Official 2018 Star Wars Dark Side Weekend

So I was going through my emails and noticed I have a receipt for commemorative items, which would make sense since I normally buy pins. However, this doesn’t list what it is and only charged me $0.00.... so I have no idea what it is. Should I call and ask what it is tomorrow and where did my pin go?
 
Yesterday morning DH & I were waiting for Magical Express to take us home from Dopey. We said how we were so glad we were done with training. DH loves Star Wars and we did inaugural Dark Side. Then last night he was thinking about KR and the virtual and I expected registration to be full. So I foolishly clicked on the register now link and sure enough there were First Order spots still open. Told him to think on it for the day. Well tonight both DH & I are signed up for First Order challenge, flights & hotel booked and DH is signed up for Virtual as well......... Taking a week off and back to training next week.
I did something similar back in November. I went from debating about running Infinity Gauntlet to deciding that it would be much more fun to run Dark Side instead. During lunch I started to map out a plan as to how I would handle the work deadline in April, cleared it with work, got a quote for the week that I was happy with, registered for the First Order Challenge, and finally booked my flight that evening. Mind you when I woke up that morning, running Dark Side was the furthest thing from my mind.

A few weeks later and I added the 5K too.
 
I've been thinking about the Kessel Run Challenge. The bottom line seems to me to be that I'd pay another $70 for two medals: The Virtual Half Medal and the Kessel Run Medal. No additional shirts, or any additional runs (I'll be running 13 miles plenty of times between now and April). It does say you get a keepsake but I'm guessing it's something pretty trivial.

So $70 for another two medals? I think I'll stick with just the First Order Challenge.
 
This will be my first Disney Run, my GF and I are looking forward to it...

Any pointers on things I should look out for?

Planning on arriving Saturday morning and going straight to get out packets.

thank you
 


This will be my first Disney Run, my GF and I are looking forward to it...

Any pointers on things I should look out for?

Planning on arriving Saturday morning and going straight to get out packets.

thank you
First and foremost, HAVE FUN! Also, go in with a goal in mind. Whether that goal is just to have fun, take as many character pictures as possible, or finish with a great time, just have some mindset that you stick to. Also, I would YouTube "RezRuns 2017 Star Wars Half Marathon". He films the entire race with a GoPro, so that might help get a better picture in your mind as to what to expect.
 
Like @AndreaDM, I am looking at doing the 10K. The half is appealing, but the current thought is to do my first half in my hometown on Memorial Day weekend and then do the Disney half next January. But it looks like I'm going to be in Florida sometime towards the end of April and if I could work in one of the Dark Side races, that would be awesome. If the 10K does open up again, how is the best way to find out about it? (Besides this board, obviously) Will runDisney send out e-mails?
 
First and foremost, HAVE FUN! Also, go in with a goal in mind. Whether that goal is just to have fun, take as many character pictures as possible, or finish with a great time, just have some mindset that you stick to. Also, I would YouTube "RezRuns 2017 Star Wars Half Marathon". He films the entire race with a GoPro, so that might help get a better picture in your mind as to what to expect.

Thank you...

I will check out the youtube, that sounds pretty cool!
 


Like @AndreaDM, I am looking at doing the 10K. The half is appealing, but the current thought is to do my first half in my hometown on Memorial Day weekend and then do the Disney half next January. But it looks like I'm going to be in Florida sometime towards the end of April and if I could work in one of the Dark Side races, that would be awesome. If the 10K does open up again, how is the best way to find out about it? (Besides this board, obviously) Will runDisney send out e-mails?

Smart move doing one in your hometown first, that tends to be easier.
 
I've been thinking about the Kessel Run Challenge. The bottom line seems to me to be that I'd pay another $70 for two medals: The Virtual Half Medal and the Kessel Run Medal. No additional shirts, or any additional runs (I'll be running 13 miles plenty of times between now and April). It does say you get a keepsake but I'm guessing it's something pretty trivial.

So $70 for another two medals? I think I'll stick with just the First Order Challenge.
I tend to think the appeal for the Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon depends on so many factors. For Star Wars fans that are also runners, it makes a lot of sense especially if you're running Dark Side since the Kessel Run is now possible. If you like runDisney medals in general or live far enough away that a runDisney half isn't feasible, it makes sense. But I can also see how for many runners, it's not their thing.

