As the unofficial RunDisney race "season" gets ready to kick off with the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend this September, I thought I'd share some tips for registering for your next event, as well as few things to consider. While the demand to get into one of RunDisney's race events is quite high, there's no need to stress! So take a deep breath, reset your Garmin, and check out my top tips for making registration day a breeze! *Study the event calendar RunDisney's annual events typically take place on the same weekends every year, and registration is now happening earlier than ever before. I'm not talking a few weeks before an event, but nearly ONE YEAR ahead of the race weekend. For example, February 2018's sold-out Princess Half Marathon Weekend opened up for registration to the general public on May 2nd - That's over 9 months prior to the event. And the 25th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend coming up in January 2018 opened on February 14th, almost 11 months prior to the event. So the moral of the story here is you have to plan ahead for the race you want to run; you won't be able to get a bib for (most) RunDisney races past registration opening, so know when your event goes on sale. RunDisney released their event calendar for the following season at the end of November last year. So keep your eyes peeled around the same time this year for the 2018-2019 race dates! *Sign up for RunDisney emails On the RunDisney website, you can sign up for email updates and additional event information (if you're a resident of the United States or Canada). This allows you to get alerts delivered right to your inbox on registration dates, race updates, and more. Keep in mind though that if you're signed up for other Disney email lists (Parks and Resorts, Consumer Products, etc.), unsubscribing from one might get you unsubscribed from the RunDisney list as well. So it doesn't hurt to confirm your subscription on the RunDisney website every so often. *Like RunDisney on Facebook Don't want additional emails in your inbox? Then check out the official RunDisney Facebook page and hit the 'Like' button to follow. RunDisney frequently posts to their page, and they'll include direct links to register for races on the day they open, right at opening time. In addition to that direct registration link perk, they'll often reveal their medal designs and merchandise sneak peeks on Facebook as well (in conjunction with a feature on the Disney Parks Blog). Another note of caution, though - They don't directly reply to questions or comments on the page, so it's best to email or call RunDisney directly if you ever have a problem or need to confirm something with them. *Create an Active.com account NOW In the last year or so, RunDisney has used Active and their registration software to power their event registrations. I've found it helpful to use my existing Active.com account with signing up for races, and especially helpful with already being logged in the morning registration opens up. You can save personal information and credit card numbers to easily fill in the bulk of the fields RunDisney requires at registration, and also keep track of current and past registrations all in one place. When I signed up for the 2018 full marathon at Walt Disney World, the entire process took me all of 10 minutes at the most! *Mark and clear your calendar for registration day As far as I've experienced, RunDisney event registrations open at 12 PM EST/9 AM PST (but again, check the event calendar!). If you work a daytime job like me, this means having to set aside some time to make sure you're ready the moment registration opens up. It's a bit easier if you're on the east coast as this time falls during the typical lunch hour, but I like to block off a little 15 minute window on my calendar to make sure I have the time reserved. You'll want to be online and ready as soon as registration opens! *Have your Proof of Time ready on registration day If you want a higher corral placement on race day, you'll want to submit what's known as a Proof of Time with your registration. This is isn't your estimated finish time, but rather results from a certified race you've ran within the past two years. If you don't submit a Proof of Time, you run the risk of being placed in a corral closer to the back (which is fine, but there will be more walkers/slower runners to dodge if you're speedy). You can submit this proof after registration, but I recommend having it ready when you sign up so you don't forget. All about peace of mind here, with one less thing to worry about as you train for your race. *Check the Annual Passholder offers page Are you an Annual Passholder at Disneyland or Walt Disney World? Passholders get perks throughout the year including discounts and special offers, and oftentimes that includes early registration for RunDisney events! This early registration usually happens a week to 10 days ahead of general registration day, so you could get to sign up without (as much) pressure. Don't worry if you're not a Passholder though, races won't sell out before general registration day - RunDisney just reserves a specific amount of early registrations open to Passholders. *Consider pre-ordering merchandise On registration day not only can you sign up for races, but you can also pre-purchase commemorative merchandise for pickup at the Expo. This includes performance jackets, water bottles/tumblers, pins, and more. While this isn't necessarily a tip for registration day per se, I would recommend doing this if you want to go into your race weekend with souvenirs guaranteed. The race expos can get a bit cutthroat when it comes to merchandise, so this allows you to bypass a little of that. As an additional tip, I also recommend sizing up if you go for the performance jacket - I think they've been kinda small recently! While registering for a RunDisney event might sound just as daunting as running the race itself, don't worry! Just take some time to prep and make yourself ready for registration day, and be sure to check out RunDisney.com for more, official info. And if you ever have a question about registration or event details, it's best to call RunDisney directly as compared to waiting for an email or social media response (or listening to social commentary from the crowd that's all speculation).Hope to see you at a future RunDisney event! Until the next post, see ya real soon!
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About MeA twenty-something alumni of the Disney College Program looking to help others plan the Disney vacations of their dreams! Living that Disneyland AP dream in SoCal. Archives
February 2018
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