Official Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend - The Dark Side 2017

[BigEeyore]

That survey may have had more to do with Avengers low registration numbers than any rumored change of theme for Dark Side. One factor I haven't seen even brought up in regards to low Dark Side numbers this year is Star Wars Celebration Orlando. It's the weekend before Dark Side and this is the 40th anniversary year of the original film. Unless I'm very much mistaken there are Star Wars fans who had to choose between the convention and the race and the convention won.

Time will tell, but I think there are other races at much greater risk of a theme change or cancellation than a race that hasn't even been run twice yet that is themed to one of, if not the most popular, movie franchises ever.

I do not understand why they didn't have the SW Celebration the same weekend as Dark Side - I am so disappointed we will miss it. Why not just make it a big star wars geek out weekend for everybody??
Also don't understand all the fretting about dark side getting the axe after this year - Disney seems to be on a re-naming kick here lately with light side now the resistance, princess now the fairy tale challenge. I figure they will just re-name Dark Side - my guess is Empire challenge. Star Wars is a proven money maker for Disney, and they are investing big time in the SW frachise with the expansion at DHS and Disneyland, along with all the films in the works.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I do not understand why they didn't have the SW Celebration the same weekend as Dark Side - I am so disappointed we will miss it. Why not just make it a big star wars geek out weekend for everybody??
Also don't understand all the fretting about dark side getting the axe after this year - Disney seems to be on a re-naming kick here lately with light side now the resistance, princess now the fairy tale challenge. I figure they will just re-name Dark Side - my guess is Empire challenge. Star Wars is a proven money maker for Disney, and they are investing big time in the SW franchise with the expansion at DHS and Disneyland, along with all the films in the works.

From an in universe perspective, I think we'll see Dark Side remain the Dark Side challenge. None of my race merchandise or shirts from past two years actually says Light Side on it. It all says Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend with the specific race and Disneyland. As many have noted, the heroes in the new movies are with the Resistance and not the Rebel Alliance or Rebellion as it was called in the original trilogy. So I think we're seeing Resistance Run to fit with the new films.

As for Princess, the challenge name change makes sense. Since each weekend now appears to be themed to one Disney animated fairy tale, they can change the medal every year and get repeat business because it's a very new medal each year instead of a slightly different medal each year.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

For the Darkside I seem to recall quite a few people who were interested but had already signed up for other races so they were going to postpone signing up for it for a year or two. I don't think the April date helps it though. When registrations are done so far in advance I think Disney has to give things a few years to settle in and hope that they will. The Star Wars races is what has gotten my family doing any of these events.

 

[Calfan]

From an in universe perspective, I think we'll see Dark Side remain the Dark Side challenge. None of my race merchandise or shirts from past two years actually says Light Side on it. It all says Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend with the specific race and Disneyland. As many have noted, the heroes in the new movies are with the Resistance and not the Rebel Alliance or Rebellion as it was called in the original trilogy. So I think we're seeing Resistance Run to fit with the new films.

I'm totally fine with the change to Resistance, but I definitely have race merch from the most recent SWLS that has "Light Side" on it. That doesn't seem to be a big deal since they do new merch for every race (at least anything that has the date on it).

The Star Wars races is what has gotten my family doing any of these events.

Mine too. My husband and kids are signed up for the 2018 Resistance 10k. I think they were sucked in by seeing all the fun costumes and by my medal, LOL. I signed up for the Challenge so I can do the 10k with them and also the half.

 

[cavepig]

I do not understand why they didn't have the SW Celebration the same weekend as Dark Side -

I'm sure Disney wants to keep you in the parks during the races and not heading off to celebration but also because Easter is April 16 and I'm sure they don't want a race on Easter Sunday.

 

[lovingeire]

That survey may have had more to do with Avengers low registration numbers than any rumored change of theme for Dark Side. One factor I haven't seen even brought up in regards to low Dark Side numbers this year is Star Wars Celebration Orlando. It's the weekend before Dark Side and this is the 40th anniversary year of the original film. Unless I'm very much mistaken there are Star Wars fans who had to choose between the convention and the race and the convention won.