This will be my first Disney Run, my GF and I are looking forward to it...

Any pointers on things I should look out for?

Planning on arriving Saturday morning and going straight to get out packets.

thank you
Trust your training, have fun, and know that if you stop for photos, that will count towards your total time. So if you had photo stops of 30 minutes total and ran the rest of the race in 3 1/2 hours, your race time would be 4 hours which could put you at risk of being swept.

Like @AndreaDM, I am looking at doing the 10K. The half is appealing, but the current thought is to do my first half in my hometown on Memorial Day weekend and then do the Disney half next January. But it looks like I'm going to be in Florida sometime towards the end of April and if I could work in one of the Dark Side races, that would be awesome. If the 10K does open up again, how is the best way to find out about it? (Besides this board, obviously) Will runDisney send out e-mails?
runDisney may send emails, but sometimes not everybody receives their emails. runDisney is also likely to post any openings that come up in a currently sold out race on their usual social media channels.
 
So $70 for another two medals? I think I'll stick with just the First Order Challenge.

DH's reaction to the VR "Wow just $70 for another 2 medals, so much cheaper to get KR that way then going out to CA".

I am not doing the virtual, just the first order. We don't need 2 sets of virtual medals at home. I realize it's not the same as doing both Star Wars on each coast, but I guess for SW fans and the medal, we don't know when the race is coming back to DL. And, when it does we don't know where we will be in life. We might be sick running by then. Could have a bad injury taking us out. So I guess if it is of any interest, do it now while you can.
 
DH's reaction to the VR "Wow just $70 for another 2 medals, so much cheaper to get KR that way then going out to CA".

I am not doing the virtual, just the first order. We don't need 2 sets of virtual medals at home. I realize it's not the same as doing both Star Wars on each coast, but I guess for SW fans and the medal, we don't know when the race is coming back to DL. And, when it does we don't know where we will be in life. We might be sick running by then. Could have a bad injury taking us out. So I guess if it is of any interest, do it now while you can.
This is exactly why I did the Kessel Run last year. April is one of the worst months for me to do a race and the work training balance that I must maintain to train for an April race is difficult enough for a single person. But I knew that I could make last year work. So I did. And when the surprise cancellation hit, I was glad I did. Because while Kessel Run is still around, the Coast to Coast is also on hiatus pending the future of west coast runDisney.

Nobody realistically saw the hiatus of all runDisney events on the west coast coming. Nobody would have predicted it. If a certain race or set of races really interests you, then seize the moment while you can. You never know what changes will happen that could make the dream truly impossible. The Kessel Run is back for the moment. But always in motion the future is. If you want the Kessel Run medal and are previously committed to Dark Side this April, seize the moment now. You do not know if it will actually come again.
 
I've been thinking about the Kessel Run Challenge. The bottom line seems to me to be that I'd pay another $70 for two medals: The Virtual Half Medal and the Kessel Run Medal. No additional shirts, or any additional runs (I'll be running 13 miles plenty of times between now and April). It does say you get a keepsake but I'm guessing it's something pretty trivial.

So $70 for another two medals? I think I'll stick with just the First Order Challenge.
It's all relative. When I saw it, I went "Only $70 for 2 medals!". I signed up because I was already doing the First Order Challenge plus the 5k. I figured might as well add the Kessel Run Challenge and get 6 medals.
 
Whew! So much to catch up on after Marathon Weekend! Yeah... I totally just handed rD $70 for a Millennium Falcon on a ribbon. Big SW fan here and I was never going to earn a Kessel the regular way, since I'll never travel to CA for a race, so I'm pretty jazzed about it. :) I've got PHM in between, so if nothing else, that'll count as my other half.


So my Marathon Weekend plans were dashed after my flights were cancelled, and all other options proved fruitless. Sitting here bummed out, and daughter and I are looking at the Darkside as a possibility. I've never done any other runDisney event than Marathon Weekend. I know a half marathon weekend isn't going to match Marathon Weekend for the full pomp, but I was wondering what people think of it compared to Marathon Weekend, and the Darkside race in particular. I'm not especially a Star Wars fan, but then I'm not especially a Disney fan either (heresy!). I am a big runDisney fan, though, because I think they do an outstanding job of organization and entertainment. How do you think the Darkside stacks up to the other weekends in that regard?
I'm so happy to see you registered! I felt awful for you, reading about what happened for marathon weekend. I'm pretty biased, as I really do love Star Wars, but DS weekend ranks right up there with marathon weekend as favorites to me! As long as you don't actively despise SW, I don't think you have to love it to enjoy the races. The courses are different than MW, which is fun, and the 501st actors on the courses are amazing!

