The Spirited Seventh Heaven ...

[sshindel]

Thats good to know. Are the "official" viewing spots worth the money they charge?

I guess that depends on each person's definition of "worth". Me, I'd never pay for something I could do for free a not far away. Still, there may be people that really want to see someone crossing the finish line, and maybe to them it's worth the money.

 

[flynnibus]

Need to try Priceline every once in a while.

I'm seasoned with both Priceline and Hotwire... but they have limitations.

1 - when talking about business travel, I can't use them
2 - when traveling in a party that has certain bedding requirements, it's risky and you can't guarantee your bedding typically.

When I'm traveling alone and want cheap...or its just part of the family.. I use 'em. Otherwise, you pay for piece of mind.

 

[Goofyernmost]

There are local level races all over the place and aren't fleecing you like a Disney race does. It's clear you've clueless in this and just want to advocate for something without any knowledge of the situation... or apparently any clue what motivates recreational runners. It's not about competing like world class runners and you've no idea what burdens this mash up causes.

And you have no idea of how positive an experience for those that don't ever get to play in that arena. If it's a burden then perhaps the ones that find it a burden should skip it or accept that this is Disney and their job is to make unhappy people happy.

I may be clueless and on top of that totally, without a doubt, completely uninterested in what motivates the recreational runners. I am also clueless as to why they might think that every event that involves the word "run" means it is exclusively for them.

I personally share pretty much the same opinion of those that obsess about running as they do about the alleged couch potatoes that they are presently trying to prove they are not a part of. If running means that we lose all our caring and need to about people that are making an effort to pull themselves out of that, sure makes me glad that I am not a runner.

As an added reminder. Disney does categorize all the runners based on their ability. Those serious runners that you are so worried about, start out ahead of the slow ones, for the most part, and are never really in contact with them at all.

 

[crispy]

Chiming in on RunDisney - I did the Princess Half last year. I am someone who has lost over 100 pounds and am now trying to do one half every year to stay in shape and for fun. I am not an expert by any means (I have completed 3 half marathons total and a few 5Ks, and I walk as much as I run). One thing I noticed is that many of the runners were ill-prepared and seemed to spend more time on their costume than training. I get that this is a fun race, but attempting to do a half without properly training is dangerous. I don't think this is limited to Disney, though, because I have seen the same thing as the two other races I've done, but I do think there seemed to be more people who weren't prepared.

That brings me to another point - those who have never raced before didn't seem to have a clue about good race etiquette. It was drilled into my by my informal coach how to conduct myself properly on the course so as to not impede other runners. This means starting in the proper corral, being aware of other racers and their movements so as to not impede their race, and not blocking the course in any way. This was very frustrating for me as I was constantly dodging people, and trust me when I say I am pretty slow.

I think requiring a time from a previous race would be a good first step. I think the races can work if people are courteous on the course and give a realistic finishing time so they can be put in the proper corral. I know I was waaayyy in the back, yet I passed many racers who started in much lower corrals.

 

[Bolna]

That brings me to another point - those who have never raced before didn't seem to have a clue about good race etiquette. It was drilled into my by my informal coach how to conduct yourself properly on the course so as to not impede other runners. This means starting in the proper corral, being aware of other racers and their movements so as to not impede their race, and not blocking the course in any way. This was very frustrating for me as I was constantly dodging people, and trust me when I say I am pretty slow.

You'd think that what you call good race etiquette is actually just good common sense!! If people would think more about the world around them, it would often help a lot!

I sometimes wonder if Disney would reduce the pacing requirement if it would not help? Let people walk with a 18 minute/mile pace. That would alleviate the need of lying about your finish time to avoid sweeping by a better coral placement. But I guess it would only attract a new crowd of even slower people...

 

[flynnibus]

As an added reminder. Disney does categorize all the runners based on their ability. Those serious runners that you are so worried about, start out ahead of the slow ones, for the most part, and are never really in contact with them at all.

Again.. clueless about reality in these things.

That's what corals are for - but Disney has been bad at managing them and getting runners in the right ones. Go learn how Disney 'categories' all it's runners and validates that input and come back to us.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I hope its true!

It's 100% true and ends in January.

 

[flynnibus]

You'd think that what you call good race etiquette is actually just good common sense!! If people would think more about the world around them, it would often help a lot!

I sometimes wonder if Disney would reduce the pacing requirement if it would not help? Let people walk with a 18 minute/mile pace. That would alleviate the need of lying about your finish time to avoid sweeping by a better coral placement. But I guess it would only attract a new crowd of even slower people...

Or do the opposite... have stricter time requirements and more aggressive sweeping. Stop giving out finisher medals to non-finishers.. Doing so will weed out the fakers. Then offer a race catered to the 'I want to finish my first race..' crowd.

Require validated seed times or you get placed in the back corrals.

It's not rocket science.. its what races do. But Disney is more interested in collecting the registration fees from a wider audience... the more the merrier!!

 

[alissafalco]

They should introduce "walkdisney" weekends. For all of those who cant run (sarcasm)

 

[Mike S]

They should introduce "walkdisney" weekends. For all of those who cant run (sarcasm)

MotorizedscooterDisney

 

[mahnamahna101]

MotorizedscooterDisney

The new Wall-E E ticket to anchor Tomorrowland!

 

[Goofyernmost]

Again.. clueless about reality in these things.

That's what corals are for - but Disney has been bad at managing them and getting runners in the right ones. Go learn how Disney 'categories' all it's runners and validates that input and come back to us.