Time will tell, but I think there are other races at much greater risk of a theme change or cancellation than a race that hasn't even been run twice yet that is themed to one of, if not the most popular, movie franchises ever.

Yes, I think a name change is more likely too, and thought it was interesting a name change after another race was the catalyst for changing a different race. But thought it was an interesting theory still. I do think the convention, Easter, Galactic Nights and the race just didn't all line up right for all fans.

For the Darkside I seem to recall quite a few people who were interested but had already signed up for other races so they were going to postpone signing up for it for a year or two. I don't think the April date helps it though. When registrations are done so far in advance I think Disney has to give things a few years to settle in and hope that they will. The Star Wars races is what has gotten my family doing any of these events.

I feel like this close to Easter/Spring Break is really the pits. But oh well, I'm not sure I'll be doing Dark Side again for a while so I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

 

[opusone]

Saturday Dinner Meet-Up (one spot remaining)

Six weeks to go until SWDS race weekend!!

We only have one spot remaining for our DISboards Saturday Italian dinner: Il Mulino at 5:00pm (Boardwalk area, in the Swan Hotel) on April 22nd. The reservation is for eight, and we currently have the following seven folks: @opusone, @opusone's friend, @croach, @Ndusmama, @HockeyMomNH, @HockeyMomNH's daughter, and @Calfan.

Anybody else want to join?

Il Mulino (Swan Hotel)

 

[Ndusmama]

Saturday Dinner Meet-Up (one spot remaining)

Six weeks to go until SWDS race weekend!!

We only have one spot remaining for our DISboards Saturday Italian dinner: Il Mulino at 5:00pm (Boardwalk area, in the Swan Hotel) on April 22nd. The reservation is for eight, and we currently have the following seven folks: @opusone, @opusone's friend, @croach, @Ndusmama, @HockeyMomNH, @HockeyMomNH's daughter, and @Calfan.

Anybody else want to join?

Il Mulino (Swan Hotel)

View attachment 224518

Talked my sister into coming to wdw with me to run. So that would be another.

 

[opusone]

Talked my sister into coming to wdw with me to run. So that would be another.

Perfect! I'll add her, and we are now set with eight people.

 

[AThrillingChase]

Apologies if this topic has already been covered ad nauseum in this thread, but given some of the rumors floating around about possible re-theming of this race next year, I'm considering signing up for the half to ensure I get my Kessel Run medal this year (I did the SWLS half at DL in Jan.). Registration is still available for the half, but I'm wondering if I might do better going through a travel agent, because I will need a hotel and theme park tickets. I'm not finding any helpful info on the rD site about travel agents for this race. And the rD travel line is currently closed. Anyone know of any travel agents I could contact? TIA!

Make sure you select a resort that is discounted, I wanted a different one and had to pay rack rate! I think they have been one of the all stars and CBR lately.

Facebook sure as blown with all the Darkside will be ending due to Disneyland Star Wars registration delayed and a renaming of it to Resistance Run.

Personally I hope the WDW Star Wars sticks around more than 2 years. I know it hasn't sold out but a lot of other races haven't either even Princess had TAs trying to get rid of bibs. I don't know but just thought it was interesting how people are so quick to diss this race it seems & talk like it is the only one to not sell out.

I think they may rename it ornaments first order to go along with resistance on the west coast and maybe redo the kessel to something else.

Thanks again for all the quick input, everyone. I went ahead and bought the half bib through Acclaim travel and booked my saver award flights on United. A little shell-shocked that I actually did it, but really excited. I definitely wanted to do a Coast to Coast at some point I guess sooner is better than later, LOL. Now I can ensure I get a Kessel Run medal in addition to the C2C medal and don't have to stress about whether runDisney is or is not going to make changes to this race next year. This will be my first WDW race, and I'm an infrequent WDW visitor (having lived in California all my life until moving to Idaho last May), so I'm likely to be back with questions about race logistics, etc.

