runDisney Events and Registration FAQ

[jriveiro724]

When Star Wars weekend got cancelled, they said future on-sale dates would also be adjusted. Anyone know what the new dates are of if they're just keeping them the same?

 

[rteetz]

When Star Wars weekend got cancelled, they said future on-sale dates would also be adjusted. Anyone know what the new dates are of if they're just keeping them the same?

They have not announced new dates yet.

 

[MissGina5]

I just want to make sure I understand correctly
say I sign up for the virtual challenge
Do I have to do each 5K in one go or can I add days up? and its 3 5Ks?

idk how to be clearer... for my first 5K in June can I do like daily walks in June that will add up to 5K or all in one outing?

 

[rteetz]

I just want to make sure I understand correctly
say I sign up for the virtual challenge
Do I have to do each 5K in one go or can I add days up? and its 3 5Ks?

idk how to be clearer... for my first 5K in June can I do like daily walks in June that will add up to 5K or all in one outing?

You can do it however you want.

 

[Herding_Cats]

are TA packages for pre-registering for bibs still requiring park tickets?

 

[rteetz]

are TA packages for pre-registering for bibs still requiring park tickets?

I believe it is more lenient now. At the very least you need a two night stay. I know for sure that if you have an AP you don’t need to add on tickets.

 

[rteetz]

Updated the info!

 

[rteetz]

 

[mcomber7]

I am hoping for a miracle - I'd really like to run in the marathon 2021. Where is the best place to watch on the tiny chance that Disney releases more race bibs? All of the charities are sold out, there's no where else to look right now, correct?

 

[rteetz]

I am hoping for a miracle - I'd really like to run in the marathon 2021. Where is the best place to watch on the tiny chance that Disney releases more race bibs? All of the charities are sold out, there's no where else to look right now, correct?

Social media mainly Facebook. Otherwise just keep checking the RunDisney website.

 

[bcwife76]

My hubby and I watched a couple of episodes of Disney Insider last night on Disney+ and now he wants us to run one of the races I've done the virtual 5k's for the past 3 years so I'm thinking an actual 5k would be a good place for us to start. This thread is chock full of fantastic information so I will be glued to it, hoping for the Wine and Dine in 2022 (nothing like starting early to prepare, right?)

 

[Disney3mum]

I am hoping for a miracle - I'd really like to run in the marathon 2021. Where is the best place to watch on the tiny chance that Disney releases more race bibs? All of the charities are sold out, there's no where else to look right now, correct?

Star Wars has not went up forsale yet, and then you will have Wine and Dine 2021 forsale March 2021. I am worried at this time we may not have a WIne DIne 2020 or any races in 2021 due to covid.

 

[rteetz]

Star Wars has not went up forsale yet, and then you will have Wine and Dine 2021 forsale March 2021. I am worried at this time we may not have a WIne DIne 2020 or any races in 2021 due to covid.

Star Wars is on sale with travel agents currently.

 

[rteetz]

Made quite a few updates to the thread. Was sort of depressing to do too...

 

[Twinkbelle]

Looking for some general advice (please forgive me if this the wrong thread and if so could someone please tell me the right place to post this) over the past year I've taken up running as a hobby, it's been fantastic for me in a variety of ways. Losing weight and helping with my mental health.

As a massive Disney fan to keep me motivated I've decided my long term goal is to be fit enough to (if it happens, fingers crossed) RunDisney half marathon at Disneyland Paris in September.

I'm not a very fast runner, and I'm still carrying some weight. I average around 7mins per km on longer runs. I've done a few 10ks and I'm working my way up to increasing my distance gradually, currently up to 13km which I ran in 1hr 35mins.

How strict are they with the speed requirements, I remember reading as a part of a blog awhile ago someone describing being 'pulled from the race' as they weren't keeping up with pace in Florida, would that happen in Paris? I would be crushed if I put all that effort and energy into getting to race day and did not complete it cos I wasn't fast enough.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Looking for some general advice (please forgive me if this the wrong thread and if so could someone please tell me the right place to post this) over the past year I've taken up running as a hobby, it's been fantastic for me in a variety of ways. Losing weight and helping with my mental health.

As a massive Disney fan to keep me motivated I've decided my long term goal is to be fit enough to (if it happens, fingers crossed) RunDisney half marathon at Disneyland Paris in September.

I'm not a very fast runner, and I'm still carrying some weight. I average around 7mins per km on longer runs. I've done a few 10ks and I'm working my way up to increasing my distance gradually, currently up to 13km which I ran in 1hr 35mins.

