Official 2019 Star Wars Rival Run Weekend

[Nole95]

Both for me. Love Star Wars and also like doing the rD races. We have done Marathon Weekend four times, W&D, and also ran the inaguaral Dark Side race in 2016.

The inaguaral route was no fun at all with lots of bottlenecks. The route now looks to be much better and a lot more fun. Not to mention, it's a route we have never run at Disney. Looking forward to doing it in a littlre more than a month.

 

[Dis5150]

Both for me too. I am a huge runDisney fan and while I do enjoy the Star Wars movies I am also not a super fan. But I love the characters and think it will be a blast to get pics with them! We have run W&D, Princess and Marathon Weekend. We wanted to run all the races and were planning on Disneyland races until they went away. So this is the last of the available race weekends to try out! And super excited that we are next!!

 

[cincystamper]

I'm doing this race because I'm a Star Wars fan. And also, doing a RunDisney race in person is on my bucket list. I just never thought I could make the pace requirement. But my mom and I were already in the planning stages last year for an April 2019 trip for the Flower & Garden Show. I did a local 5k race in Feb. 2018 and saw that my pace in that race was very much within the RunDisney requirement. We started talking about it and I mentioned the dates of the Star Wars race weekend - which happened to be right in the middle of one of the 2 week time periods we were considering for our F&G trip. And she looked at me and just said so matter of factly - well, why don't we go then and you can do your bucket list race themed for one of your favorite things? Like, duh! LOL Everything just kind of fell into place. So while I'm not a runner (more of a fast walker who sometimes jogs a bit), I am a Star Wars fan so that's what pushed me over the edge for this race!

 

[SheHulk]

I don't want to overstate it, I'm not a superfan either. I'm not, like, emotionally invested in how the story arc progresses in the future or anything. But especially the original trilogy is super-nostalgic for me.

 

[cadek]

I enjoy Star Wars, but it's not why I'm doing the race. 2018 marathon was my first runDisney event. When I longingly looked at registration for this year and knew it was too soon for my bank account, I looked at the other race dates. I didn't really expect that I'd do any of the races, I was "just" looking, but then I saw Star Wars half was on my birthday, so how could I NOT do it? My 15 year old son is also doing it with me, but I think I'll be going for my slowest half marathon ever based on his lack of training! It's our first time being there for F&G!

 

[Kazrak]

I'm here because it's runDisney, although I am a big Star Wars fan. But I'm here more for the race than the Star Wars.

I've been pondering this a bit more. The biggest reason I'm planning on this race?

DVC, and having to cut our January vacation a day shorter than I'd have liked.

Because it's a bit awkward for us to get cross-country to WDW, I like to finish a DVC trip one day into borrowed points. This gives me about two years to use the remaining points.

Unfortunately, between NYE and the start of the college kids' spring semesters, I couldn't manage enough days in January - I had 4 points left over. Our use year is February, so banking the points meant I needed to use them by January 2020.

Well, how about running the Star Wars Half again? The trip grew a bit, and wife and younger son are coming this time. And 6 nights finishes our 2019 points and borrows one night into 2020.

Now, I think it was a good thing - preparing for this trip has shifted me into much more of a runner mindset. But, ultimately, it was figuring out what to do with 4 extra DVC points.

 

[bearybubba]

We are doing the race weekend because we are Star Wars fans and runDisney fans. This race weekend unfortunately is a 'one and done' for us. My husband is a bank auditor and April is a bad month with 1st quarter ending 3/31/xx. He had to get special permission to miss the few days he is missing.

 

[Disney at Heart]

@drummerwife You, old? I was a senior in college when Star Wars came out! My BIL insisted that my brothers and sisters and I go see it, so off we went.

I've seen all of the movies since then. I have not read all the books or watched the spin-offs like "The Clone Wars," and I can't name all the minor characters or quote every word like my 33-year-old DS, but I am a fan. This will be my first Star Wars race weekend.

I first visited WDW when my sister and I went with Mama to take our children around 1992 and fell in love with it. Then DH decided to run his first marathon at Disney World's first marathon in 1994! And we have gone back to WDW regularly ever since -- about once a year for a while and then about 4 times per year since 2011 when we bought an annual pass due to DS's wedding at the Wedding Pavilion! So I'm guessing we have "gone home" 50+ times.

DH has run about 22 Marathon weekends and is Perfectly Goofy. I have only run for the last 6 years, but have managed 1-TOT, 4-W&D, 5-MW, 1-DL, 1-Super Heroes, so after a late start, I love running too!

