We have registered for our second runDisney event! After years of following runDisney groups online and now completing the registration process twice, I have noticed that people have a lot of the same questions, issues and concerns that we had. I hope this runDisney-Registration and Race Guide will help answer those questions and make the process easier for you. As with all things Disney, good planning and preparation are necessary. They are the key to having a successful experience.
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Our runDisney Journey
Here is a little background on our runDisney experience. About 3 years ago I reached the age that I realized life was going by fast and we never know how many more days we will get to live this life so it was time to get a little more intentional about living. One of the things on the top of my bucket list was doing a runDisney race. So, I convinced my husband that training for and completing a race together would be a great bonding experience for us. Foolishly, he agreed. We went to the runDisney site to register for the 2019 Wine and Dine 10K and it was sold out. The only event that was still available was the Wine and Dine Challenge. The challenge is running a 10K on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday. At that point, we had mentally committed ourselves to do a race so we took on the challenge, literally!
We ended up loving this experience. Training with your spouse adds a whole new level to the challenges and rewards of race training. We probably would have gone back in 2020 to run Wine and Dine again but, you know, COVID. Now it has been 2 1/2 years since our last runDisney races and we are ready to do it again! We will be running the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-miler at the inaugural runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend. This used to be the Star Wars Rival Run Weekend.
That’s how we started on this runDisney journey. Are you considering registering for a runDisney race? Not sure how to get registered or what your race options are? What happens once you are registered? I am going to walk you step by step through this whole process and get all of your runDisney questons answered.
runDisney 2022-2023 Schedule
- Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend – Nov. 3-6, 2022
- Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend – Jan. 4-8, 2023
- Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend – Feb. 23-26, 2023
- runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend – April 13-16, 2023
Here is the link to the runDisney website where you can find all of the information about upcoming races. https://www.rundisney.com/
runDisney Registration
If you are hoping to register for a runDisney race you should sign up for my newsletter and follow me on social media. I will let know when race and registration dates are released. runDisney races can sell out fast! Most of the races on Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend and Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend sell out within minutes. However, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10 miler that we are doing in 34 days, is still available. I wanted to do the Expedition Everest 5K that weekend also but it was sold out within minutes.
Here are the registration dates for the upcoming 2022-2023 runDisney season.
Disney races typically sell out fast!!
If you have your heart set on participating in a certain race you need to be prepared. Increase your chances of getting the races you want by following these steps.
- Make sure you have a Walt Disney World account. You can create one HERE
- Be online 30 min before registration starts and go to https://www.rundisney.com/
- Find the event you want to register for and continue to click the Register Now button for that event until you are redirected to the registration queue. You may be stuck in this queue for hours. Seriously.
- Have all of the information you will need for registration and your form of payment ready. Below is a list of the information you should have ready. Disney is constantly changing everything so you may not need all of this but these are things that have been on previous registration forms. Have this information for everyone that you will be registering for.
Be sure to fill out the run Disney registration form completely!! I follow a lot of runDisney message boards. A common problem I see is people not getting the corral placement they anticipated. Sometimes this is an error on Disney’s side but often it is from not completing registration accurately. A section of your registration form will look like this:
Note that you do not need to submit your Proof of Time at the time of registration but there is a DEADLINE for getting it submitted.
In the drop down box, you can select if you think your finish time will be less than 2:45 or over 2:45. IF YOU SELECT LESS THAN 2:45 BUT DON’T SUBMIT A PROOF OF TIME YOU WILL BE PLACE IN THE LAST CORRAL. When you select less than 2:45 the following options will appear for submitting your proof of time. You can select NO and come back to your account before the deadline to submit your POT.
Here is some further information from runDisney about POT:
We do not accept relays, self-timed, training, trail runs or virtual runs as proof of time. Proof of time must be provided by the participant for each individual race from an officially timed 10K, 12K, 15K, 10-Mile, Half Marathon or Marathon race reflecting results within the last 2 years.
Past runDisney races may be used as proof of time, however, you will need to submit them with your race registration. Runners will be placed in the last corral if the required proof of time is not submitted. If you submit a proof of time from a race distance other than a Half Marathon, an industry-standard calculation will be applied to equate your finish time.
A valid proof of time provided at the time of registration must include the following: Name of Race, Distance, City, State, Date, Finish time, Link to Results.
Preparing for the Big Event
runDisney Race Information
After you have completed your runDisney registration you will receive a confirmation email. This email will contain a link to your runDisney account. Here you can verify the events you are registered for and confirm your profile.
Now you wait. There won’t be much information coming for a while.
Your next email will be a reminder to submit your proof of time and will come about a week before the deadline.
Finally, about one month prior to the event more race information will be released! An email will be sent with a link to the Digital Event Guide. There may not be a lot of new information in the event guide at this time but this is where new information is added when it is released.
