New to Run Disney

[DVCSunDevil]

Hi everyone. I just signed up last week for Run Disney. Being in Covid, I’m looking for all of the opportunities I can that inspire motivation to train and run. That being said, how have people liked the virtual races? I noticed that most of them are sold out fairly quickly. How quick do you have to sign up for one before it closes out? And are they worth $40 (or more)? I know part of the fun in normal times would be running at the Disney parks, but paying $40 to run on my local track seems like a lot. And is there an app that you use when running a virtual race?

Any responses and feedback would be helpful. Thank you!

 

[Blue Caterpillar]

Hi! I'm no help to your questions sadly as I haven't done virtual rundisney races. But I noticed you as a fellow Sundevil! For motivation virtual challenges I use an app yes.fit that you sign up for distances and it tracks you and shows you on Google maps where you would be if you could actually do in person. You can choose what reward you get (medal, t-shirt etc) . The medals are really nice. About $ 20to 25 per reward. They mail them when you meet the challenge, not when you sign up, as some other online ones gave so I like that.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Hi! I'm no help to your questions sadly as I haven't done virtual rundisney races. But I noticed you as a fellow Sundevil! For motivation virtual challenges I use an app yes.fit that you sign up for distances and it tracks you and shows you on Google maps where you would be if you could actually do in person. You can choose what reward you get (medal, t-shirt etc) . The medals are really nice. About $ 20to 25 per reward. They mail them when you meet the challenge, not when you sign up, as some other online ones gave so I like that.

Forks up! Nice that another Sun Devil is on here, although I’m sure there are many. Thank you for the feedback. I will check out that app. I’m just trying to find ways to stay active

 

[fatmanatee]

Welcome! I haven't done any virtual races yet (Star Wars this April will be my first), but basically for me this is an opportunity to get back on the horse after not running for ummm... awhile. I would much rather be running at Disney but this should be nice. It's worthwhile if you want the motivation to get it done, or if you're a big fan of the medals, etc.

I wasn't paying attention to how quickly things were selling out but if you can sign up on the early side (ideally the first day it opens up) you should be good to go. The more you wait, the more likely it is that you strike out. As of right now, only the half marathon is open for Star Wars, and registration for those races opened up on December 15. It's worth noting that for future races, I'm not sure anyone has any idea what's going to happen. Usually we have dates for race weekends scheduled into the next year by now but obviously things are a bit weird right now. Wine and Dine would be the next in-person race weekend, and they'll probably proceed with registration as though in-person races are happening, and then switch to virtual if they're uncomfortable as things get closer. If that happens, they first give the people who have signed up the option to switch to a virtual package or cancel, and then they open the virtual races up to everyone else.

They've also done virtual 5k's for the last few summers and I'd expect that to happen again this year. That might be your best bet, since it's next up and is a guaranteed virtual, as opposed to the others, which have only turned virtual due to the pandemic.

For tracking, I use Nike, but there are a bunch of different apps that accomplish the same thing, it's all about preference.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Welcome! I haven't done any virtual races yet (Star Wars this April will be my first), but basically for me this is an opportunity to get back on the horse after not running for ummm... awhile. I would much rather be running at Disney but this should be nice. It's worthwhile if you want the motivation to get it done, or if you're a big fan of the medals, etc.

I wasn't paying attention to how quickly things were selling out but if you can sign up on the early side (ideally the first day it opens up) you should be good to go. The more you wait, the more likely it is that you strike out. As of right now, only the half marathon is open for Star Wars, and registration for those races opened up on December 15. It's worth noting that for future races, I'm not sure anyone has any idea what's going to happen. Usually we have dates for race weekends scheduled into the next year by now but obviously things are a bit weird right now. Wine and Dine would be the next in-person race weekend, and they'll probably proceed with registration as though in-person races are happening, and then switch to virtual if they're uncomfortable as things get closer. If that happens, they first give the people who have signed up the option to switch to a virtual package or cancel, and then they open the virtual races up to everyone else.

They've also done virtual 5k's for the last few summers and I'd expect that to happen again this year. That might be your best bet, since it's next up and is a guaranteed virtual, as opposed to the others, which have only turned virtual due to the pandemic.

For tracking, I use Nike, but there are a bunch of different apps that accomplish the same thing, it's all about preference.

Thank you for the feedback! I am in the same boat as you...I am trying to get back on the horse. I live in upstate NY and stick to a pretty good outdoors running routine from spring through late fall (i.e. the non freezing weather). During winter I normally run on a treadmill at the gym, but I haven't been going to the gym due to COVID. So getting back on the horse will be "fun". LOL. I signed up for the Disney program because running at the parks sounds like it would be a blast.

