WDW Marathon now part of Runners World Challenge

[dreamfinder]

RunDisney announced that Marathon weekend is now part of the Runners World Challenge. I don't see any real perks from registering that you wouldn't be able to get yourself. And it seems pricey. I don't think there are many of us that haven't already registered. And those who are on the fence, not sure if it will sway you in either direction. I do wonder what this will do for Galloway, since he already provides them with a training plan.

Sign up for the Runner's World Challenge at the Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna and you will receive:

• Entry to the 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World® Marathon, Half Marathon, or Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge with preferred corral placement *
• A 16-week training plan designed by Runner's World Chief Running Officer Bart Yasso, who has coached hundreds of elites, celebs, and everyday runners (celebrity/VIP appearances subject to change or cancellation without notice)**
• Weekly e-mails from Bart with guidance on training, nutrition, injury prevention, and motivation
• One year of access to the Runner's World Challenge experts on nutrition, training, and injury-prevention
• Access to a private Runner's World Challenge web site, where you connect with other runners training for the race
• A copy of The Runner's Rule Book, Going Long, or The Runner's World Guide to Road Racing (your choice)**
• A Runner's World Challenge tech shirt**
• A four-month premium membership to Runner's World Personal Trainer, our interactive training log

*Registration subject to availability. Dates, times, and prices subject to change. All races and corral placement are subject to eligibility requirements and capacity limits. Registration fees are nonrefundable. Runners who've already purchased entry to the Marathon, Half Marathon or Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge will have their registration fee refunded if they purchase a Runner's World Challenge package.
**Runner’s World Challenge membership is subject to the Runner’s World Challenge Terms and Conditions at http://profile.rodale.com/uof/rw/challenge/terms.html, and is nonrefundable. Runner's World reserves the right to substitute a product of equal or greater value. Please allow four to eight weeks for delivery of the tech shirt.
Your VIP package will also include:

• Three (3) night consecutive stay in a double-occupancy (standard) room at Disney's Yacht Club Resort or Disney's Beach Club Resort, subject to availability with check-in on January 11, 2013 and check-out on January 14, 2013. (Check-in time is usually between 3 and 4 p.m., and check-out time usually between 11 a.m. and 12 Noon.
• Private packet pick-up and hospitality suite at a location in the Walt Disney World® Resort (to be determined)
• Commemorative 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend keepsake gift
• Pre-race course strategy session with the Runner's World experts and editors (on the afternoon of January 11, 2013 for the Half Marathon/Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge runners, or on January 12, 2013 for the Marathon/Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge runners)
• Entry to the Pasta in the Park Party on Saturday night at Epcot® where the Runner's World VIPs & editors will be in attendance (party includes buffet pasta dinner, live DJ, Disney characters and viewing of the fireworks spectacular Illuminations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot®)
• Private group motorcoach or similar transportation to and from the start and finish lines from the hotel (exact type and schedule of such transportation to be determined by Disney)
• Entry to the Race Retreat
  • Pre-race amenities include hot and cold beverages with fruit and bagels, dedicated stretching area, and private portalets & bag check
  • Post-race amenities include a nutritious buffet, massage, private portalet & bag pick up, and live results
• Post-race celebration on Sunday night at the Cool Down at Downtown Disney Area
• Packages start at $1,649.00 for the Marathon and Half Marathon while packages start at $1,899.00 for Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge†

A limited number of packages are available for this exclusive VIP experience!
To book your Runner's World Challenge package for the 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend, call 407-939-7781.

Edit: Missed that you don't have to go to the Expo for the pickup. Some may see that as a perk. Seems kinda counter intuitive, since lots of runners like the experience and the shopping.

 

[Ariel484]

Okay, let's see...

Sign up for the Runner's World Challenge at the Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna and you will receive:

• Entry to the 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World® Marathon, Half Marathon, or Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge with preferred corral placement *
• A 16-week training plan designed by Runner's World Chief Running Officer Bart Yasso, who has coached hundreds of elites, celebs, and everyday runners (celebrity/VIP appearances subject to change or cancellation without notice)**
• Weekly e-mails from Bart with guidance on training, nutrition, injury prevention, and motivation
• One year of access to the Runner's World Challenge experts on nutrition, training, and injury-prevention
• Access to a private Runner's World Challenge web site, where you connect with other runners training for the race
• A copy of The Runner's Rule Book, Going Long, or The Runner's World Guide to Road Racing (your choice)**
• A Runner's World Challenge tech shirt**
• A four-month premium membership to Runner's World Personal Trainer, our interactive training log

*Registration subject to availability. Dates, times, and prices subject to change. All races and corral placement are subject to eligibility requirements and capacity limits. Registration fees are nonrefundable. Runners who've already purchased entry to the Marathon, Half Marathon or Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge will have their registration fee refunded if they purchase a Runner's World Challenge package.
**Runner’s World Challenge membership is subject to the Runner’s World Challenge Terms and Conditions athttp://profile.rodale.com/uof/rw/challenge/terms.html, and is nonrefundable. Runner's World reserves the right to substitute a product of equal or greater value. Please allow four to eight weeks for delivery of the tech shirt.

On the Runner's World website they charge $69 for the half marathon challenge and $99 for the full marathon challenge for other races, so I guess that is about what the above portion is worth...