How strict are they with the speed requirements, I remember reading as a part of a blog awhile ago someone describing being 'pulled from the race' as they weren't keeping up with pace in Florida, would that happen in Paris? I would be crushed if I put all that effort and energy into getting to race day and did not complete it cos I wasn't fast enough.

I found this from the 2017 runDisney Paris event:

https://run.disneylandparis.com/sites/default/files/files/race-rules-2017_EN.pdf
It confirms that at least in 2017 the minimum pace was a 16 min/mile (or 9.56 min/km) pace. I would assume that'll be true for 2021 as well, but I don't know that for sure. Now the key part of that (at least this is true for the US based runDisney events and I would assume it also true for runDisney Paris) is that the minimum pace requirement starts when the last person crosses the start line. So let's say for example the race starts at 5:00am, but the last person crosses the start line at 6:00am. That means the 3.5 hr half marathon requirement would mean a finishing time of 9:30am. Such that the person who started at 5am actually gets 4.5 hours. Additionally, it's important to keep in mind that this minimum pace requirement floats along the course at different checkpoints. As an example, it's not simple enough to say that you need to finish by 9:30 am and everything will be alight. I couldn't do the first km in 2.5 hrs and the remaining 20kms in 1 hr. So when you hit certain milestones matter. The people in charge will do a reasonably good job of warning you along the way as to whether you're in trouble of being swept at an upcoming checkpoint.

So depending on how much earlier you start relative to the last person will truly dictate how much time and at what pace you'll need to be able to run. The recommendation of a 16 min/mile minimum pace for the purposes of your fitness ability is a good one because it allows some wiggle room in case you do end up being the last person to start the race.

Where you start the race will be dictated by your Proof of Time at the time of registration and POT cutoff (usually like 4-6 weeks before the race). The faster your POT the sooner you'll get to start the race relative to others. It's like a seeding process.

You recently ran a 13km in 7:18 min/km pace. Was this a race level effort? Can you run a 10k at max effort in about 1:11? For 7:18 min/km pace to be an appropriate long run pace, you're looking at needing a max effort 10k around a 1:01?

Either way, I'm putting your estimated HM time at around 2:15-2:40. You are no where close to the 3:30 cutoff even if you were the last person to start. So by my estimation even if the 7:18 min/km pace was a race effort, you still have an enormous buffer before being swept and have close to nothing to worry about as long as you train reasonably well prior to the race.

 

[Twinkbelle]

DopeyBadger - thank you so much for this reply and the detailed explanation, this is fantastic news for me. As long as I keep on track I should be fine. Hopefully by September (if the race happens) I will have improved my fitness and have a faster pace. I had signed up for my local rock and roll marathon 10K and was going to put that forward as a time, but that's been rescheduled now to October so I'll have to come up with some other plan, which I'll worry about closer to the time. I wouldn't say that I ran flat out I had a little energy left for the couple of miles walk from the park back home. My most recent 10km was 1:15, that wasn't flat out. Think I could shave it down and get to 1:11 if I went flat out. A 1:01 10km isn't something I can reach just yet. My fastest 5km so far was 33:44. However the route I usually run has two short but steep hills that are almost next to each other When I do longer runs I usually incorporate them 4/6 times. I believe that the RunDisney route is flat ground so that will help me move a bit faster.

 

[DopeyBadger]

My most recent 10km was 1:15, that wasn't flat out. Think I could shave it down and get to 1:11 if I went flat out. A 1:01 10km isn't something I can reach just yet. My fastest 5km so far was 33:44.

If I may make a suggestion, I think you should consider slowing down on your training runs. Based on these PRs/fastest attempts at distances, you're probably training too fast. I think you'll find in the long term picture that training slow and racing fast will yield better results. I'd suggest the following pace tree:



So if you're a continuous runner, then I suggest your easy days be a 8:35 min/km or slower. And for your long run days, I suggest a 8:21 min/km or slower. Far slower than the near 7 min/km you're doing right now. This way you won't be racing your training runs and rather training on them.

If you're a run/walker runner, then the calculator is suggesting a 90/30 interval set at a 8:21 min/km run pace and a 11:11 min/km walk pace. That would be an average pace of an 8:55 min/km pace. Again, far slower than what you're currently doing.

I've written the following posts over the years that you might find useful in convincing yourself "train slow to race fast" will be a helpful mindset. It's not a novel concept from me and if you dig deep into the research and many common training plans you'll find almost all use this methodology. Just some are better at driving it home than others.