Question: do you get an email when a new race opens up for registration? I was really curious how quickly you have to sign up because all the Star Wars races that I would run at this point (up to 10k) are full.

And I also use the Nike Run app also for tracking all my runs, but I wasn't sure if Disney had a specific app you needed to use when running the virtual races to record your time. Or do you just submit your time on the honor system?

Thanks again for sharing your insight

 

[camaker]

Thank you for the feedback! I am in the same boat as you...I am trying to get back on the horse. I live in upstate NY and stick to a pretty good outdoors running routine from spring through late fall (i.e. the non freezing weather). During winter I normally run on a treadmill at the gym, but I haven't been going to the gym due to COVID. So getting back on the horse will be "fun". LOL. I signed up for the Disney program because running at the parks sounds like it would be a blast.

Question: do you get an email when a new race opens up for registration? I was really curious how quickly you have to sign up because all the Star Wars races that I would run at this point (up to 10k) are full.

And I also use the Nike Run app also for tracking all my runs, but I wasn't sure if Disney had a specific app you needed to use when running the virtual races to record your time. Or do you just submit your time on the honor system?

Thanks again for sharing your insight

RunDisney is very inconsistent about sending out emails. Never rely on them. The race registration dates are typically announced months in advance. You have to be proactive in determining not only what race/race weekend you want to register for, but also when registration opens. Monitoring the RunDisney website and Twitter account are two of the best ways to keep tabs. Also, sites like this one will generally have discussions with the information, as well, once available. The Star Wars races are a special case, as that started out as an in-person race weekend with registration opening last summer. It was converted to virtual in December and a lot of the in-person runners kept their registration.

As far as recording your time, RunDisney does not require you to for its virtual runs. There’s an option to enter a time in your account, but the only thing that does is allow you to print out a finisher’s certificate if you want one. Medals (and shirts, if applicable) will be sent regardless of whether you enter anything or not.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

RunDisney is very inconsistent about sending out emails. Never rely on them. The race registration dates are typically announced months in advance. You have to be proactive in determining not only what race/race weekend you want to register for, but also when registration opens. Monitoring the RunDisney website and Twitter account are two of the best ways to keep tabs. Also, sites like this one will generally have discussions with the information, as well, once available. The Star Wars races are a special case, as that started out as an in-person race weekend with registration opening last summer. It was converted to virtual in December and a lot of the in-person runners kept their registration.

As far as recording your time, RunDisney does not require you to for its virtual runs. There’s an option to enter a time in your account, but the only thing that does is allow you to print out a finisher’s certificate if you want one. Medals (and shirts, if applicable) will be sent regardless of whether you enter anything or not.

Perfect! Great info. That will definitely help. Thank you!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

They've also done virtual 5k's for the last few summers and I'd expect that to happen again this year. That might be your best bet, since it's next up and is a guaranteed virtual, as opposed to the others, which have only turned virtual due to the pandemic.

I'm wondering if the virtual 5K summer series will happen this year. In years past, the virtual summer series medals were previously announced before marathon weekend. While marathon weekend went virtual this year, there has been no announcement whatsoever about the virtual summer series for 2021.

That being said, how have people liked the virtual races? I noticed that most of them are sold out fairly quickly. How quick do you have to sign up for one before it closes out? And are they worth $40 (or more)?

I have done a few virtual races through runDisney. Namely the 2018-2020 Star Wars Virtual Half Marathons, the 2018-2020 virtual summer series 5K races, and most recently the 2021 Walt Disney World Virtual 5K, Virtual Marathon (I chose 26.2 over 6 days to reduce injury risk), the Castaway Cay Virtual 5K, with the Princess Virtual 10K and Half coming this month and the Star Wars races in April or possibly May since they're virtual.

Except for the 2020 Star Wars Virtual Half, none of the previous Star Wars Virtual Half Marathons sold out. And in fact 2020 did not sell out until after a week or two after they announced the cancellation of the 2020 Star Wars race weekend. The summer virtual series have been interesting. In 2018, one race sold out, but others did not. In fact, I was able to register my nephew for one of the races in late July when the medal was known. The 2019 series themed to Marvel's Avengers sold out entirely, but even then did not do so until a couple of weeks after Avengers Endgame was released. The 2020 races sold out in less than an hour, but that is likely due to limited medal stock because of the pandemic.