It doesn't matter. I believe that Disney has proven that this event isn't to be taken seriously or as seriously as runners think it should be. It's a Disney Run, not to be confused with an official run. It is what it is. And it should remain that way. Even if some don't understand the good it does, it is doing good and that is what is important.

 

[alissafalco]

funny but iv'e seen non runners sprint at rope drop

Seriously, they should have Anna & Elsa at the finish line, then they would run.

 

[Bolna]

Seriously, they should have Anna & Elsa at the finish line, then they would run.

No, they would only run half the race, the second half of the distance would be the line for the photo-op with your bling and Anna & Elsa!

 

[Shane7694]

Is the OP sure about that Heat 3 peat??

 

[sshindel]

It doesn't matter. I believe that Disney has proven that this event isn't to be taken seriously or as seriously as runners think it should be. It's a Disney Run, not to be confused with an official run. It is what it is. And it should remain that way. Even if some don't understand the good it does, it is doing good and that is what is important.

You are confusing "fun" with "not serious". There are many, many people there that consider it a serious race. Disney does TONS to ensure people looking to run the race in a serious fashion can do so. Just because people dress up in costume doesn't mean that it's a throwaway race. The Disney World and Disneyland marathons are accepted as qualifying races for the Boston Marathon. That's serious.
As stated many, many times. They go to lengths to ensure people can run at their own pace. It's just not quite yet great. I'm using my W&D 1/2 marathon time as my corral submission for the ToT 10 miler this year. I hope to run faster than that pace by quite a bit, and if I get there, I'll ensure I have a proper qualifying race to move me up to another corral. Too many people looking to run slower times are in corrals up front. If they submitted a time that they had no intention of running, I don't know what Disney could do about that really. If Disney is not quite rigorous about checking the validity of submitted times, that's something completely different.
If this were a race that were something I didn't take as a serious race, I wouldn't pay the price I will be paying to go down and run it. Just because it happens to be a hell of a lot of fun doesn't diminish it's seriousness.

 

[Smiddimizer]

I think you're right, but why is that? Not being snarky, or looking for snark--genuinely curious why this brand and not others.

It's the Disney lifestyle. A friend of mine calls herself a "Disney" fan. No other media company prompts that kind of top-down devotion. In saying that, she's a fan of everything "Disney", whether she means it or not. The films, the theme parks, television, all of it...and she's definitely not a shareholder. In that vein, all of their off-shoots and subsidiaries are under the same umbrella- you like one, you like 'em all, if you call yourself a DisneyNut. That's part of what's happening with Marvel -why we're talking about it on Disney forum spaces. That and the fact they've launched their most exciting film franchise yet coincidentally with the Walt Disney Studios merger.

Take UNIFanboys. They're really just Universal theme park fanboys, not Universal Pictures fans--or to really stretch to Disney's level, they don't call themselves Comcast fans. That just sounds insane.

Somebody likes Playstation. They don't necessarily "like" Sony.

Somebody likes Bugs Bunny, DC, Harry Potter. They don't say they're fans of "Time Warner Inc".

Somebody likes Frozen. They also like Mickey Mouse. It wouldn't be a stretch to assume they're fans of Disney Parks as well. They "like" Disney inc. 'Disney' is a brand. Comcast, Time Warner, News Corporation...are not.

In the same way, some are religiously opposed to anything Disney, but not other media groups.

It all stems from the influence Walt had on the entertainment industry, and even the name itself.

 

[Smiddimizer]

As for popularity.. imho.. you're wrong.
Marvel was starting to raise the bar with their movies.. Iron man for example, was out in 2008..
Marvel buyout rumors started by the start of 2009.. and completed in 2009.

Marvel simply started the movement.. Disney just jumped at the opportunity before it exploded and gave it even more momentum.

I think you misunderstood me somewhere, because you're exactly right.

 

[wdisney9000]

Seriously, they should have Anna & Elsa at the finish line, then they would run.

Brigante would win EVERY marathon

 

[crispy]

It doesn't matter. I believe that Disney has proven that this event isn't to be taken seriously or as seriously as runners think it should be. It's a Disney Run, not to be confused with an official run. It is what it is. And it should remain that way. Even if some don't understand the good it does, it is doing good and that is what is important.

I am in agreement with a lot of what you say, but I strongly disagree with this. I live in Nashville and have done the Country Music Half twice (brutal, brutal course), and there was a death a couple of years ago. All of the Rock-n-Roll Halfs like the Country Music are super fun events with concerts and live bands throughout the course, but that doesn't make them less serious. Doing a 13.1 mile race is serious even if it's a fun Disney race (I can't even comprehend how people do a full). It is very punishing to your body, and not properly preparing or think it's just "fun" can cause injury or even death. Around mile 10, it is common to see even seasoned runners dropping like flies.

Of course, it's not Disney's fault if someone doesn't train properly for the race, but they could have better protocols in place to insure that people who haven't trained aren't coddled. They need to be put in a proper corral, and they need to be swept if they can't finish, not given a medal. Giving everyone a medal whether they finish or not just makes more people who shouldn't be in the race sign-up. That's not to punish them, but to keep them and the other runners safe. Also, runners come in every shape and size so it's not a size bias. I am pretty slow (my best time is 3:08...lol!), but I don't overestimate my abilities and I follow good race etiquette so I know that my participation won't hinder other racers.

(Don't get me started on the bozo who decided to propose to his girlfriend right outside the Castle in the middle of the race effectively making hundreds of runners come to a virtual standstill. Rude, rude, rude.)