News and Developments for Future In-Person runDisney Events

[Z-Knight]

Understand, but there were still almost 18k in 2017.

2017 was the lightning year ... some half marathon people converted to marathon

 

[opusone]

2017 was the lightning year ... some half marathon people converted to marathon

Okay, but 2016 was 19.9k, 2017 was 17.8k, 2018 was 20.1k, and then 2019 was only 11.9k. So, it was more or less consistent for years leading up to 2019 in the 18-20k finishers (unclear on number registered & starters), and then the huge drop in finishers in 2019. I was just wondering if something happened that I wasn't aware of. Maybe it is just part of the declining marathon participation overall.

 

[BikeFan]

Okay, but 2016 was 19.9k, 2017 was 17.8k, 2018 was 20.1k, and then 2019 was only 11.9k. So, it was more or less consistent for years leading up to 2019 in the 18-20k finishers (unclear on number registered & starters), and then the huge drop in finishers in 2019. I was just wondering if something happened that I wasn't aware of. Maybe it is just part of the declining marathon participation overall.

I think that last part is the most likely explanation. I did my first rD event in 2013, and I don't remember having to rush to register. When the Dopey Challenge was first announced, (if I'm remembering correctly) it sold out almost immediately that first year and maybe the second, but after the novelty started to wear off, it and the marathon weren't immediate sellouts anymore. I distinctly remember signing up for Goofy in 2017 on a whim only two months before the race, and my friends signed up for the 2020 Dopey sometime in late fall of 2019. Between rD's price increases and the lack of "new challenge" novelty, I think the finishers trend has been downward.

 

[SheHulk]

I signed up for Goofy 2020 with a discount code if I remember correctly. And I had also gotten a discount code for the marathon or Goofy at another race expo the year prior I think. My memory isn't great but I think that's right. I agree that 2018 was a draw as an anniversary year, and then there was a bit of a marathon bust generally. It will be interesting to see what covid did to running's popularity overall.

 

[Livelovedance]

I’m still hanging on to Faron Kelley’s statement at the end of the virtual marathon weekend video:

“From Mickey Mouse and all of us at runDisney, we hope to see you real soon, in person!”

I know it doesn’t mean anything at this point, and I wasn’t even registered for that weekend, but in January that statement tugged right at my heartstrings and was everything I needed. I admittedly teared up and replayed it to make sure I heard him correctly the first time! So many of us are hoping for runDisney live races to return for so many reasons. I hope we’re not disappointed...

 

[Stroller Boy]

2017 was the lightning year ... some half marathon people converted to marathon
View attachment 579652

Ahh the

2017 was the lightning year ... some half marathon people converted to marathon
View attachment 579652

Ahh, the Grumpy. Good times.. my niece was one of the half to full converts. She never ran a marathon, barely trained for the half, and finished in 5 hours. To be young again... on the numbers front, the only anniversary was Dopey in 2019, so that probably didn’t do much for the numbers. I do remember a lot of “ehh” sentiment with rD at that point with prices rising and benefits reducing.. so it’s probably multi-factor. The pandemic should take care of the demand issue... For me, I’m still on the perfect dopey list and never want to do another virtual 48.6 as long as I live! I’m booked for Nov and January so the hope is still there, but may end up just having a couple of Disney vacation long weekends. We shall see. On pins and needles with everyone else.

 

[PrincessV]

IDK just how much impact it had on the number of finishers, but as a reminder, 2019 and 2020 Marathons were HOT. Like, record-setting HOT in 2020. Course cut short and rerouted HOT. I have to think that impacted the number of finishers to some degree.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

IDK just how much impact it had on the number of finishers, but as a reminder, 2019 and 2020 Marathons were HOT. Like, record-setting HOT in 2020. Course cut short and rerouted HOT. I have to think that impacted the number of finishers to some degree.

Good point, I'm going off of actual finishers.

While we're on the topic, does your friend have a read on the weather reports for Jan. 7-9, 2022?

 

[Stroller Boy]

IDK just how much impact it had on the number of finishers, but as a reminder, 2019 and 2020 Marathons were HOT. Like, record-setting HOT in 2020. Course cut short and rerouted HOT. I have to think that impacted the number of finishers to some degree.