-For the 2022 Wine and Dine Half Weekend Marathon that starts on Nov. 4th the event guide with maps and expo information was released on Oct. 18th. I discovered this from Facebook groups, not an email from runDisney.
Pro Tip– Follow runDisney group boards on Facebook. You will NOT get an email when new information is added to the Event Guide. This includes when course maps and waivers are released (more about that below) But someone in the Facebook group will be refreshing the Event Guide every minute until hot, new info is up and in a split second they will share it in the Facebook group.
Here is the estimated timeline for the release of race information. Waivers are in your runDisney account and can be signed anytime. Make sure to do that BEFORE going to pick up your bib.
Course maps
I think it is fair to say that one of the reasons we pay the big bucks to do runDisney races is to run through the parks. It is for me anyway. The irony of this is most of the course is on open roadways and most of the time it is dark out. I guess if they sneak us into a back entrance of Hollywood studios for a quarter-mile run through the park, we will be happy. You never really know what kind of course you are going to get when you sign up for a Disney race. Courses change all the time due to construction, new attractions and park hours. So finally getting to see your course map is a huge deal!! (Don’t believe me? Follow a few runDisney Facebook groups, people loose their minds when the course maps come out and they usually have strong opinons about them!) And, when these gems finally drop it’s not like you get an email or anything, you basically have to stumble upon this information through social media. One day, Disney just nonchalantly adds the event guide, expo information and the virtual goody bag (coupons) to the race page. But, your social media will blow up about it!
Once the Official Digital Event Guide is up there is a lot more information available for your specific race weekend.
Including course maps!
About a month before your race you will get an email with a link to the Digital Event Guide. Not all of the information will be there at first, you have to keep checking back. Here is where you will find that information on the runDisney site
Waivers, Bib numbers and Corrals-Oh My!
Now, this is when it gets exciting! I thought everyone went crazy when the course maps came out but that was nothing compared to the ruckus that ensued when waivers were released. Yes, I am talking about a liability waiver that you must sign and bring when you pick up your race bib. Why is this so exciting you ask? Because down at the bottom of the boring form is your all-important BIB NUMBER! Wait, I know, you’re wondering why in the world would people go crazy over a bib number? Because! This leads you to the motherload of all information…..your corral placement.
Update 10/22 – Waivers are now on your runDisney account right after registration. Your bib number is no longer on your waiver. Bib number information will come out about 2 weeks prior to the event.
For my fellow newbie racers, you may feel like this breadcrumb trail has to lead us to yet another piece of information with very little significance. But, I assure you that for some it is very important!
Let’s find out why.
While we might be new to this running game we are not completely stupid. Obviously, we understand that if you are an elite runner you want to be correctly placed in corrals A or B and not in the back with those of us that are just praying we don’t die on the course. But there is so much more to it than that.
Planning is everything at Disney and a runDisney event is no exception. People want to know what corral they are in so they can estimate their actual start time so they can estimate their finish time so they can plan the rest of their day! Yikes!
And if you want to take in all of the Disneyness along the course route you will have to be strategic about your pace depending on your corral placement. If you are in one of the last corrals you will have to high tail it for a while so you have time to take all of the character pics before the balloon ladies catch up with you (balloon lady explanation to follow) Or if you trained for one specific race for your POT in hopes of getting a nice middle of the pack corral placement despite being a novice runner, you want to know if your strategy paid off! I am very excited about this. I do not care about our time and I want to take in all of the fun things that can only be experienced in a runDisney race.
Digital Event Guide
Once all of this fabulous information is posted you can click on the Official Digital Event Guide. That will open up a new page that will look like this: 
The runDisney Events page has information for the Health and Fitness Expo, each race, the post race party (for Wine and Dine weekend only) and other important information. I HIGHLY recommend looking through the important information section. I think people skip this part and then are surprised that they did not know about certain rules and procedures.
This is where you will find the course maps, staging maps, spectator information, and transportation information for each race.
The Main Stage page is just a general welcome to race weekend and will be updated over the course of the race weekend.
The Digital Expo page is a list of weekend sponsors, some with special offers to race participants. This also includes a list of stores and restaurants in Disney Springs that give discounts to racers.
Odds and Ends
Earlier I mentioned the balloon ladies. Who are these people? They are lovely women (and men I assume) who are the last ones to cross the start line. You need to stay in front of them to avoid getting swept. They are volunteers from the local running store that handles the logistics of the race. They can not actually sweep you but the bike team behind them does. They basically provide a visual cue that you better get moving if you don’t want to get swept.
I hope this runDisney registration and race guide was helpful in navigating your way through this process. If you have any questions about runDisney drop them in the comments. Now go pick a race for this upcoming season, start training and get ready to register!!
Don’t think about it.
Just do it!
Be sure to follow me on social for more information on training in general and our prep for our next runDisney race!
4 Real Disney Mom
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