Totally agree. I don't get how delaying registration for one race leads to the conclusion that another will be cancelled.

I can't tell you how aggravating the dramatic facebook posts have been to me. It is all people blaming the theme and how disney purists don't support SW in the parks. People, we have already been through this. SW is coming. It is making them money hand over foot. Deal with it!! I also made the point that if they planned to ditch it, they would not be sticking with the light/resistence theme. It doesn't make sense without the dark side. Otherwise it would have been a generalized theme. Celebration and Easter are also hard, and so is the fact that rooms and dvc are priced at high season/spring break rates. My dvc owning friends won't go then. And I am sure they aren't the only ones. Logistically, I think if they changed the timing we would be having a much different convo. I think it is clear disney believes in all things SW.

ETA - i am doing a giant 12 day trip fitting in celebration and the challenge (and I added a 12th day after for a large flight price drop). Crazy expensive, and definitely not something I will ever duplicate!

 

[ywgckp]

If they planned on cancelling either race for 2018 I think they would have just done that, rather than "delaying registration".

IMHO - probably just rebranding the races slightly to better emphasize the new triology. The Resistance/First Order races in 2018 instead of light side/dark side?

 

[cavepig]

I can't tell you how aggravating the dramatic facebook posts have been to me. It is all people blaming the theme and how disney purists don't support SW in the parks. People, we have already been through this. SW is coming. It is making them money hand over foot.

The saturation thread here has posts blaming the theme too as not selling so it will go. Yeah the rates after the weekend are much prettier for sure. Oh I hope after it all you post a little about celebration too, sounds like a great trip!

The Resistance/First Order races in 2018 instead of light side/dark side?

Yeah thinking this too.

A while ago my sister in law texting saying she was signing my brother up, well come to find out he isn't signed up, so for like a month we though he was running too, fake news just annoys me. But... now we have the freedom to head to the expo when we want, which I'm thinking about 2-3 we'll go.

So.... that leads me to ask, were there any characters out at the expo last year? My parents went and saw stormtroopers walking around and knew BB-8 was there, but anyone else setup in the bib area at all?

 

[PrincessV]

The drama surrounding SW in general is always entertaining! I honestly don't know what rD may be considering going forward: I wouldn't be surprised to see a Dark Side 2018, but neither would I be surprised to see a full theme change. Just have to wait and see!

I do want to stress a point, though: races selling out - early or at all - is a relatively new phenomenon. When I first started running rD races, that didn't happen: I registered for my first - Princess 5K in 2012 - less than a month before the race. Races back then also had smaller caps: 5Ks capped at 5,000ish runners, for instance, compared to 10,000ish in recent years. In general, the running boom has slowed down, so seeing rD races not sellout isn't strange to me: it goes along with the overall trend in running. And Disney doesn't need to sell out to make money - they may decide to lower the caps in future races if they think they don't need the extra resources required for more participants. And these recent changes in themeing may be a response to surveys, chatter, and/or sales figures. I don't see the lack of sellouts recently as a sign of something bad, only as an indicator that things are returning to a more normal pattern.

So.... that leads me to ask, were there any characters out at the expo last year? My parents went and saw stormtroopers walking around and knew BB-8 was there, but anyone else setup in the bib area at all?

I don't recall seeing anything in the bib pickup area, but to be honest, I seem to miss stuff in there all the time. I do recall seeing the troopers walking around, and BB-8 and Kylo Ren had meet & greets in a separate tent/building. As a big SW fan who normally hates race expos, I thought Dark Side was a blast! I spent a lot of time just hanging out, watching the geeky world go by

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

I can't tell you how aggravating the dramatic facebook posts have been to me. It is all people blaming the theme and how disney purists don't support SW in the parks. People, we have already been through this. SW is coming. It is making them money hand over foot. Deal with it!! I also made the point that if they planned to ditch it, they would not be sticking with the light/resistence theme. It doesn't make sense without the dark side. Otherwise it would have been a generalized theme. Celebration and Easter are also hard, and so is the fact that rooms and dvc are priced at high season/spring break rates. My dvc owning friends won't go then. And I am sure they aren't the only ones. Logistically, I think if they changed the timing we would be having a much different convo. I think it is clear disney believes in all things SW.