So what do I love more: Star Wars, running, or Disney World? It's great to combine all three loves, but "I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!"

 

[hauntedcity]

With Princess over we're next Star Wars fans! Trying to keep the excitement up, I'll throw a question to the crowd to try to get some action on this thread:
Are you doing a race during Star Wars weekend more because you're a Star Wars fan, or more because you're a general runDisney fan and don't really care about Star Wars, or because you love both running and Star Wars equally, or for some other reason? In other words, are you primarily a Star Wars fan who will run a race sometimes, or a runner who happens to have signed up for a Star Wars race?

Super Disney fan!
Super Star Wars fan!
Super RunDisney fan!

 

[sullymom]

I'm doing this race because I'm a Star Wars fan. And also, doing a RunDisney race in person is on my bucket list. I just never thought I could make the pace requirement. But my mom and I were already in the planning stages last year for an April 2019 trip for the Flower & Garden Show. I did a local 5k race in Feb. 2018 and saw that my pace in that race was very much within the RunDisney requirement. We started talking about it and I mentioned the dates of the Star Wars race weekend - which happened to be right in the middle of one of the 2 week time periods we were considering for our F&G trip. And she looked at me and just said so matter of factly - well, why don't we go then and you can do your bucket list race themed for one of your favorite things? Like, duh! LOL Everything just kind of fell into place. So while I'm not a runner (more of a fast walker who sometimes jogs a bit), I am a Star Wars fan so that's what pushed me over the edge for this race!

Your reasons are very similar to mine. I'm a Star Wars fan who has always had RunDisney on my bucket list. My husband said we weren't doing another disney trip for a couple years after our trip December 2018, but my annual pass was still valid and there were spots open for the race. I started running again last fall and this motivated me to keep running during the long cold Canadian winter. So now it's a solo trip and I get to accomplish something off my bucket list.

 

[evre13]

I'm a casual Star Wars fan, but my friends I'm running with are real fans. It was more that I like Disney races, and the time of year was best with my schedule. I'd like to eventually do Wine & Dine, but that will probably have to wait a few more years.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I have run many rD races, but this is the first SW race for me because of the timing of the races (during Spring Break season). This is probably a one and done for me as I am running it because my youngest son wanted to run it with me before he joins the Navy this summer.

Training with my son has been awesome - I can't tell you how much joy I get just spending the time with him out on the road. We talk incessantly about everything going on in his life. For me, this race will be bitter-sweet as it will mark the end of my time with him in this role. Once he joins the Navy, he will change, as will our relationship.

 

[JediLeia]

I've been a Star Wars fan far longer than I've been a runner. I grew up with the OT, have a fair amount of collectibles, and I'm a costumer. I feel like I'm giving a bit more priority to running as I'm choosing to do this race over Star Wars Celebration in Chicago.

I've only done the Star Wars Light Side 10K and a few Tinkerbell races. This will be my first race at Disney World and I'm really looking forward to that Kessel Run medal! Hoping the humidity doesn't get the best of me so I can complete that challege!

 

[PrincessofAlderaan]

I feel like I'm giving a bit more priority to running as I'm choosing to do this race over Star Wars Celebration in Chicago.

Me too! And we missed Celebration Orlando because we already had a family WDW trip planned for 2 weeks earlier!

If race weekend wasn’t also my birthday I think we would have chosen the convention instead, but I’m so excited to finally do a runDisney race - especially a Star Wars-themed race.

 

[huskies90]

Relatively new to runDisney and have only done marathon weekend. Love Star Wars and wanted to try a different race.

 

[txdisneygrl]

I am a big Star Wars fan- grew up watching them. I was so excited when the prequels came out because I was going to get to see them in the thatre. (I was 10). I have run princess half and then fairytale challenge in '17 and '18, but my friends couldn't go this year so I decided to try something new. The change to Rival run from dark side is a big bonus for me.

Local half this weekend and then maintenance time.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Are you doing a race during Star Wars weekend more because you're a Star Wars fan, or more because you're a general runDisney fan and don't really care about Star Wars, or because you love both running and Star Wars equally, or for some other reason? In other words, are you primarily a Star Wars fan who will run a race sometimes, or a runner who happens to have signed up for a Star Wars race?

