Official 2016 Star Wars Half Marthon - The Dark Side Weekend

[Ariel484]

I saw all the medals for sale on eBay too .... I thought it odd as well.... and most had bids!

I think some people just don't care what the medals represent, or they don't understand. I remember I was part of a different message board a few years back and someone came into the running section asking where he could buy a Goofy medal - just because he's a really, really big Goofy fan. And it was explained to him what the medal was and he just did not care - he wanted to purchase one to put on his shelf with all of his other Goofy memorabilia.

To me, him wanting to do that seemed like the strangest thing in the world (still does), but to him, it was just another Goofy item that he wanted in his collection. I'm sure people are like that with Star Wars as well.

The ONLY instance where I have heard of people buying medals that sort of made sense to me is with those who get shut out of a challenge, but they sign up for the 10K and half anyway (or they misunderstood and signed up for the wrong thing) - so technically they still did the challenge but don't get the bonus medal. I could see that, even if it's still a little weird.

 

[PrincessV]

So what is happening is bibs are being taken up by people who are buying medals, and taking spaces from people who, even if they can barely cut 16:00, are working their butts off to try.

Thoughts?

I'm probably the wrong one to ask... I have no opinion whatsoever on medals and how they're given. In fact, if rD offered a discounted registration with no medal, I'd be on it in a heartbeat! They mean different things to different folks, and I totally get that. They're pretty meaningless to me, so I simply have no opinion on the matter of "finisher medal" vs. "participant medal." But I truly do not think very many people are paying to register for a race with NO intention of finishing.

After over a dozen trips to four Disney resorts in three countries, it takes a lot to impress me, but hearing Star Wars music piped in with the lagoon and a beautifully lit World Showcase as the backdrop blew me away. It was otherworldly.

YES!!!!! I felt the same - I love running WDW, but I'm there a lot as a local, plus a bunch of races... I'm rarely wowed. I was thrilled with this!

Anybody still waiting for their photos to load onto Photopass? I'm still missing my photos from the Half. Tried calling but wait time was 60 minutes yesterday and 45 today

I and most people I know are still waiting on medal and finish line pics from the half - you are not alone!

 

[wilkeliza]

G. I find that interesting, and quite damning as well.

Several cast members saw our medals and asked how the weekend was, and it seems they had heard all the problems before. We really appreciated that they were reaching out for feedback. But I learned something especially interesting from a cast member who both works and runs the races...

It seems that 18,000 number may be starters, not finishers. There is a significant number of people who self sweep... as in they have no intention of attempting to complete the race, and put themselves on the first bus they see, because they know everyone gets the medal regardless. She was adamant that practice should stop. According to her, it should be a finisher's medal. Period.

At first I thought that was a bit harsh, but the more I thought about it, the more I agree. I get that runDisney is a more generous race, and with the 16:00 requirement is a great introduction to the sport, which is great! If they wanted to be more lax with the medals, they could still award it to people who made a real effort to make it happen, and if they get picked up at mile 11 or 12, I have no problem with that. But if people really are just walking across the line and putting a hand out for their medal, as she claims, I agree that's awful. (If they have to give them something, made it a little participant ribbon or something.)

So what is happening is bibs are being taken up by people who are buying medals, and taking spaces from people who, even if they can barely cut 16:00, are working their butts off to try.

Thoughts?

I'll tackle this haha. It is controversial to say the least and I (as well as others) have come up with a pretty unique solution. There should be a "participation" ribbon and a "finishers" ribbon. It should be very very clear that the participation ribbon is not the official finishers ribbon like say just a plane blue ribbon with nothing on it. This will deter people from wanting it because you are out right just a participator. This fulfills the "I paid for the medal with my race entry" argument that people use to bully their way into medals. It didn't happen to runDisney but I have heard of class action lawsuits where people believe since they paid the entry fee they are entitled to (yes entitled ) the medal, shirt, and all other swag that finishers get.

I also believe in a leeway. I have had friends run Iron Mans and be 30 seconds off their official finishers time. Nothing sucks more for those people then to not be able to say they did it because of half a minute. At Iron Man it is the individual time so no matter where you start you can finish the whole race and if your individual time is not with in the frame you don't get to say you finished. Bummer when you are so so close.

