What is going on? Races selling out within a day or two?

[IamTrike]

Right. And btw that 'bla bla' that you camped out for overnight and paid a lotta loot for will be replaced in a few mos by the latest and greatest model...the one that you camped out for will be reduced in price and sold on sale as an older model. Meanwhile...for the Disney races yes you invested a lot of money...but its something you will take with you your whole life. You will never forget the races you did...or some of the people you ran them with. I am pretty sure the same cannot be said for the bla bla you camped out for. I don't think 30 years down the road you will be saying to your grandkids... I remember the day I had camped out for a bla bla... But you will remember the race you did.

Things wear out and in general the happiness derived from them diminishes over time. In general the happiness which comes from a new experiences is more lasting than that which comes form possessions

http://www.cnn./2009/HEALTH/02/10/happiness.possessions/

 

[derekleigh]

Anybody know why or why won't Disney increase the running field for the 5K and 10K? I mean there are, what, 20,000 + for the half and full? So why can there not be 13,000 - 15,000 for the 5K and 10K?

Not like those would last longer than the half and full. The demand is there, so why not strike why the iron is hot?

 

[pigletliz]

Anybody know why or why won't Disney increase the running field for the 5K and 10K? I mean there are, what, 20,000 + for the half and full? So why can there not be 13,000 - 15,000 for the 5K and 10K?

Not like those would last longer than the half and full. The demand is there, so why not strike why the iron is hot?

I have not run a Disney 5k, but I can say from experience that the 10k is already too crowded. Some spots were just dangerous. If anything, they should probably have fewer runners.

 

[Nole95]

I have not run a Disney 5k, but I can say from experience that the 10k is already too crowded. Some spots were just dangerous. If anything, they should probably have fewer runners.

That could be solved by spreading out the field more or changing the course so that it does not have as many choke points.

 

[Castle2Castle]

I'm not sure there is much flexibility to avoid choke points given the relatively short distances and the need for park time to maintain interest and justify prices. There's only so many ways you can run around and through a park, and the finish line is already "fixed" in place by the other events.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

I'm not sure there is much flexibility to avoid choke points given the relatively short distances and the need for park time to maintain interest and justify prices. There's only so many ways you can run around and through a park, and the finish line is already "fixed" in place by the other events.

I think you are right that the relatively short distance and "fixed" finish line makes adding more runners almost impossible.

For example, the fastest runners at the Tink 10K crossed the finish line before 6:35 AM. The course turned down Disneyland Drive -- behind the last corral -- to get to the finish line.

According to reports, many runners in the last corral were just crossing the start line at about 6:35 AM. While those runners would have moved towards the start line, this still leaves precious little time to clear the road (i.e., move the barricades, pick up tossed clothing, etc.), even with only 4 corrals.

-- Suzanne

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

That could be solved by spreading out the field more or changing the course so that it does not have as many choke points.

Probably not without more road closures. Plus the "family" 5k already starts early enough at 6:15. Adding that many more people would ensure a 5:30 am start for that race as well.

 

[goofeygirl]

A few more weeks till registration opens. I doubt I will do the Dopey again next year. Mainly, the trip is going to be a quick weekender. I could still do the Goofy...but so much training went into it...kinda consumes you for the last few mos of the year leading up to January.

I think I will sign up for the half. I am pretty sure I will do that.

 

[spideymike]

As a novice runner he last 5 years who's been a lifelong Disney fan, I've really enjoyed going to the Tower of Terror 10 milers with my wife. We're been there twice already and are signed up for a 3rd year. It's the making of an annual getaway for us from our kids and we have a great time there.

I completed my first 1/2 at home in Cleveland and after running in 20 F weather this past November, I'm ready to do another 1/2 at the Avengers 1/2 marathon in Disneyland.

Now if only Run Disney would let me make up 3.1 miles in the Coast to Coast Challenge!

I'd be all up for a Star Wars 1/2 if they did it since I'm a big comic book and Star Wars fan too. I haven't done a full marathon yet, but if I do, I'm doing it at Disney World for sure.

 

[timmac]

There's a few things, I think, that contribute:

Word of mouth, a la social media, is definitely up there. So many people hear what a great experience it is, and excitement grows.

The fact that it sells out faster every year encourages people to sign up even quicker the following year.

Disney marketing has, over the past few years, definitely positioned it's events as newbie friendly, almost to a fault in my view. (In many cases, it encourages people to start running, and adopt a healthier lifestyle. For others, it merely encourages doing just the minimum--or less-- needed to get the medal. I don't want to digress too far, though.)

Running as a hobby is somewhat in vogue lately, and running a distance race has become a bucket list item for a lot of people. (See previous comment about the split in how that works out long term.) Disney events happen to be a great place for that, given the "fun" atmosphere.

Multi-day challenges (about which I have mixed feelings as well) are another factor. The added "challenge" or the draw of a special medal gets many registering for multiple events who otherwise might only have been interested in one of them. Though the multiple events might give the illusion of more slots available for registration, there are not necessarily more overall number of participants.

I suspect this isn't really the same as what happens in some other events (Boston and NY come to mind), which are more popular for their world-class status and long-standing history.

Regarding the size of the shorter races, I concur largely with what's already been stated, but wanted to amplify it a bit. If you've done a half or full with enough people (Disney or not), you've probably noticed that congestion tends to decrease as you progress through the course, with the first mile being the worst, and so on. For a short event like a 5k, there just isn't enough race distance for the crowd to ever thin out. While adding lots of corrals with staggered start times is possible from a technical standpoint, there are pragmatic reasons why Disney probably doesn't want to do it. It's one thing to have corral launches last 30-40 minutes in an event that has a completion window of 3.5 or 7 hours; that 30 minutes isn't all that significant. But, for an event that goes from start to finish in 45 minutes or less, a lengthy corral/wave process would (proportionally) have a much greater logistical effect for the shorter events.

 

[goofeygirl]

I would probably not get into the Boston Marathon ... thru fundraising...unless as mentioned , I start now for 2017.

I ran the St Jude and struggled to raise $500. I am not fund raising savvy..however I realized I had overlooked some things I could have done to raise more money...like selling candy bars...putting jars in shops for spare change (if allowed).

Trying to get people to cough up dough..its hard...esp when it seems everyone else has their hand out for something. I found that people with the least amount to give gave out about 25-50 bucks...people with a lotta gave notta...needless to say those people pissed me off. The ones that bank every dime they get but wouldn't dare spare a dime for anything. I learned who was a cheapo alright.

If someone got into a charity to raise money for a race and needed to raise a boat load of money...you would need to come up with some creative ways to raise it.