Using race insurance

[lilouisianagal]

Has anybody had to use the race insurance that runDisney does? (I know they don't actually run it). How easy/hard is it? I got race insurance for the Goofy this year and it's looking like I won't be able to run it. I am breastfeeding and already have low supply and double long runs aren't helping. Just wondering how much of a headache this is going to be?

 

[cewait]

I guess I am not familiar with what you are asking about.

I am not aware of any race insurance offered to the runner. You sign up and then run the race. Some races offer a deferral; this race included, where the race director will allow you the runner to drop out before a specified date and then defer the entry fee to the following year. However, there is no refund. I will caveat this as I do not know if entries through travel operators are insurable (I believe that the travel and non-race costs are but not the race fee).

As information, the race director purchases insurance to protect himself and the organization in the event of an incident. But again, this is to protect the the race and its charities and not the runner.

If you are speaking of trip insurance for the room and possibly airfare, then it is too early for that to really be applied. You can easily get your deposit for the room back just by asking. Airfare is a different issue and unless I am mistaken, costs are nonrecoverable through insurance this far out.

I am not sure I really answered your question - hope this helps.

 

[paxsarah]

I know that Active has started offering race insurance for athletes; I purchased it for one of my triathlons that required 800 miles of travel that I registered for 7 months in advance. I don't remember seeing it offered when I registered for WDW Marathon Weekend or Princess, nor when I registered for an Ironman-branded race, so I suspect that individual race organizers can nix the option. Assuming that's what the OP was talking about.

 

[lilouisianagal]

The insurance offered through Active.com . I'm familiar with deferral process, as Goofy was deferred since I was preggo (I did the half instead).

 

[Sarah_Rose]

Here is an article that discusses Active.com's race insurance and the items it will not cover. http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2012/12/thoughts-on-active-coms-new-race-insurance-policy

Looking at that list, I am almost positive that they would not refund for the reasons that you state. It doesn't cover pregnancy or anything connected to pregnancy, and if not connected to that, it could be covered under a "pre existing condition". The race insurance seems to be geared toward an athlete developing a catastrophic injury, with no other reasons allowed.

And I know you didn't ask for advice on breastfeeding, but I'm just going to put this here. http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/mom-exercise/. Studies show that exercise does not affect supply as long as you adequately hydrate and are eating an extra 300-500 calories a day. Of course, I don't know all your details so take my unsolicited advice for what it's worth.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Here is an article that discusses Active.com's race insurance and the items it will not cover. http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2012/12/thoughts-on-active-coms-new-race-insurance-policy.licy

Looking at that list, I am almost positive that they would not refund for the reasons that you state. It doesn't cover pregnancy or anything connected to pregnancy, and if not connected to that, it could be covered under a "pre existing condition". The race insurance seems to be geared toward an athlete developing a catastrophic injury, with no other reasons allowed.

And I know you didn't ask for advice on breastfeeding, but I'm just going to put this here. http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/mom-exercise/. Studies show that exercise does not affect supply as long as you adequately hydrate and are eating an extra 300-500 calories a day. Of course, I don't know all your details so take my unsolicited advice for what it's worth.

The policy linked seems to waive the pre-existing coverage exclusion if you bought the policy within 14 days of the race ticket, insured the full cost of the ticket and could have run the race on the day you bought the ticket.

"Unforeseen complications of pregnancy" are not excluded unless as a pre-existing condition.

You will need a physician to examine you and advise that you have a illness, injury or condition which means you cannot attend the race. -- Suzanne

 

[Sarah_Rose]

The policy linked seems to waive the pre-existing coverage exclusion if you bought the policy within 14 days of the race ticket, insured the full cost of the ticket and could have run the race on the day you bought the ticket.

"Unforeseen complications of pregnancy" are not excluded unless as a pre-existing condition.

You will need a physician to examine you and advise that you have a illness, injury or condition which means you cannot attend the race. -- Suzanne

I looked through the policy again and didn't see the 14 days clause, but I'll be honest that it all looks like jibberish to me.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

I looked through the policy again and didn't see the 14 days clause, but I'll be honest that it all looks like jibberish to me.

On the .pdf from DC Rainmaker's site, the coverage for pre-existing coverage are on page 4, under part IV of the Certificate of Insurance. The .pdf is here: https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/documents/library/certs/ETRP_105_01_C.pdf

Of course, the policy you purchased may not be the same as the one DC Rainmaker purchased. -- Suzanne

 

[lilouisianagal]

Guess it's too new for many people to have used it. I think the impact on my low supply would count since it was unforeseen (you can usually run without problems while BF), though I'm planning on waiting until closer to see for sure.

Sarah_Rose, I have a condition called IGT (http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/insufficient-glandular-tissue/) which I didn't learn about until my milk failed to come in on time/fully, so every little thing that could hurt my supply, does.

 

[cewait]

Learned something new here. For what Active charges for simply pushing electrons down the line, they should offer insurance for free or a very simple policy.

Good luck

 

[minniebeth]

I may be recalling this incorrectly, but I somehow remember being offered travel insurance for our room/ticket package that we booked through runDisney for the ToT event last year. I remember the agent saying it would cover the cost of the event if we were not able to attend/run/participate. I didn't pay attention and declined the insurance.
This would be completely different from the insurance all the pps are mentioning, but it's worth looking into if you booked a package with the runDisney travel.

I wish they would offer some type of insurance for races. I've personally learned it's not all that easy to simply defer a race. There's a lot more to it and runDisney is making the restrictions tighter as the races become more popular (a runDisney agent told me that!) You don't think that you would need something like insurance, and for most races I would pass, but when investing in something like Dumbo Double Dare (which I did) and now Dopey, you start talking serious money. I've learned a lot in trying to defer. Start reading the fine print, and it's not so pixie dust-ish.

Best wishes OP in trying to figure out a plan for your event!