I had no plans to run the 2020 Wine & Dine Half, Marathon weekend 2021, and Princess 2021. However, after a good experience running a virtual race in September, I immediately looked into the then known to be virtual 2020 Wine & Dine Half. I decided against it because the medals did not intrigue me enough to pay that price. Wine & Dine was announced as going completely virtual in July or August. As of early September, it had not sold out. I registered immediately for Princess Virtual and Marathon weekend Virtual in September with no issues at all. While both races eventually sold out, they did not sell out for a few weeks. I was already registered for Star Wars when it went virtual and chose to keep my registrations. However, the available registrations did last at least a month. I registered my nephews for the virtual kids races and my little sister registered for the regular virtual half (Yoda and Darth Vader on the medal) a few days after the Death Star medal (original always intended to be virtual race) was revealed. At that time in mid January, most of the races were already sold out, but not all. So they also lasted a couple of weeks.

Are they worth it? That depends on your perspective. As a factor to provide additional motivation to get out there and run, they can be excellent. But just because you sign up for one does not mean that you will automatically put in the work. That depends on you. I chose to register for the virtual 5K, marathon, and Castaway Cay 5K because I really liked the medals. I passed on Goofy and Dopey because I did not want to feel like I had to do those respective distances in consecutive days. Likewise, I chose my Princess races based on how much I loved the movies used this year. I skipped the challenge because I wanted to give myself the choice to not run 6.2 and 13.1 on consecutive days if I did not feel like it. I know that runDisney would send it to me no matter what, but that's my take.

I planned to at least attempt the virtual marathon, but after training and the pandemic did not see eye to eye, I chose to adjust my expectations and go for 26.2 over 6 days. It still worked for me because the motivation did help. I may not have gone 26.2 in one day like I did live in Walt Disney World in 2019 and 2020, but my January 2021 miles were my highest number since December 2020, when I was training for Dopey. So for me the motivation worked. And I do not know if I would have kept it going had I not been signed up for Princess Virtual.

As noted earlier, I kept my originally planned Star Wars races (10K/Half Challenge and Kessel). I did not go for the virtual 5K because the medal does not appeal to me.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

I'm wondering if the virtual 5K summer series will happen this year. In years past, the virtual summer series medals were previously announced before marathon weekend. While marathon weekend went virtual this year, there has been no announcement whatsoever about the virtual summer series for 2021.

I have done a few virtual races through runDisney. Namely the 2018-2020 Star Wars Virtual Half Marathons, the 2018-2020 virtual summer series 5K races, and most recently the 2021 Walt Disney World Virtual 5K, Virtual Marathon (I chose 26.2 over 6 days to reduce injury risk), the Castaway Cay Virtual 5K, with the Princess Virtual 10K and Half coming this month and the Star Wars races in April or possibly May since they're virtual.

Except for the 2020 Star Wars Virtual Half, none of the previous Star Wars Virtual Half Marathons sold out. And in fact 2020 did not sell out until after a week or two after they announced the cancellation of the 2020 Star Wars race weekend. The summer virtual series have been interesting. In 2018, one race sold out, but others did not. In fact, I was able to register my nephew for one of the races in late July when the medal was known. The 2019 series themed to Marvel's Avengers sold out entirely, but even then did not do so until a couple of weeks after Avengers Endgame was released. The 2020 races sold out in less than an hour, but that is likely due to limited medal stock because of the pandemic.

I had no plans to run the 2020 Wine & Dine Half, Marathon weekend 2021, and Princess 2021. However, after a good experience running a virtual race in September, I immediately looked into the then known to be virtual 2020 Wine & Dine Half. I decided against it because the medals did not intrigue me enough to pay that price. Wine & Dine was announced as going completely virtual in July or August. As of early September, it had not sold out. I registered immediately for Princess Virtual and Marathon weekend Virtual in September with no issues at all. While both races eventually sold out, they did not sell out for a few weeks. I was already registered for Star Wars when it went virtual and chose to keep my registrations. However, the available registrations did last at least a month. I registered my nephews for the virtual kids races and my little sister registered for the regular virtual half (Yoda and Darth Vader on the medal) a few days after the Death Star medal (original always intended to be virtual race) was revealed. At that time in mid January, most of the races were already sold out, but not all. So they also lasted a couple of weeks.

Are they worth it? That depends on your perspective. As a factor to provide additional motivation to get out there and run, they can be excellent. But just because you sign up for one does not mean that you will automatically put in the work. That depends on you. I chose to register for the virtual 5K, marathon, and Castaway Cay 5K because I really liked the medals. I passed on Goofy and Dopey because I did not want to feel like I had to do those respective distances in consecutive days. Likewise, I chose my Princess races based on how much I loved the movies used this year. I skipped the challenge because I wanted to give myself the choice to not run 6.2 and 13.1 on consecutive days if I did not feel like it. I know that runDisney would send it to me no matter what, but that's my take.

