Hi Rebecca,
Welcome back to planDisney and thank you so much for asking me another great runDisney question!
I’m happy to hear that your plans to run during the
Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend is starting to take shape. But you’re right, there’s one big hurdle to overcome before you can truly start to finalize your plans: making it through runDisney registration day! You’ve heard correctly – runDisney races are incredibly popular and the shorter distances often sell out within minutes. Plus, now that we know that the
half marathon will be celebrating the Wonder of Encanto, I’m sure that this race weekend is going to be more popular than ever!
My tips for ensuring that you can register for this event: each of you should be at your computer or mobile device at least 15 minutes before registration begins. For this race, General registration will begin at 10 am EST on March 21, 2023. A few minutes before registration officially opens, you may see the green “Register Now” button appear below each race distance. One of you should click on that and go to the waiting room. The other one should be patient and wait until 10 am before clicking on it. Why? Guests who click on “Register Now” before 10 am are placed in a “waiting room” and will be randomly assigned a spot in the queue once registration officially opens. You may get a place further ahead in the queue if you have fast fingers and click on the link the moment the clock strikes 10.
Once you’re in the queue, the page will refresh automatically to tell you how long you have left before it’s your turn. (This is why I recommend having two devices going at once – one of you may get in faster and be able to register the other.) Once you hear those chimes that announce that your wait is over, you’ll be whisked off to the registration page. There, you’ll pick your races, fill out the forms for the distances you’ve chosen and, once you see the registration confirmation page, you’ll be off to the races… literally!
To make the process go more smoothly, even if you’re in the same room, it would be good to have the information that you’ll need to fill out the registration form ready to go on a separate sheet of paper beside you. This information includes: email address, shirt size (you can exchange it at the weekend’s race expo if you change your mind and would prefer another size, while supplies last), address, phone number, your emergency contact’s name and phone number and your estimated finish time for the distance and/or anticipated pace. You’ll also be asked whether you are
Disney Vacation Club members,
Annual Passholders, Cast Members and whether this is your first runDisney race. You’ll need to fill this information out for every race you enter, but only once if you’re doing the “Two Course Challenge”, which includes both the 10k and half marathon distances.
Finally, runDisney races tend to sell out from shortest to longest. That means that the 5k will likely sell out before the half marathon, so bear that in mind when you’re picking which races to register for first.
I hope my answer helps you celebrate two runDisney victories – registration and the finish line!! As always, please don’t hesitate to come back and see me if you have any other questions.
Have a Magical Day,
Lynne