My first race ever was the 2011 Disneyland Half. When I saw the 5K medal was for Star Tours, which realaunched that year I wished I had registered for the 5K instead because I dreamed of a Star Wars medal. In the end, it worked out just fine for me as the half marathon taught me that I could handle the distance and future race experiences told me that the idea of a 10K and Half on back to back days could happen.

This will be a tough race weekend for me because I can't run it. I'm an accountant so anything before April 15th is not happening. It will be the first year since 2015 that I haven't run a Star Wars race at Disney. I ran the first 3 Rebel Challenges at Disneyland, the 2017 Dark Side Challenge for my first Kessel Run, and all 3 Dark Side races, plus Kessel last year. I am doing the virtual this year, but chose to use the Walt Disney World Half Marathon as my virtual run.

As to which came first, definitely Star Wars. My parents took 2 year me along to the theatre when they finally got around to seeing it after it was originally released. That same year they also took me to Disneyland. RunDisney came much later after a couple of trips to Disneyland during Half Marathon weekend intrigued me enough to actually talk to some runners about the event. They answered all my questions and explained that I could actually handle the pace, and that eventually pushed me into the running thing. Ironically enough, I probably can blame my love of Star Wars for running Dopey this year. After successfully completing the 2015, 2016, 2017 Rebel Challenges, 2017 Dark Side Challenge, and 2018 Dark Side 5K and First Order Challenge, I decided to go real crazy and run my first marathon as part of Dopey.

I'm doing all 3 races and there seems to be some great photo ops and the Star Wars music is fantastic.

In some ways, my favorite part of the course is running through World Showcase with the Star Wars music playing over the Epcot sound system. So amazing.

We are doing the race weekend because we are Star Wars fans and runDisney fans. This race weekend unfortunately is a 'one and done' for us. My husband is a bank auditor and April is a bad month with 1st quarter ending 3/31/xx. He had to get special permission to miss the few days he is missing.

April race weekends are tough on me too. I couldn't do the inaugural Dark Side weekend, and increase my stress level substantially in order to train and handle my increased workload professionally. But it has always been worth it once I'm at Disney World and reveling in my Star Wars geekdom.

The change to Rival run from dark side is a big bonus for me.

While I love Star Wars in general, I'm glad to see the Rival Run theme stick around for 2020 as well and I have plans to be there for that race. All that said, I really hope that 2021 sees a return to the Dark Side theme in Florida because races return to Disneyland.

 

[SheHulk]

@Sleepless Knight Now I feel so bad that you're missing it this year! I guess Dopey was a good consolation prize

 

[BigEeyore]

I've been a huge SW fan my entire life (child of the 70's!) - definitely a notch above a casual fan, but not quite a super fan - my ring tone is the Imperial March, but I can't sketch out Boba Fett's family tree

Also a lifelong Disney nerd - got into runDisney about 8 years ago as the perfect marriage of my love of Disney and love of running! SW is the icing on that cake. We actually have legacy status for this race and hope to keep it through next year at least!

 

[PrincessV]

I’ve never done this race weekend before. Are there any points on course that have the reputation that Cone Alley does? I am guessing the area from HS to Boardwalk could be bad depending on when you are coming through.

The HS-BW path wasn't that bad last year - might have been due to lower numbers, might have been because I dawdled so much taking pics and things were pretty thinned out when I went through.

Are you doing a race during Star Wars weekend more because you're a Star Wars fan, or more because you're a general runDisney fan and don't really care about Star Wars, or because you love both running and Star Wars equally, or for some other reason? In other words, are you primarily a Star Wars fan who will run a race sometimes, or a runner who happens to have signed up for a Star Wars race?

Both, for sure! I was a young kid when the OG trilogy came out and have loved SW ever since. I mostly enjoyed the second trilogy and am probably one of the few nerds who actually loved Episode III. I'm tolerating the new films, but I'll admit I don't love them, and I, thus far, despise Kylo with every fiber of my being. When they announced the first SW race in DisneyLAND, I was crushed: I assumed we'd never see one at WDW, and I'll never go to Cali for a race when I live so close to WDW. So when they announced that not only was WDW getting its own SW race, but it would be DARK SIDE themed, I was 100% in for life! I've spent every DS race geeking out in a way no other rD weekend gets me; I'm so thankful for the 501st and their willingness to spend their time at the races. I'm a little bummed about the change to Rival Run, but I'm keeping an open mind and hoping it still holds my cold, dark Sith heart. I'm a Perfect challenger so far, and aim to keep legacy alive for as long as they keep the race weekend around!