ETA - i am doing a giant 12 day trip fitting in celebration and the challenge (and I added a 12th day after for a large flight price drop). Crazy expensive, and definitely not something I will ever duplicate!

Yes, I find it very aggravating as well. There are some people who have not hidden their feelings towards the Star Wars runs since the day runDisney announced the race in Florida. And I think they're grasping at any opportunity available to wish it away or hope for the theme to change. All because they don't like Star Wars. That's totally fine if they feel that way about the franchise, and I'm not asking anyone to like it, but just because it's not a race or theme that you're interested in doesn't mean it's not valid and should go. Nobody's asking you to participate and not every theme has to be one you'd like.

Sorry, that's my rant.

The drama surrounding SW in general is always entertaining! I honestly don't know what rD may be considering going forward: I wouldn't be surprised to see a Dark Side 2018, but neither would I be surprised to see a full theme change. Just have to wait and see!

I do want to stress a point, though: races selling out - early or at all - is a relatively new phenomenon. When I first started running rD races, that didn't happen: I registered for my first - Princess 5K in 2012 - less than a month before the race. Races back then also had smaller caps: 5Ks capped at 5,000ish runners, for instance, compared to 10,000ish in recent years. In general, the running boom has slowed down, so seeing rD races not sellout isn't strange to me: it goes along with the overall trend in running. And Disney doesn't need to sell out to make money - they may decide to lower the caps in future races if they think they don't need the extra resources required for more participants. And these recent changes in themeing may be a response to surveys, chatter, and/or sales figures. I don't see the lack of sellouts recently as a sign of something bad, only as an indicator that things are returning to a more normal pattern.


I don't recall seeing anything in the bib pickup area, but to be honest, I seem to miss stuff in there all the time. I do recall seeing the troopers walking around, and BB-8 and Kylo Ren had meet & greets in a separate tent/building. As a big SW fan who normally hates race expos, I thought Dark Side was a blast! I spent a lot of time just hanging out, watching the geeky world go by

I would be surprised to see a theme change so quickly after only 2 years. Star Wars is such a huge franchise that changing the theme after one year of not selling out seems extreme. Give it a couple more years to see how it settles in and then decide whether it's worth it.

But good point about the sellouts being only a recent trend and the raises in the caps. I completely agree that I don't see runDisney suffering too much here - I'm sure they're still making tons of money.

 

[stal]

I've just booked flights to Orlando! Now I need to buy my challenge bib (and start training!)

I know about the $25 runDisney discount, and some TAs are selling bibs discounted with room and ticket packages, but does anyone know anywhere selling it without the hotel and tickets (or without just the tickets)?

Thanks

 

[mbwhitti]

I've just booked flights to Orlando! Now I need to buy my challenge bib (and start training!)

I know about the $25 runDisney discount, and some TAs are selling bibs discounted with room and ticket packages, but does anyone know anywhere selling it without the hotel and tickets (or without just the tickets)?

Thanks

There are a few charities selling discounted bibs with no fundraising commitment. Several have been posted on the rundisneyfun facebook page.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Yes, I find it very aggravating as well. There are some people who have not hidden their feelings towards the Star Wars runs since the day runDisney announced the race in Florida. And I think they're grasping at any opportunity available to wish it away or hope for the theme to change. All because they don't like Star Wars. That's totally fine if they feel that way about the franchise, and I'm not asking anyone to like it, but just because it's not a race or theme that you're interested in doesn't mean it's not valid and should go. Nobody's asking you to participate and not every theme has to be one you'd like.

Sorry, that's my rant.


I would be surprised to see a theme change so quickly after only 2 years. Star Wars is such a huge franchise that changing the theme after one year of not selling out seems extreme. Give it a couple more years to see how it settles in and then decide whether it's worth it.

