Rungry!
Hey all,
I have two HMs scheduled soon (Jan 26th and March 17th) and would like to see how they go before deciding whether or not I want to run the Disneyland HM in September. The problem is that Disney registration starts Jan 22nd. I know that this race sells out every year, the question I have for you all is, "How quick does it sell out?" Would it be unwise to wait until late March to sign up? I would hate to shell out $200, then decide that HMs aren't for me.
Jen
Disneyland Half usually lasts about a week, if i recall correctly. You won't have much longer than that.
And this year with the inaugural running of the Dumbo Double Dare (10k Saturday with the Half on Sunday), I'd be surprised if it didn't sell out quicker than a week.
Get busy living or get busy dying.
I guess that l need to suck it up and shell out the $200 asap. Thanks for the input
You could save the $200 and pick a better race. I have never heard anything good about the Disneyland half, and I've run a bunch of runDisney races.
Healed Hammy
If you sign up and then decide not to go, perhaps you elect a deferment till next year. That may not get your money back but at least buy you some time.
You Rang?
Last year, the Disneyland Half sold out in 34 days. This year, with the introduction of the Double Dumbo Dare (10k on Saturday, and Half on Sunday), i expect it to sell out sooner than that. Registration is possible now, as runDisney opens registration at the expo for the WDW Marathon Weekend (last weekend) and the Tinker Belle Half (this weekend). They also opened registration early for Disneyland/WDW Annual Passholders and Chase Disney Visa credit card holders.
There is an active.com registration link floating around the internet, I think they simply do not promote the active.com registration link until the 22nd.
After you register, (and assuming that you do register) the next thing you will need to square away is your hotel. Unlike WDW, there are only 3 on Disney property hotels. They are the most expensive hotels in the City of Anaheim. There are many off property hotels surrounding Disneyland. I'm a SoCal native and sleep in my own bed for Disneyland races, so i do not have any specific hotel advice for you.
I do have some geographical advice. If you are looking to save some $$$ and want to stay off property, I'd recommend booking a hotel on Ball Road (the northern border of Disneyland) and near the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure. The starting corrals for the Disneyland Half form up on Disneyland Drive next to the Mickey and Friends parking structure.
If you can't find a room in your budget on Ball Road, the next place to go looking is on Katella Ave. near Disneyland Drive. Katella is the southern border of Disneyland and there are more hotels on Katella than Ball.
The last place to go looking for a room is on Harbor Boulevard. Harbor is the eastern border of Disneyland, and is where most of the off property rooms are. It is also the lease preferred place for walking to a runDisney race because all of the race action (expo, starting line and finish line) are on the west side of the resort.
I'm signed up for the Double Dumbo Dare, and if there is enough interest, we can FE.
RIck
Rick
PR: 5k 25:01 (10/15) 10k: 57:44 (7/14) HM: 1:57 (5/15) FM: 4:55 (1/15)
Are we there, yet?
You have to ask yourself if any race is worth shelling out $200 plus all the travel expenses. As far as whether you'll like HMs or not, until you've run more than a few plus getting an equal exposure to other distances, that's going to be hard to tell. You really can't make a determination like that on the basis of a single or even a couple races because they can differ so much from course to course with different weather, different amenities, different size fields, etc.
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
One other thing, If you register and then decide not to run, there is a vibrant and somewhat illegal after-market for runDisney bibs. You'd need to drive down to Anaheim to pick up the bib to consummate the deal or provide your trading partner with a copy of your drivers license so that they could pick up your/their bib at the expo. I'm not sure if that is worth the hassle, but you can get your money back if you wish.
Also if you wish to wait until March, I imagine that the travel agencies that Disney partners with (GET Travel comes to mind) will still have bibs. They will sell them to you at a premium with a hotel package.
Finally, some running clubs and charities will have bibs available after the race officially sells out. Like the travel agencies, he running clubs will sell them at a premium. Last year, Snail's Pace Running Club/LRS had a few which they sold for $225 to $250. Charities like TnT will give you a bib so long as you meet their fundraising requirement of several thousand dollars.
It should be noted that if you sell your bib and runDisney finds out, you are banned for life.
Don't know if you're still interested in signing up for the Half or not, but if so, you'd better get in quick - it's already 75% full, and the first day of registration isn't over yet. The Dumbo Double Dare (10k and half) has sold out already.
Actually, that's the 10k that's 75%. The Half is at 52%.
The Double Dumbo Dare sold out in an hour. Glad I registered at the WDW Expo.
As of 1:00 pm PST/4:00 pm EST te Disneyland 10K is now sold out. The Disneyland Half Marathon is 65% sold. The Disneyland 5k has not hit 50% in sales yet.
Registration for the HM was 75% full last night when I finally registered. For better or worse, I guess I'll be going to Disneyland in the fall