Ready to Run, Part 2: Signing Up For RunDisney’s Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend

in Disney, Entertainment, Theme Parks

Great, you read part 1 of this series and decided you want to run. Now what? Registration for the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend will open on April 17th with early registration available to AP Holders and DVC Members on April 10th.  All races open for registration at noon, EST, on Active.com.  If you do not have an Active.com account already, I do recommend setting one up in advance, so you are ready to go on on registration day!

I also recommend if you are traveling in a group (i.e. a husband and wife) that each person is set up with their own account, and is prepared to register separately, if at all possible.  If your child is too young to register for his or herself, obviously, go ahead and add them to your account.  In the event of a fast sellout, it does make things go a bit smoother to have each person in front of a separate computer, but it is not an iron clad necessity.

Although I cannot predict how fast each race will sell out, historically the 5K and 10K races have sold out the fastest since they are smaller races, and a percentage of the field is reserved for Dopey Challenge participants. In some years, the half marathon and Dopey Challenge have sold out quickly too, and some years they have not. Regardless, if you know you want to run, be prepared to register right at noon on registration day and you should be able to run the races you would like to. I have never been unable to register for a Disney race that I wanted to (knock on wood!) when I was in front of the computer right at noon, including the 2015 Dumbo Double Dare, which sold out in minutes!

However, if you decide you want to run and the race you want does sell out, have no fear! Run Disney Travel Agents often have vacation packages you can purchase to secure your bib. . You can get started with them here.

You can also consider running for charity, and put your run to a good cause. Be sure to check rundisney.com for a full list of charities.

Proof Of Time

An often talked about component of any Run Disney weekend is the proof of time requirement at registration. If you are registering for the 5K or 10K – there is no need to submit a proof of time. Simply select your estimated pace at registration, and you are good to go.

However, for the half marathon and full marathon, you will need to submit a proof of time if you are planning on running the race at a certain pace to be placed in the proper start corral.  For the half marathon, you will need to send in a prior 10K, 12K, 15K or half marathon race result that proves you are capable of running the race faster than 2:45.  For the marathon, you will need to send in a prior 10 miler, half marathon, or full marathon result that shows you can finish the race faster than 5:30.

Please note that Disney uses a weighted formula to estimate your pace.  For example, if you send in a 10K result at a 9:00 minute per mile pace, Disney will not translate that to a sub 2 hour half marathon.  A good estimate of pace conversion is the McMillan Running Formula.  Goofy and Dopey runners will be corralled using their full marathon predicted time.

If you have a proof of time that you are able to submit at registration time, I would recommend having the information ready to go so you can quickly add it in at registration time.  If you do improve your time as the year goes on, you can always go back and edit it as needed.  At least if you have something in the system, it will be there in case you do not have a chance to go back to edit it before the deadline.  If you do not have a proof of time available, you can go ahead and leave it blank until you have one – just do not forget to go ahead and submit it before the deadline!

All proof of times MUST be submitted by October 9, 2018.  It happens every year – do NOT be the one who forgets to submit their time before the deadline. Disney will NOT change corrals at the expo unless it is their mistake.  Because I am extra cautious, I always check my registration the day before the deadline (set a reminder on your calendar for October 8th!) and screenshot the registration just in case I have any issues.

Don’t have a proof of time to submit from a prior race? Are your prior race results not fast enough? Do not panic! Just simply select the race time you think matches up to the best of your ability at registration, and you will be good to go for race day.  The pacing requirements do not start until the last runner crosses the start line, so as long as you trained to finish the race at a 16mm, you will have absolutely no problem finishing the race no matter what corral you are placed in.

In fact, I have heard of some runners starting in the last corral because they had forgotten to submit a time and still produce some very speedy times! The corral system is designed to place runners of similar ability together so the race start is as smooth and as clear as possible – but it is not an end all be all.  Trust in in your training, and you will be fine! I promise.

What I do not recommend doing is sending a proof of time for a race result that does not predict a sub 2:45 or 5:30 finish time.  Disney will ignore your proof of time, and put you towards the back.  For example, a runner at last year’s marathon registration submitted a 10 mile race result that predicted a 5:31 finish.  Instead of selecting a 5:30 finish time, she selected sub 5:30 and submitted her proof of time that barely missed the cut off. Instead of being placed in the 5:30 corral, she was in 5:31-6 hour corral.

All signed up and ready to go? Check back for part 3 for some training and race-cation planning tips!

in Disney, Entertainment, Theme Parks

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