 

[Chasing Dopey]

DW overheard a couple who has run so many races, they don't really have room for more medals and stuff. They were explaining that they sell the medals, bibs, and entire race packet on ebay after every race to fund their next one. We thought that was interesting.

As far as the buyers go... Hard core collectors are crazy about the stuff they are into, and there are a LOT of Disney collectors out there. So Ariel is right, they just want that one more thing on the shelf with the other stuff. So that $1,100 set of medals will make a Star Wars fanatic happy, I guess.

That CM assured us that the number of people entering the race just for medals, who don't even try to finish, is significant. She was really ticked off about it, and I don't think she would have been that animated over it if, when she saw it happening, the number didn't surprise.

 

[Ariel484]

The finisher medal debate never goes well...for me, I think it's pretty black and white as to whether they should be handed out to all participants or not, but you're always going to have people that love to play devil's advocate and come up with "what ifs"...

My opinion: Disney clearly calls it a FINISHER medal (or medallion) on their website - it should be for those who finish the race(s) within the time guidelines (which we agree to at registration - that's part of what you're electronically signing your name to) only. The race shirt is what you get for participating.

Having said that...clearly Disney is okay with handing out the medals, so while I don't agree with it, I'm not going to get upset over it. I personally would not wear a medal I didn't earn, and to me, you only earn the medal when you finish the race(s) within the time requirement.

 

[wilkeliza]

DW overheard a couple who has run so many races, they don't really have room for more medals and stuff. They were explaining that they sell the medals, bibs, and entire race packet on ebay after every race to fund their next one. We thought that was interesting.

As far as the buyers go... Hard core collectors are crazy about the stuff they are into, and there are a LOT of Disney collectors out there. So Ariel is right, they just want that one more thing on the shelf with the other stuff. So that $1,100 set of medals will make a Star Wars fanatic happy, I guess.

That CM assured us that the number of people entering the race just for medals, who don't even try to finish, is significant. She was really ticked off about it, and I don't think she would have been that animated over it if, when she saw it happening, the number didn't surprise.

It is probably a couple hundred at most so when you have over 10,000 participants (much more than 10K actually) it isn't' a big deal but it is the principal of the whole thing for some people.

 

[camaker]

The ONLY instance where I have heard of people buying medals that sort of made sense to me is with those who get shut out of a challenge, but they sign up for the 10K and half anyway (or they misunderstood and signed up for the wrong thing) - so technically they still did the challenge but don't get the bonus medal. I could see that, even if it's still a little weird.

I'll admit to this one. I was signed up for the half at WDW Marathon Weekend this year and when I decided to add the full later in the summer, Goofy slots were long gone. It was my first Disney race and my first marathon, so I kept my eye on eBay and bought a Goofy medal when I found one that I thought was "reasonably" priced. I don't regret it one bit, as I completed the challenge that the race represents. A quirk in the signup process does not negate the achievement, in my mind.

 

[BDK33]

I dont think buying the challenge medal is strange at all if you completed it but were unable to register officially as a challenge runner. The only thing I will never wrap my head around is someone paying $150+ to enter a race for a medal yet having no intention of finishing it. The demand for these races is so high, as we can tell by the fact that they sell out in minutes. Why not save the spot for someone who wants to run and finish the race.

 

[Chasing Dopey]

I dont think buying the challenge medal is strange at all if you completed it but were unable to register officially as a challenge runner. The only thing I will never wrap my head around is someone paying $150+ to enter a race for a medal yet having no intention of finishing it. The demand for these races is so high, as we can tell by the fact that they sell out in minutes. Why not save the spot for someone who wants to run and finish the race.

Is registration cheaper than buying a medal on ebay later?

 

[Ariel484]

I'll admit to this one. I was signed up for the half at WDW Marathon Weekend this year and when I decided to add the full later in the summer, Goofy slots were long gone. It was my first Disney race and my first marathon, so I kept my eye on eBay and bought a Goofy medal when I found one that I thought was "reasonably" priced. I don't regret it one bit, as I completed the challenge that the race represents. A quirk in the signup process does not negate the achievement, in my mind.

I agree, I guess the weirdness I mentioned comes in because it stinks that you had to wait to get your medal AFTER race weekend. But I'm glad you got it!