Your VIP package will also include:

• Three (3) night consecutive stay in a double-occupancy (standard) room at Disney's Yacht Club Resort orDisney's Beach Club Resort, subject to availability with check-in on January 11, 2013 and check-out on January 14, 2013. (Check-in time is usually between 3 and 4 p.m., and check-out time usually between 11 a.m. and 12 Noon.
• Private packet pick-up and hospitality suite at a location in the Walt Disney World® Resort (to be determined)
• Commemorative 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend keepsake gift
• Pre-race course strategy session with the Runner's World experts and editors (on the afternoon of January 11, 2013 for the Half Marathon/Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge runners, or on January 12, 2013 for the Marathon/Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge runners)
• Entry to the Pasta in the Park Party on Saturday night at Epcot® where the Runner's World VIPs & editors will be in attendance (party includes buffet pasta dinner, live DJ, Disney characters and viewing of the fireworks spectacular Illuminations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot®)
• Private group motorcoach or similar transportation to and from the start and finish lines from the hotel (exact type and schedule of such transportation to be determined by Disney)
• Entry to the Race Retreat
  • Pre-race amenities include hot and cold beverages with fruit and bagels, dedicated stretching area, and private portalets & bag check
  • Post-race amenities include a nutritious buffet, massage, private portalet & bag pick up, and live results
• Post-race celebration on Sunday night at the Cool Down at Downtown Disney Area
• Packages start at $1,649.00 for the Marathon and Half Marathon while packages start at $1,899.00 for Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge†

A limited number of packages are available for this exclusive VIP experience!
To book your Runner's World Challenge package for the 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend, call 407-939-7781.

Pasta in the Park = $47.50
Race Retreat = $110 for half/full marathon, $190 for Goofy
+ registration costs (I guess it says they'll refund the cost if you already signed up)

I guess the real perks I see are "preferred corral placement," whatever is going on with packet pick-up (though, as dreamfinder says above, some people like going to the expo...I am one of them! ), the keepsake gift and transportation to the race. The strategy session doesn't really do it for me.

I have mild interest in this but I know I won't sign up. I don't want to pay for stuff I wouldn't have purchased otherwise (specifically the pasta party and race retreat). Having a Goofy training plan made for me does sound enticing, but I feel like we've heard lots of great tips from members here and around the internet, so I'm not sure that's needed either. Plus - and this is the biggest detractor for me, besides not wanting the retreat and pasta party - I'm banking on a AP room discount for that weekend, and my VERY rough estimate is that with the above package you're paying $380-$400 per night for the room at Yacht/Beach. Hopefully better discounts will be released.

Great point about how this relates to Galloway. I know he works with Runner's World, but his training plans are much different than the ones Runner's World will provide (I'm basing this purely off of their SmartCoach plans and the description of the plans they sell on their website).

 

[wdwmagic]

Is anyone doing this?

 

[JillC LI]

Oops, I just posted a link about this under the Marathon Weekend thread before seeing this one. Sorry.

 

[dreamfinder]

I guess the real perks I see are "preferred corral placement," whatever is going on with packet pick-up (though, as dreamfinder says above, some people like going to the expo...I am one of them! ), the keepsake gift and transportation to the race. The strategy session doesn't really do it for me.

I do wonder how the "preferred coral placement" will work. As they still say that you need to meet eligibility requirements and capacity limits. I know that I would be pretty peeved if I was trying to hit a certain goal, and then 1/2 mile in I ran up to a pack of runners who got "preferred placement" that now need to be run around. It happens anyways, but the corrals are supposed to help place people to minimize it.

And re-reading it, it says double-occupancy. So they plan on sticking another runner in the same room as you? It's hard to tell, but normally when they a tour/package says double-occupancy, they want to have 2 in the room, or they will charge you more for the single.

$99+$47.50+$190+$380=$716.50 For the cost of the things with a predefined price for Goofy. So $1183 for the room. Which is $395 per night (pretty much dead on Ariel484). If you have your own hotel room to yourself, not bad at all since I'm not getting anything below Lagoon/Pool view for either Beach/Yacht at that time. (DVC Villa studios are actually coming back cheaper) So $556 per night (tax included) for the only available rooms. Maybe they already reserved a block which is why nothing is coming up? But thats a good deal for what is available. But if they are going to go double-occupancy and stick a stranger in your room, then not so good. Not to mention you really can't use the room for your family at that point. And don't you need a park ticket for the pasta in the park?

I guess it makes sense for a first time marathon runner who doesn't really know WDW like we do. And I wager that most of their registrants will come from Runner's World magazine/website and not so much RunDisney links.

 

[Ariel484]

I do wonder how the "preferred coral placement" will work. As they still say that you need to meet eligibility requirements and capacity limits. I know that I would be pretty peeved if I was trying to hit a certain goal, and then 1/2 mile in I ran up to a pack of runners who got "preferred placement" that now need to be run around. It happens anyways, but the corrals are supposed to help place people to minimize it.

I was thinking the same thing. I definitely don't run Disney races for time, but most people do...it would really stink to submit a time and then get held back.

And re-reading it, it says double-occupancy. So they plan on sticking another runner in the same room as you? It's hard to tell, but normally when they a tour/package says double-occupancy, they want to have 2 in the room, or they will charge you more for the single.

Hmm...didn't notice that!

And don't you need a park ticket for the pasta in the park?

Good point...

Tickets are not interchangeable by day; date purchased to attend must be date ticket is redeemed. Entry intoEpcot® before 6:30 p.m. will require a Theme Park ticket. The above menu is subject to change without notice. All prices are listed before tax. All the above is subject to availability.

I guess it makes sense for a first time marathon runner who doesn't really know WDW like we do. And I wager that most of their registrants will come from Runner's World magazine/website and not so much RunDisney links.

I guess so...I'm just curious to know what kind of training plans they actually have. I sort of thought that the point of having Galloway make training plans for Disney was to help out the first-timers, and I have a feeling that anything Runner's World provides will be more challenging. I'm basing this purely off of having looked at their SmartCoach plans and at samples of the plans they currently sell on their website.