But good point about the sellouts being only a recent trend and the raises in the caps. I completely agree that I don't see runDisney suffering too much here - I'm sure they're still making tons of money.

Your rant inspired me. I'm tired of people acting like their opinion is the only one that matters. I'm tired of people acting like Disney is doing the world a great disservice or somehow ruining their lives by not making more merchandise of their favorite character, movie, et all. And I'm tired of people losing their minds over Disney looking to make money off popular franchises that they personally dislike. So if you're upset that runDisney believes that there is demand for a Star Wars race weekend on each coast, then vote with your wallet and don't register for either Star Wars race. If you're really angry about it, then vote with your wallet and don't sign up for another race again until runDisney acts in accordance with your will and cancels both Star Wars races. But don't try to ruin the excitement others feel because they want this race.

Honestly, I'll probably never run Tinker Bell race weekend. The race theme does not appeal to me. But does that mean runDisney should cancel it altogether because I don't care for the theme at all? Nope. Such a decision would be foolish. Does my lack of interest in that theme mean that it's a "stupid" theme? Absolutely not. All my lack of interest in that weekend means is that I do not have to register for a race that weekend. Nor does my lack of interest mean that I should go off on how much the theme doesn't interest me. Because guess what? There are a lot of runners who love that theme, that character, and the experience of that weekend. And I hope it lives up to their hopes, dreams, and expectations.

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

Your rant inspired me. I'm tired of people acting like their opinion is the only one that matters. I'm tired of people acting like Disney is doing the world a great disservice or somehow ruining their lives by not making more merchandise of their favorite character, movie, et all. And I'm tired of people losing their minds over Disney looking to make money off popular franchises that they personally dislike. So if you're upset that runDisney believes that there is demand for a Star Wars race weekend on each coast, then vote with your wallet and don't register for either Star Wars race. If you're really angry about it, then vote with your wallet and don't sign up for another race again until runDisney acts in accordance with your will and cancels both Star Wars races. But don't try to ruin the excitement others feel because they want this race.

Honestly, I'll probably never run Tinker Bell race weekend. The race theme does not appeal to me. But does that mean runDisney should cancel it altogether because I don't care for the theme at all? Nope. Such a decision would be foolish. Does my lack of interest in that theme mean that it's a "stupid" theme? Absolutely not. All my lack of interest in that weekend means is that I do not have to register for a race that weekend. Nor does my lack of interest mean that I should go off on how much the theme doesn't interest me. Because guess what? There are a lot of runners who love that theme, that character, and the experience of that weekend. And I hope it lives up to their hopes, dreams, and expectations.

May the Force be with You.

 

[cavepig]

But don't try to ruin the excitement others feel because they want this race.

Exactly!

I've just booked flights to Orlando! Now I need to buy my challenge bib (and start training!)

I know about the $25 runDisney discount, and some TAs are selling bibs discounted with room and ticket packages, but does anyone know anywhere selling it without the hotel and tickets (or without just the tickets)?

Woohoo for coming to the Darkside! I keep seeing TA & Charity advertisings in the facebook groups I'm in but don't have specifics. One I know was a charity but don't remember it saying no fundraising, but it could have.

We have a cold snap, brrrr, but luckily the snow we were to get missed us! But man! going back to running in the teens is rough! Hope everyone else's training is going well!

 

[lovingeire]

On a different note, we got our Magical Express tags today! Which got me stupidly excited about the races! And that beautiful Kessel Run medal!

Our weather here is so frigid right now! I woke up and the feels like was 4 degrees! FOUR! And I had planned to head to the gym to test out my foot I've been resting on Tuesday and we're supposed to get a giant snow storm that day. I've given the foot two weeks rest though as of this weekend and it is starting to feel better so I was thinking I'd try the elliptical at the gym this week and maybe a short run next weekend depending on weather so I can hopefully start working back up on mileage. But probably won't be where I normally would before Dark Side. I figure anything is better then nothing at this point, and so is having a healthy foot!