellooooo.

The runDisney people did NOT get it! It astonished me, how little they seemed to understand about runners and especially rD runners. They literally had no clue that this was something people would be wanting, nay, NEEDING, to do.

Finally the Cruise Director Christiaan (who apparently is a runner and who is ALWAYS awesome) stepped in and said that they would be sure to make the backdrops available ON the ship AFTER the run, so people could take pictures with all their medals.

Thank you Christiaan! No thank you rD.


So be sure to suggest it to them! They literally might never have thought of it.
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Ok so thats my thought process as well. But I was shocked..SHOCKED...last year after Avengers Half that the line to take pics with Captain America and Thor was no longer than normal. In fact it may have been a shorter wait than on our summer trip. I thought for sure I'd have to wait hours. I'm not complaining...I'm just saying I was shocked! I can't believe there werent more runners there to take pics with their medals.
 
kirstie101 said:
Ok so thats my thought process as well. But I was shocked..SHOCKED...last year after Avengers Half that the line to take pics with Captain America and Thor was no longer than normal. In fact it may have been a shorter wait than on our summer trip. I thought for sure I'd have to wait hours. I'm not complaining...I'm just saying I was shocked! I can't believe there werent more runners there to take pics with their medals.
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Maybe they don't want to be all sweaty around Captain A and Thor. ;)
 
I'm certainly far from fast, but in the old days before runDisney popularity grew exponentially, I was able to take some character photos along the course as long as the lines were short enough and I limited what photos I would get. My very first race I didn't dare stop for photos, but vowed to take medal character photos after the race in the parks. And honestly, the medal photos are more fun because the characters will respond to the medal, which they cannot do during the race.

For entirely selfish reasons, I hoped there would be enough rain the day of, but after the Star Wars 1/2 so I could get a medal photo with the Star Wars characters from the Jedi Training Academy. When sufficient rain forces the cancellation of the show, the Jedi Masters, Darth Vader and stormtroopers, and Darth Maul come out for photographs for all guests, not just those able to participate in the show itself.

My idea is simple enough. Disney designates a private area inside one of the parks the day of the main event race. Runners are allowed to enter this area by either showing their medal or you are given a special pass (i.e. fast pass) that allows you to enter the area at the expo with packet pickup. And then you go in for character photos. Star Wars has either Star Wars characters (Vader, Jedi, et all) and/or Jedi Mickey and friends, the Disneyland 1/2 has the fab five in their running attire, and so on and so forth. About the only rule I would have is that the available characters somehow relate to the race theme. So you won't find Olaf inside unless it's a Frozen themed race.
 
Sleepless Knight said:
My very first race I didn't dare stop for photos, but vowed to take medal character photos after the race in the parks. And honestly, the medal photos are more fun because the characters will respond to the medal, which they cannot do during the race.
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My ONE character-meeting story! I'm not into characters. At all. Was phobic as a kid and just don't care as an adult. I'm the photographer for DH and DS. But after TOT 2013 I decided I wanted a picture with WreckItRalph and Vanellope. Because of the medal, right? Now when I think about it now, I realize that maybe I was focusing on that one part of the movie, and the end of the movie makes the medal meaningless...but characters have been known to react nicely to things that were part of their stories, even if they weren't the ultimate meaning, right? We waited nearly an hour. And they didn't react *at all*. :(

Sniffle sniffle.

Sleepless Knight said:
Disney designates a private area inside one of the parks the day of the main event race. Runners are allowed to enter this area by either showing their medal or you are given a special pass (i.e. fast pass) that allows you to enter the area at the expo with packet pickup. And then you go in for character photos. Star Wars has either Star Wars characters (Vader, Jedi, et all) and/or Jedi Mickey and friends, the Disneyland 1/2 has the fab five in their running attire, and so on and so forth.
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Terrific idea! Absolutely great. Hope they see it and enact it!
 
bumbershoot said:
My ONE character-meeting story! I'm not into characters. At all. Was phobic as a kid and just don't care as an adult. I'm the photographer for DH and DS. But after TOT 2013 I decided I wanted a picture with WreckItRalph and Vanellope. Because of the medal, right? Now when I think about it now, I realize that maybe I was focusing on that one part of the movie, and the end of the movie makes the medal meaningless...but characters have been known to react nicely to things that were part of their stories, even if they weren't the ultimate meaning, right? We waited nearly an hour. And they didn't react *at all*. :(

Sniffle sniffle.
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That's hard. Hour long waits are brutal enough. Last December my almost 2 year old niece supposedly wanted to see Anna and Elsa. Knowing how little ones can be, I teased my mom that if my niece decided she really didn't want to meet them, my mom (who loves Frozen) had to pretend to be really excited to meet them so I felt better about the 45 minute wait just to get the fast pass. In the end, my niece was quite happy to show off her singing Elsa dress and tell Anna that she was "pretty Anna" for Halloween.

In my experience, Chip and Dale are always good for making a big deal out of medals. They've decided who won their own race via rock, paper, scissors or done runner poses with me. Face characters will usually react, but it's easier for them to do so. And while I've been fortunate enough to have finished every race, even so I value the post race medal photo more than an in race photo because the post race photo means I finished.
 
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Has anyone who registered through a travel provider received any sort of official confirmation yet? I've contacted RunDisney and been told that I might not hear anything until October! I really don't find this acceptable, but don't know what to do. I suppose I can write to the Disney executive in charge of this area (Parks and Resorts?), but I don't really want to make a mountain out of a molehill. My big concern is that should something be wrong with the travel provider process, I can only dispute the payment I've already made 60 days after the date of the credit card statement upon which the charge appeared. I know I'm stressing about something that I shouldn't, but I'd just like to this situation resolved.
 
evenstephen said:
Has anyone who registered through a travel provider received any sort of official confirmation yet? I've contacted RunDisney and been told that I might not hear anything until October! I really don't find this acceptable, but don't know what to do. I suppose I can write to the Disney executive in charge of this area (Parks and Resorts?), but I don't really want to make a mountain out of a molehill. My big concern is that should something be wrong with the travel provider process, I can only dispute the payment I've already made 60 days after the date of the credit card statement upon which the charge appeared. I know I'm stressing about something that I shouldn't, but I'd just like to this situation resolved.
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I'm not through a travel provider but I am through a charity group. They posted on their facebook page yesterday that rundisney was changing the way they (the charity) submit registrations and we would get more info about it soon. I'm wondering if its the same for the travel providers? I'd contact your travel provider and see what they say when you ask them.
 
evenstephen said:
Has anyone who registered through a travel provider received any sort of official confirmation yet? I've contacted RunDisney and been told that I might not hear anything until October! I really don't find this acceptable, but don't know what to do. I suppose I can write to the Disney executive in charge of this area (Parks and Resorts?), but I don't really want to make a mountain out of a molehill. My big concern is that should something be wrong with the travel provider process, I can only dispute the payment I've already made 60 days after the date of the credit card statement upon which the charge appeared. I know I'm stressing about something that I shouldn't, but I'd just like to this situation resolved.
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FYI I JUST received an email from my travel provider with a link to register!!! Hopefully everyone else gets theirs soon as well... :)

ETA: Now I feel like I can officially change my countdown... forthcoming in signature... ;)
 
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