I planned to at least attempt the virtual marathon, but after training and the pandemic did not see eye to eye, I chose to adjust my expectations and go for 26.2 over 6 days. It still worked for me because the motivation did help. I may not have gone 26.2 in one day like I did live in Walt Disney World in 2019 and 2020, but my January 2021 miles were my highest number since December 2020, when I was training for Dopey. So for me the motivation worked. And I do not know if I would have kept it going had I not been signed up for Princess Virtual.

As noted earlier, I kept my originally planned Star Wars races (10K/Half Challenge and Kessel). I did not go for the virtual 5K because the medal does not appeal to me.

Ok, thanks for sharing. So it sounds like most of the races don't sell out right away, as in the first week they are open for registration. That helps, because I am not sure if I will find out about the registration right when it opens. I am usually a 5-10K guy because of knees that can cause me intermittent problems. But this year I was thinking of a possible half marathon. In terms of motivation, I typically don't need much. Just being in good shape is motivation enough...usually. But the pandemic has changed that up a little. It is freezing up here and I need something to get me out the door. But once I commit to a race, I am all in.

When I asked if the virtual races were "worth it", I meant that in the sense of running without other runners around you. There is nothing better than running a race with other runners around, most of which are running for causes. I have never run a virtual race, so I wasn't sure if that would be worth the $40. But I will sign up for one and find out

 

[Sleepless Knight]

So it sounds like most of the races don't sell out right away, as in the first week they are open for registration. That helps, because I am not sure if I will find out about the registration right when it opens. I am usually a 5-10K guy because of knees that can cause me intermittent problems. But this year I was thinking of a possible half marathon. In terms of motivation, I typically don't need much.

For any future virtual races, you should have time. I'm crazy so I went from having never run regularly at all to registering for a half marathon back in 2011. But the 16 minute per mile pace runDisney offers gives slower runners (such as myself) a chance to go at the slower pace and is what actually helped me get into this in the first place. I'm still very slow, but I have finished two Dopey challenges injury free. The soreness wears off in a couple of days.

When I asked if the virtual races were "worth it", I meant that in the sense of running without other runners around you.

Then maybe a bit more detail on my virtual experience in September will help. I had been running off and since about mid April. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good due to air quality and/or inanely hot weater. I decided to sign up for the San Francisco Giant Race Lou Seal Challenge in early September. That consists of a Half Marathon or 10K and the 5K within minutes of finishing the first distance. On my chosen race day, I found that really enjoyed feeling a purpose to my run around the neighborhood. While the location did not change, it felt really good to have a purpose for running around the neighborhood. While I agree that nothing beats the atmosphere of a live race, that was not an option for obvious reasons.

Since registering for both WDW Marathon and Princess Virtual races, I have felt that purpose in training. I am more consistent when I have a purpose to my running. The actual date of the chosen virtual races felt different, again imbued with a sense of purpose. I was also excited for Princess because I really love Disney animation and would otherwise never be able to run the Princess races because of work that time of year.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

For any future virtual races, you should have time. I'm crazy so I went from having never run regularly at all to registering for a half marathon back in 2011. But the 16 minute per mile pace runDisney offers gives slower runners (such as myself) a chance to go at the slower pace and is what actually helped me get into this in the first place. I'm still very slow, but I have finished two Dopey challenges injury free. The soreness wears off in a couple of days.
Then maybe a bit more detail on my virtual experience in September will help. I had been running off and since about mid April. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good due to air quality and/or inanely hot weater. I decided to sign up for the San Francisco Giant Race Lou Seal Challenge in early September. That consists of a Half Marathon or 10K and the 5K within minutes of finishing the first distance. On my chosen race day, I found that really enjoyed feeling a purpose to my run around the neighborhood. While the location did not change, it felt really good to have a purpose for running around the neighborhood. While I agree that nothing beats the atmosphere of a live race, that was not an option for obvious reasons.

Since registering for both WDW Marathon and Princess Virtual races, I have felt that purpose in training. I am more consistent when I have a purpose to my running. The actual date of the chosen virtual races felt different, again imbued with a sense of purpose. I was also excited for Princess because I really love Disney animation and would otherwise never be able to run the Princess races because of work that time of year.

That is definitely helpful! Thanks for all the feedback!

 

[The Expert]

With the 11 month DVC window opening this week, I'm betting on MW2022 as a go. I will be booking my room and crossing my fingers.