If you have seen my The Dark Side Half Marathon 2018 article, you know that as a first time runner, I recently participated in a runDisney event. I learned a lot about the in/outs of how these events work, although I am sure that I don’t know everything, but I wanted to share what I did learn about the registration process.
Register Early
You may think that I am kidding, but you MUST register early for these runDisney events. We just finished running in the The Dark Side Half Marathon 2018 (it’s April) and wanted to register for another event in the fall, but the Wine and Dine Half Marathon in November is already SOLD OUT (that is 7 months in advance). The only registrations available at the time of this article are the challenge (10K and Half Marathon) which is not a good option for first time runners. Although there is nothing like being at Disney for a run, check out my runDisney – Virtual Runs article for a good alternative to get started when registration is full.
Active.com
The registration process is easy and administered by the Active.com website. If you haven’t checked out Active.com, you should read my article Active.com – Not Just for runDisney Events. A couple of items to keep in mind:
- Each Adult has to register themselves. For a family of five with one child over the age of 18, this meant creating 3 different accounts with three different emails. Although I understand the reasoning for this requirement, the need for a family account is warranted. There might already be one, but it wasn’t apartment when I registered.
- Get the extras for at least one of the runners. I ended up ordering the magnet and 2 pin set at time of registration. This really help later at the expo. We were able to pick up pre-purchased items and go, avoiding the long checkout lines.
- During registration, you will be asked how long it takes you to run a mile. I was optimistic given my plan to work out, read about what actually happen in my article The Dark Side Half Marathon 2018 article, yet when I put in the times for the rest of my family I put 16 minutes. This gave us a dilemma latter when we were put into corrals, so just choose the same time for all of your family.
Pre-Race Waivers
About a week or two before the race you are going to get an email explaining the race, providing a guide, event details and race waivers. Print and sign those waivers BEFORE you go. Although they do a great job and providing the ability print the waivers at the venue, the lines can get long and it takes extra time. We walked right past those lines and into the race bib pickup area.
That is about all it takes to get started. The good part about registration being so far out into the future, it will certainly give you time to get prepared.
If you want more information about what to expect when you get to Disney for the pre-race, make sure to see my runDisney – First Time Participant Pre-Race article.
Have you participated in a runDisney event, or are you a runDisney guru? Please share your experiences or insights in the comments below.