2020 was definitely the hottest I’ve run. And after three days of running prior, that was a tough mental hurdle for sure. Although, I held back for the first half and negative split the second. Shameful tooting of my own horn. Ha! Marathon Weekend weather is like a box of chocolates (as they say..). 2010..snow/sleet. My favorite memory was my wife telling me that morning as we stood there freezing “well, at least it’s not snowing”. And then it started to precipitate. LOL. Good Lord I need a race weekend! C’mon rD!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Here are the number of bibs compared to the number of finishers. It's not a perfect system because we do know that not all bibs are actually assigned to runners. Some are just placeholders.



So the 2019 marathon was definitely an anomaly based on the % of bibs that finished the race (it's more likely people just didn't start the race because I doubt that many people were pulled from the course). But you can see the % finishers for 2017, 2018, and 2020 was fairly consistent. So I would guess that the weather kept many away (I remember something about locals registering but not running because of the weather) in 2019, but that the decline in 2019 and 2020 bib numbers assigned is likely due to a decline in popularity of the marathon. The HM on the other hand has been relatively steady over the same time period. That's my guess based on looking at this limited data set.

 

[PrincessV]

While we're on the topic, does your friend have a read on the weather reports for Jan. 7-9, 2022?

No, but my Floridian experience tells me it'll be anywhere from 20*-90*. Possibly the entire range over 4 days. It's possible I at some point during the 2020 Marathon uttered the phrase, "Well, it can't possibly be hotter than this next year!", which I realize was a colossal mistake to put out to the Universe... but, in fact, 2021 was NOT hotter, and was perfect conditions. You know - for the race that didn't happen at all.

 

[camaker]

No, but my Floridian experience tells me it'll be anywhere from 20*-90*. Possibly the entire range over 4 days.

I’ll never forget sweating in the corrals on Thursday and Friday in 2017 and then sitting in shorts and short sleeves at the Hurricane Hannah’s meet-up Friday afternoon speculating about the weather only to end up freezing in mid-30s with wind chills in the 20s on marathon morning! Talk about a complete u-turn in the weather! I also remember the WDW resort gift shops selling out of warm gear because the change was so unexpected. There were runners on course watching the sides of the road for discarded warm clothing and swapping out if they found something better than what they had. It’s the reason I pack for any eventuality at MW regardless of the forecast.

 

[SheHulk]

I’ll never forget sweating in the corrals on Thursday and Friday in 2017 and then sitting in shorts and short sleeves at the Hurricane Hannah’s meet-up Friday afternoon speculating about the weather only to end up freezing in mid-30s with wind chills in the 20s on marathon morning! Talk about a complete u-turn in the weather! I also remember the WDW resort gift shops selling out of warm gear because the change was so unexpected. There were runners on course watching the sides of the road for discarded warm clothing and swapping out if they found something better than what they had. It’s the reason I pack for any eventuality at MW regardless of the forecast.

I had a thick, stained terrycloth bathrobe which I meant to throw away before I crossed the start line of the marathon that year. It was so cold, I wound up wearing it until I got to MK. I only ditched it at the gates because I didn't want to have race pictures in MK taken in that awful thing! My castle pics do include the ad hoc arm warmers I made by cutting the toes off of my kid's (NOT pristine) white crew socks. My mom had made me this beautiful Gisele curtain dress to run in and I had to wear my sweats under it the whole race. It was like having to wear a jacket over your Halloween stormtrooper costume as a kid. Still waiting to bust that running dress out again for a race with good temps, and do it justice. Maybe Princess this year?? Please runDisney?

 

[marty3d]

I’ll never forget sweating in the corrals on Thursday and Friday in 2017 and then sitting in shorts and short sleeves at the Hurricane Hannah’s meet-up Friday afternoon speculating about the weather only to end up freezing in mid-30s with wind chills in the 20s on marathon morning! Talk about a complete u-turn in the weather! I also remember the WDW resort gift shops selling out of warm gear because the change was so unexpected. There were runners on course watching the sides of the road for discarded warm clothing and swapping out if they found something better than what they had. It’s the reason I pack for any eventuality at MW regardless of the forecast.

Wow - I remember that- I had a pair of running pants that I'd been planning on ditching at the start but it never got warm enough - I still have them - saving them for the next marathon weekend!