Eureka! The Quintessential Running Post
Train slow to race fast: Why running more slowly and capping the long run at 2.5 hours may dramatically improve your performance
Why am I doing this run? The question every runner should be asking themselves.
The Marathon is 99% Aerobic (and 95% for HM and so on): So how to train for it!
I only run 3 days a week and never as slow as marathon pace. How can I apply slowing down into my schedule and benefit? With only 3 days, I've gone with quality over quantity on my runs.
Some science for run/walk methodology

 

[Twinkbelle]

Thank you again for this reply and the links to the threads, I'm working my way through reading all this info, you're probably right slowing down might help me get faster longer term. It's not something I've considered before I thought that was more a tactic for people who were more advanced than me, and already had a decent pace down, but it looks like it's open to pretty much anyone. I would love to be able to run a 5K in less than 30 mins. When I first completed a 5K it took me 45mins and I worked very hard that day. So I've made a lot of progress but there's still a long way to go to reach that goal.

I tend to currently go out and run 5K twice in the week then at the weekend I'll fit in a longer run. You've made me consider I need to get some more structure to my running. I don't really walk at all except for on longer runs when after going up the little hill I get tired and will walk until my breath catches up or stop out right for a couple of seconds.

I have been worried that maybe I'm pushing myself too hard, my heart rate is usually up in the late 170s (180 is my max according to some quick maths) as I push myself to sprint towards the finish and get a good time, and I'm not gaining much over the past couple of wks. My training hasn't been as consistent as I would like lately, I live in the UK, and we are currently in lockdown so going to the gym isn't an option right now, and the weather conditions have been poor, snowy and icy, so that's stopped me heading to the park a few times. I'll be going out for a run tomorrow and will go a little slower for that one

 

[Sleepless Knight]

My training hasn't been as consistent as I would like lately, I live in the UK, and we are currently in lockdown so going to the gym isn't an option right now, and the weather conditions have been poor, snowy and icy, so that's stopped me heading to the park a few times. I'll be going out for a run tomorrow and will go a little slower for that one

The never ending lockdown has wreaked havoc with my normal schedule too. @DopeyBadger already gave you excellent advice on the pacing requirements, so I will share both my own experience with the sweep warnings, the balloon ladies, and my little sister's experience all during runDisney races in the U.S.

2011 Disneyland Half: I started in the very last corral. It was my first race, I had no idea about what proof of time can do and was just hoping to finish. I started off way too fast and nearly injured myself so I slowed way down to an acceptable pace and hoped it would be good enough. At mile 1, they told us we were one minute ahead of the balloon ladies. That would be the last time I would hear about my pace and I finished in 3:05.

2017 Star Wars The Dark Side 10K at Walt Disney World: I started from the last corral because runDisney chose a much larger pace groping than usual. Months before I was in the second to last corral with the identical proof of time at the Star Wars The Light Side 10K at Disneyland. When I came to the Emperor's Throne from Return of the Jedi photo op, I decided to get in line. When I was about 3rd in line, race officials came up and told us that the balloon ladies were 5 minutes behind us and when they got to the line, we could either join the balloon ladies and keep up with them or stay in the line for the photo and be swept. I knew that I was fast enough to keep up with the balloon ladies if necessary and since I was close enough to my turn, I opted to stay in line. After rejoining the race a few minutes later I saw the buses pull up and form a V shape with people behind the buses who had now been swept. I finished behind one of the balloon ladies, but was not worried because we were already near the finish line and knew exactly how the sweep worked.

The next day during the Dark Side Half Marathon, I was in line for a photo and told that the balloon ladies were 15 minutes behind and I was in a roughly 8 minute line. Once again because I had consistently been maintaining 15 minutes per mile pace in training, I stayed in line. I stopped for some other photos and never heard about where I was in relation to the balloon ladies again.

My little sister wound with less than ideal training for the 2020 Walt Disney World Marathon due to nagging ankle issues. She chose to participate in the race anyway because she had paid the money to register, see what happens, and accept whatever happened. She had a proof of time from the 2019 Walt Disney World Marathon that placed her in a corral better than mine because she's faster than me. I as in the first corral that did not require proof of time because I'm not very fast, but fast enough to absorb some character stops if I want to. She heard multiple warnings from race officials that she was 20 or 30 seconds ahead of the balloon ladies and pushed herself to keep on pace. She was able to finish the race because the time cushion from having earned an earlier corral allowed her to go slow until she had to push it.

If you are at any kind of risk of being swept in runDisney U.S. races, they will tell you it is coming and give you opportunity to maintain the pace. They have not, to the best of my knowledge, ever suddenly come up to a runner or group of runners and immediately swept them. They will give you warning if you are close. And if you are not close to being swept, you will not hear any warning because you are just fine.