Since this will be my first Disney run experience can someone tell me how is the expo? Do a lot of you but stuff or just basically get your bib and leave? Does Disney give you any good swag in a gift bag of sorts/ A running shirt perhaps not cotton hopefully lol Just thought I ask.
It's the only expo at which I actually linger and shop - I'm not a fan of race expos, but I am a fan of Star Wars stuff, so that helps, lol! I like the ambiance of this one, too. Star Wars music playing, characters making the rounds and interacting... it's a fun time! But you can also easily skip it all and just get your bibs and shirts and leave. You get a themed tech material shirt for the 10K and half, cotton for the 5K. That's it for free stuff.

This will be my first Disney Run, my GF and I are looking forward to it...

Any pointers on things I should look out for?

Planning on arriving Saturday morning and going straight to get out packets.

thank you
I assume you're running the half? Things to know...

It's an early start and a very early wake-up: buses to the races will likely start running at 3am and you won't want to wait long to get on one.
It's a LOT of people out there, both in the pre-race staging area and on the course.
There will be characters at the pre-race staging area available for photos - they get very long lines, so if you want to partake, be sure to get there early!
If you entered an estimated finish time of less than 2:45:00, you need to submit Proof of Time (PoT) by next Tuesday, Jan. 16.
runDisney does a great job of making sure there are plenty of water/Powerade stations on course.
Our FL weather in April is likely to be very warm and humid for anyone who doesn't live here and isn't used to it: the smart thing is to slow down, hydrate before/during/after.
LOTS of runners don costumes, but it isn't necessary!
A week or so before race weekend, rD will post an Official Race Guide: read it to learn about transportation, times, locations, rules, etc.
We'll also get our waivers of liability, which list our bib numbers. Your bib number will be assigned to a starting corral, and those assignments are based on your estimated finish time.
Remember, it's Disney: HAVE FUN! :)
 
My kids are still in school so I could never get to a Disneyland race. I don’t like to pull them out of school. I could not bring myself to do a solo trip. We have never been to DL and it would break my daughter’s heart if I went without her. When I saw the virtual run I signed up right away. Yeah, it’s $70 for some pieces of metal for an unofficial run, but I’m still excited!
 
I really think the "value" of the virtual race and the Kessel Run depends on how much the individual loves Star Wars and/or running, and/or runDisney medals.

My sister likes Star Wars, but doesn't care one way or the other about medals. I don't think she's doing the virtual race, but she is signed up for the 5K and First Order Challenge with me. I signed up for the virtual the day it was announced because I love the idea of getting another Kessel Run medal even if it won't be the same thing as running at Disneyland and Disney World.

I have friends that love Star Wars and have expressed some level of interest in some day doing a runDisney event, but declined to sign up for the virtual race even though it's a way to earn a runDisney Star Wars medal without the cost of a Disney trip and the time requirements. Clearly, the virtual race was not enough of a carrot for them.
 
Pretty sure I'm one of the people they were targeting with this, and it worked...

My legacy original DL race is on hold, no need to continue to do two races a year to keep legacy C2C (which well never even be a thing I'm pretty sure), and I'm so used to plunking down for Dumbo this time of year, it seemed "only natural" to do the star wars series for the first time. Only bummer is it's probably the same course as WaD that we just did a couple months ago, but we're still excited to be getting back down there to have some fun with the kiddos.

The Sorcerer Mickey ears shall be making an appearance...
 
I hope the half course has more park time than last year, but I'm not holding my breath on that. I think park time during races will be a bit on the lighter side until the major construction projects are finished.
 
Last years Dark Side Half Course was fantastic. That area on bear road was super cool through the forest.
That was a tremendous part of the course. My only complaint about the course was that it did not spent very much time in the parks at all, around 3 miles or so, which is less than what some Disneyland races spend in the parks. I also understand why they had to do that. Last year, Avatar was not yet open and Hollywood Studios is still a major construction zone. They may not have been able to do much in the parks because of those issues, but they certainly did some cool things outside the parks to help make up for the lack of park time.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top