Official 2017 Star Wars - Light Side Half Marathon Weekend (Jan 12th - 15th, 2017)

[Dis_Yoda]

I got a total NON answer from rundisney and am waiting for another reply (to my message of "I have no idea what you're telling me")...

DH is very worried about leaving Seattle early enough to get the 5K bib. Do we think they'll have the early morning bib pickups before the race?

They don't advertise that they do that but they do have it. Go to Runner Relations if you miss pick up the morning of the race. Make sure you get there early though. You will still have to get to the Expo to pick up your shirt and stuff.

 

[courtneybeth]

Amazon has Glukos running gels - 12 packs for $16 with a coupon. Just picked up two boxes to get ready for Star Wars and princess!!

 

[dis_or_dat]

I'm so sad to report that Carrie Fisher died. She had such an amazing spirit and I really credit her for making Leia such an iconic character.

 

[94bruin]

I'm so sad to report that Carrie Fisher died. She had such an amazing spirit and I really credit her for making Leia such an iconic character.

So sad.

 

[courtneybeth]

It'll be a sad race with Leia as the medal, but I have never felt more motivated to run the half in my Leia costume and use the 13.1 miles to reflect on how Carrie Fisher has been an amazing role model. I am now really motivated to get my 2:44:59 half marathon finish time goal... for her. And for me.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I love how Carrie Fisher handled the popularity of Leia with humor and class. Whether it be quipping that whenever she looked in the mirror she had to pay George Lucas or being overwhelmed when she learned how Leia inspired someone to reach for greater heights

So while we mourn her, I also believe we should celebrate her. She faced some tremendous challenges in her life and did not let those defeat her.

I think it's fitting that many Star Wars fans will earn a medal next month with Leia on it.

 

[kirstie101]

Amazon has Glukos running gels - 12 packs for $16 with a coupon. Just picked up two boxes to get ready for Star Wars and princess!!

This is what they had at RnR San Jose right? It was more liquidy then gel like?? If so I really liked this stuff!

 

[courtneybeth]

This is what they had at RnR San Jose right? It was more liquidy then gel like?? If so I really liked this stuff!

Yes! That's it! It's like drinking a Capri sun. You don't need water after and the consistency isn't gross.

 

[kirstie101]

Yes! That's it! It's like drinking a Capri sun. You don't need water after and the consistency isn't gross.

Perfect! I really liked it and it didn't upset my stomach! I'm gonna order some and retry on my last long run this weekend! Thanks!

 

[Wink25]

Got word from runDisney that deferrals are officially no longer offered. Personally I think that's a horrible decision on runDisney's part. Medical situations come up that can't be helped and forcing people to either try to run when they shouldn't or flat out waste $100s of dollars is ridiculous. They shouldn't be pushing people away when they aren't even selling out races anymore.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Got word from runDisney that deferrals are officially no longer offered. Personally I think that's a horrible decision on runDisney's part. Medical situations come up that can't be helped and forcing people to either try to run when they shouldn't or flat out waste $100s of dollars is ridiculous. They shouldn't be pushing people away when they aren't even selling out races anymore.

That started a couple races ago. I ended up doing the Wine & Dine Challenge on Zero Training b/c of that as I had injured my good ankle and was in a boot (my husband was running as well so we were going on the trip no matter what) I finished the 10K at my slowest speed every. I medically stopped at 6.4 miles during the half.

 

[Ariel484]

Got word from runDisney that deferrals are officially no longer offered. Personally I think that's a horrible decision on runDisney's part. Medical situations come up that can't be helped and forcing people to either try to run when they shouldn't or flat out waste $100s of dollars is ridiculous. They shouldn't be pushing people away when they aren't even selling out races anymore.

Unfortunately this has been going on since the fall...they never made an official announcement but deferrals haven't been an option for the past few races.

I wish they would introduce an option to purchase race registration insurance when we are signing up for the races...Active.com handles registrations for many local races that I do, and they have an insurance option. I know you can get insurance if you book through a TA or if you book a hotel package through runDisney, but I never use those options so that doesn't work for me.

 

[fiveminutes]

I am running the challenge doing a Disneyland race for the first time. I did the inaugural dark side this year at WDW. This year it shows I'm in corral H for the half and I'm assuming the 10K as well? I ran the dark side on a new knee that was 5 months out, and this race will be on two new knees (barely 5 months out for the newest one). Anyone else in corral H and doing the challenge? I'd love to have a running buddy! I saw the medals at RnR Vegas and I'm very excited about them! Looking forward to getting my coast to coast and Kessel challenge medal this year!

 

[courtneybeth]

@fiveminutes - you'll have two letters on your bib. The first is the 10k and the second is the half. You won't know the 10k until you pick up your bib.