 

[PrincessV]

2017... I started the marathon wearing a long sleeve tech tee, under a short sleeve tech tee, under a mock-turtle long sleeve thermal tech shirt, under my kid's outgrown fleece jacket, and normal weight running tights under my kid's outgrown flannel PJ bottoms, plus a neck gaiter, hat, fleece ear warmer, two pairs of knit gloves, and heat packs stuffed into both gloves and shoes. I warmed up a bit before hitting World Dr - you know, when we were all still bunched up and protected from the wind? - and pulled over to ditch the PJ pants, fleece jacket, and toe warmer packs... HUGE mistake. When I got onto World Dr. and that wind smacked the front of me, it was instant regret, for my legs, especially! I had no feeling in my thighs again until 30 minutes into a hot bath when I got back to my resort. I ditched the thermal mock-T shirt in AK, but everything else stayed on through the finish, including the hand warmers.

I did better in 2018, having learned my lesson, lol! I waited until the end of World Dr to ditch my throwaway sweatpants, and I bought a heavier pair of tights so my legs fared much better. Didn't ditch the throwaway fleece jacket until after the MK, and kept a long sleeve shirt tied around my waist after I took it off in AK, and I was happy to have it to put on a few minutes after finishing.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I just need to know already, so I can decide how hard to lobby DH about me going, and book flights before my frontier discount membership expires.

 

[CP3uhoh]

we just got back from a 8-night 7 park day stay and I don't have much hope for any races any time soon. If i had to bet I'd say January 2023 but I guess Wine and Dine is the first in the cycle sort of? so maybe November 2022. They are so understaffed all over and the training is just 24/7. I lost track of how many training sessions we saw. It's really something. I will say it didn't detract from our experience much if at all but it was just apparent they don't have the people to open everything they want let alone try and get a race off.

It's also worth noting that Epcot is still a mess and is usually utilized in most race courses. There's also road construction by the TTC that doesn't look like its nearing completion anytime soon. It's also pretty clear that the reason the Epcot monorail line isn't back yet is because you pass by a ton of construction, Tron and Guardians. It seems pretty clear they are working all day every day to get everything as close to normal as they can by Oct. Honestly, I wish they would throw fast pass in the garbage but realize that's not going to happen. The parks were fairy full when we were there and we waited no more than 35 minutes and often under 20 except for Slinky Dog. I think some more virtual ques would be the way to go. This 60-day FP thing to wait 20 minutes instead of 60 is moronic when you see how fast the lines move without FP people stopping the standby line. They do have a problem with people abusing DAS. A party of 12 with a kid who might have Autism? Anyway, sort of bummed, just very apparent when you're there that the races seem like a long shot. Would love to be wrong! I also checked the job openings today and nothing for Run Disney but I guess everyone they need could be back or on furlough still

 

[Z-Knight]

i guess what i dont fully understand is when people point to staffing issues and how its requires sooo many people to do these races. in all honesty i just dont see it, but I'm likely naive. yes, you need volunteers for water stops and for start and end races and also security, but how much more is there? i guess it feels like they could do it if they wanted to... hell, Disneyland Paris did it and they had horrible management when i did the race 3 years ago, so it seems like it isnt rocket science (im an aerospace engineer). again, im likely naive and underestimating the effort, but im just tired and nervous for the coming news

 

[CP3uhoh]

i guess what i dont fully understand is when people point to staffing issues and how its requires sooo many people to do these races. in all honesty i just dont see it, but I'm likely naive. yes, you need volunteers for water stops and for start and end races and also security, but how much more is there? i guess it feels like they could do it if they wanted to... hell, Disneyland Paris did it and they had horrible management when i did the race 3 years ago, so it seems like it isnt rocket science (im an aerospace engineer). again, im likely naive and underestimating the effort, but im just tired and nervous for the coming news

I wouldn’t say the number of people is the issue, it’s the time and effort as well as logistics. I’ve never heard them even mention Run Disney as an actual business that matters to them which is why they’ve never attempted to bring the DL races back. It will matter again when they need a draw for down times but international hasn’t even come back yet and they have all the demand they can handle.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

I wouldn’t say the number of people is the issue, it’s the time and effort as well as logistics. I’ve never heard them even mention Run Disney as an actual business that matters to them which is why they’ve never attempted to bring the DL races back. It will matter again when they need a draw for down times but international hasn’t even come back yet and they have all the demand they can handle.

I thought I heard the hurdle to the DL or Anaheim-based races was that some changes in the laws there made it so for-profit race orgs couldn't rely on volunteers, making races where you have to pay standard/minimum wages to "volunteers" cost-prohibitive (also battles with city of Anaheim)