 

[Ariel484]

I dont think buying the challenge medal is strange at all if you completed it but were unable to register officially as a challenge runner. The only thing I will never wrap my head around is someone paying $150+ to enter a race for a medal yet having no intention of finishing it. The demand for these races is so high, as we can tell by the fact that they sell out in minutes. Why not save the spot for someone who wants to run and finish the race.

Because you don't care. I mean, I assume...I can't wrap my head around it either.

 

[BDK33]

Is registration cheaper than buying a medal on ebay later?

If you wait a few months after im sure the medal will be cheaper on ebay. This seems similar to the idea of someone buying a super bowl ticket and not going to the game. Its ridiculous. They are literally robbing thousands of well-intentioned runners of the opportunity to compete. If you think im wrong look at Run Disneys Facebook and twitter comments after a race registration opens up.

 

[Anisum]

Not exactly relevant but I have a friend who has bought a medal on ebay because she lost hers just after the race and when she called Disney said they wouldn't replace it but when they finally answered her email they said they would send her a replacement (the email was sent before she made the call) so she had already bought one on ebay. Then she found her medals. So she has three sets.

I will say I have no problem with people who complete both races buying a challenge medal but I am disappointed that they even have to do so because if people who didn't plan to run it didn't take up slots then this wouldn't be as much of an issue.

One day I would like someone to count how many people seem to not run the race. I kind of want numbers on this phenomenon.

 

[msmith07101]

I'm one of those people that doesn't want something I didn't earn. I've wanted a few of the Dooney marathon bags, but because I wasn't participating, I wasn't going to get one. I am just getting into running, and I did the 5k this weekend. I loved it and plan on doing a 10k in the future. I can't imagine signing up and paying to do the race knowing you have no intention of finishing. I'm sure some people are doing this, just to say they've done it, get the medal. Maybe that's good enough for them. It's just not for me.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

It is probably a couple hundred at most so when you have over 10,000 participants (much more than 10K actually) it isn't' a big deal but it is the principal of the whole thing for some people.

I agree, but we don't get to decide what other people's morals or principles are - only our own. It is fine to say that we wouldn't do it, but it is going a bit too far to say that everyone should live by our code.

 

[PrincessV]

Is registration cheaper than buying a medal on ebay later?

It seems like a large gamble to me... I've checked ebay to see if it's worth selling some of my old medals, and the listing prices I've seen aren't enough for me to go through the effort - definitely not enough to cover what I paid or would pay for a future registration. Naturally, the ones that are listing high are the SW medals - the only medals of my many I actually want.

 

[hauntedcity]

My wife and I had a GREAT time last weekend!

Expo
We arrived at the Expo around 2pm on Friday, and as many other have experienced, not much was left. Hats: Gone. Magnets: Gone. 10k pins: Gone. Challenge pins: Gone. Headbands: Gone. The Shirt I liked: only in S and XXXL.... and so on... and so on... We had some friends there around 1pm on Thursday, and it honestly wasn't much better for them. Hats and magnets were already gone, although there were still a few jackets left at that time. This is the worst merchandise sell-out situation I've seen so far.
After years of frustration, I'm still gobsmacked that runDisney hasn't addressed this. I don't want to sound like a broken record (which has been spinning for 5 years now), so I'll stop talking about merchandise now.

On the positive side, we were thrilled to see that BB-8 was available for pictures! We waited in line for about 20 minutes, and were about 1/2 through the line... when... *cue ominous music* ... the tent was evacuated, because lightning was sighted within a 10 mile radius. DRAT! However, we did a little more touring of the expo floor, and came back later. We weren't allowed in the tent yet, but started a line at the top of the stairs. Once the all-clear was given, we were the second group in line for pictures.

10K
We were on the bus and on our way by 3:30 from Saratoga Springs. We headed directly towards the character photo spots, but by the time we arrive, lines were already cut off for most of the actual characters. We were able to get pictures with Jabba and the rathtar backdrop, but I was a bit miffed that we arrived at the earliest possible time using the buses, and lines were already capped.