 

[Wink25]

That started a couple races ago. I ended up doing the Wine & Dine Challenge on Zero Training b/c of that as I had injured my good ankle and was in a boot (my husband was running as well so we were going on the trip no matter what) I finished the 10K at my slowest speed every. I medically stopped at 6.4 miles during the half.

That's exactly what happened to me at Avengers. I've had an ongoing medical issue that was finally diagnosed as a hernia after going to a 3rd doctor. Of course we have to register so far in advance that these races were on the books well before I even started having pain. I thought I had just waited to long to defer for Avengers and finished the 10k but had to pull out of the half. Now, two months later, the hernia still hasn't been fixed and I'm faced with the same dilemma for star wars. I'm only signed up for the 10k this time but I probably shouldn't do it. It's very frustrating when it is something that is completely out of my control and there is absolutely no attempt to help from runDisney even after I have run a dozen Disney races in the last few years.

Sorry for the long rant, just extremely frustrated.

 

[fiveminutes]

@fiveminutes - you'll have two letters on your bib. The first is the 10k and the second is the half. You won't know the 10k until you pick up your bib.

That's what I assumed, it was like that for the Dark Side, I was jealous of all those challenge bibs in April! For the Dark Side, I didn't submit POT, so I was in corral L and definitely learned my lesson. The bottle neck around Epcot and BW was horrible! I haven't been to DLR since probably 2005, so I'm excited to go back and see the changes

 

[pigletliz]

Unfortunately this has been going on since the fall...they never made an official announcement but deferrals haven't been an option for the past few races.

I wish they would introduce an option to purchase race registration insurance when we are signing up for the races...Active.com handles registrations for many local races that I do, and they have an insurance option. I know you can get insurance if you book through a TA or if you book a hotel package through runDisney, but I never use those options so that doesn't work for me.

Unfortunately, the rD policy has always been that the races are non-refundable and non-transferable and deferrals were never guaranteed, no matter what the reason. The rumor about deferrals was around since the beginning of the year. It is unfortunate that people are out money because injuries or emergencies do happen (acutely aware that no one can predict the future), but even if it isn't runner friendly, we agreed to take that risk when we paid for the bib. It is definitely buyer beware. I've run a lot of races that are non-refundable and non-transferable, no exceptions. If I had the emergency, they aren't required to do anything for me because I read the rules before I chose to give them my money. I get that it is frustrating when someone already feels stressed, but it doesn't necessarily make it bad customer service. It is just their current policy. Hopefully one that they can improve on in the future.

 

[Ariel484]

Unfortunately, the rD policy has always been that the races are non-refundable and non-transferable and deferrals were never guaranteed, no matter what the reason. The rumor about deferrals was around since the beginning of the year. It is unfortunate that people are out money because injuries or emergencies do happen (acutely aware that no one can predict the future), but even if it isn't runner friendly, we agreed to take that risk when we paid for the bib. It is definitely buyer beware. I've run a lot of races that are non-refundable and non-transferable, no exceptions. If I had the emergency, they aren't required to do anything for me because I read the rules before I chose to give them my money. I get that it is frustrating when someone already feels stressed, but it doesn't necessarily make it bad customer service. It is just their current policy. Hopefully one that they can improve on in the future.

I'm not sure why you're quoting me...I know the registration policy and I didn't say it was bad customer service.

I do think their customer service is bad for other reasons, and I 100% think they are capable of offering race registration insurance...they just don't want to.

 

[kirstie101]

Let's talk dining.... I think I've decided that after the half I want to do like lunch at a table service restaurant in the parks. Ill be with my mom and my kids. My first thought was Ariels Grotto. We love the food, patio seating is nice, I can get alcohol and the kids will be entertained enough that they'll let us linger and sit longer. I thought about Blue Bayou but DH would be jealous and I don't know how well the kids would do there. They might get bored with the dim lighting and quiet. So my other idea was Carnation Cafe. I've never been. Food choices would work for us. We probably wouldn't sit as long as at AG but you never know. What are your thoughts? Anyone have any experiences at Carnation Cafe?

 

[dis_or_dat]

Let's talk dining.... I think I've decided that after the half I want to do like lunch at a table service restaurant in the parks. Ill be with my mom and my kids. My first thought was Ariels Grotto. We love the food, patio seating is nice, I can get alcohol and the kids will be entertained enough that they'll let us linger and sit longer. I thought about Blue Bayou but DH would be jealous and I don't know how well the kids would do there. They might get bored with the dim lighting and quiet. So my other idea was Carnation Cafe. I've never been. Food choices would work for us. We probably wouldn't sit as long as at AG but you never know. What are your thoughts? Anyone have any experiences at Carnation Cafe?

Carnation Cafe's food is ok. I think it's great if there's a parade going by though!