The walk to the start line was pretty rough. It was very dark, and all of the lights were shining directly in our eyes, rather than backlighting our way or coming in from the side. It's a different location, but I think the lights are better placed during the other marathons. Once in the corrals, we enjoyed the banter from Rudy, John, and Carissa, and the video clips. Fireworks... and we're away!
Over the past few years, our Disney race strategy has changed... Our first few races, we only stopped for a few pictures, and concentrated on running. Lately, though, we've been stopping for more characters photos than not. I think that was the wrong strategy for this course. We started at the front of Corral C, and after getting a picture with R2, the course was waaaaay too crowded. We skipped Chewie, but by then, we were deep in the scrum. I was trying to hard not to bump into anyone, that it was hard to enjoy my surroundings. It got better once we left HS, though, and all-in-all it was a fun course.

The bus ride back to SSR, however... yikes! I know it wasn't as bad as some, but we waited over 45 minutes (it was probably longer, but I forget when we started our wait) to board a bus.

We felt we learned a lot from the 10, so we felt we were ready for the...

Half Marathon!
We weren't going to miss character photos this morning, so we woke up at 1:45am, and were at the bus stop by 2:15! ...aaaaand the first bus didn't leave until almost 2:40 (cue sad trombone!). No worries, though, as we were able to get a picture with Darth Vader before heading to the corrals. We skipped trying to get a 2nd picture, and made sure we were at the front of the group heading to the corrals. It was much less crowded in this position, and the walk was MUCH better today.

We adjusted our strategy on Sunday, and decided that characters were not top priority. We would run the race, and if we found some short lines, then great. IT WAS SO MUCH BETTER. We started in F, and by skipping the long lines, stayed mostly with people going the same pace. We didn't have the congested stretches where running was impossible. With enough room to move, we could enjoy the sights, the music, and the entire experience. We were still able to get photos with the Rebels, some Stormtroopers, and other low-wait ops.

So, basically, the Half Marathon was AWESOME. We finished with enough time to get photos with everyone we missed at the finish line.

The Medals
10K TIE fighter: AMAZING. I didn't think Disney could beat the Disneyland 10K magic mirror, but I think this is my new 10K favorite.
Half spinner: A-FREAKIN-MAZING. I now make all of my 2-choice decisions by spinning the medal.
Challenge: Very, very cool.

I look forward to seeing how they improve the race next year (although I just learned that my daughter's birthday is the same weekend, which complicates things). Now, if Disney would just fix the merchandise problem (oh, wait, did I say I wasn't going to talk about that anymore?).

 

[wilkeliza]

I agree, but we don't get to decide what other people's morals or principles are - only our own. It is fine to say that we wouldn't do it, but it is going a bit too far to say that everyone should live by our code.

I don't think I ever said I expect everyone to live by my code. I can say I don't agree with a practice with out expecting others to change their ways. If someone has no moral qualms over paying money and claiming they finished a half when they didn't then that's on them. I still run my race and have fun either way.

 

[PrincessV]

Half spinner: A-FREAKIN-MAZING. I now make all of my 2-choice decisions by spinning the medal.

I love everything about this!!

 

[opusone]

So, I was interested to see how the runDisney corral placement worked, so I downloaded the dark side half marathon finishers list and did a little analysis. Before you read anything into the following graphs, there are a few things I would like to make clear:

Corral and Bib Assignment Tables
I used the rD corral and bib assignment tables to determine the corral of each runner as well as the range of expected finishing times for each corral. However...
1. We do not actually know what corral folks really started in since runners are allowed to move back corrals (to run with other people, because of injury, not fully trained, or for any other reason really).
2. We also do not know if rD's calculations, based on our submitted proof of times, actually correspond to the expected finishing times of the corrals. For example, although the assignment table implies that Corral D finishing times should be >=2:05 and <2:15, we don't know if all the submitted PoTs of the Corral D runners actually fit in this range.

Faster, Slower, or In The Zone?
In any case, the first graph shows the distribution of finishers for each corral (disclaimer above) based on whether they were faster, in the zone, or slower than that corral's expected finishing time range.




Off Pace Amounts for Runners that were Slower than Expected Corral Finishing Times
The second graph just displays the folks that were slower than expected finishing time ranges, but it gives more detail as to how much slower than expected. I divided it into four categories (less than 1 min/mi slower, 1-2 min/mi slower, 2-3 min/mi slower, and greater than 3 min/mile slower).