News and Developments for Future In-Person runDisney Events

[camaker]

I’m still hedging bets that on June 2nd (global running day) they will give an update on things.....
My call is
W&D either virtual or canceled (for year not for good)
Marathon & Princess virtual or modified (think limited field, photo opps instead of character stops, provide your own transportation, closed loop course....)
New spring theme announcement

RunDisney needs to tread carefully at this point. I think it would be difficult, but not impossible, for Wine & Dine to go ahead at this point. I think they might be able to get away with making it virtual, but I think going virtual for Marathon Weekend or Princess would be a potential PR disaster among runners and fans. They will take a tremendous amount of (justified) criticism along the lines of “Chicago, New York, Boston and Marine Corps have all been able to put on similarly sized events in major metropolitan areas. You can’t manage to hold an event in a location where you literally control the entire property?” Maybe they won’t care, but at this point all they really have is excuses.

 

[Krandor]

RunDisney needs to tread carefully at this point. I think it would be difficult, but not impossible, for Wine & Dine to go ahead at this point. I think they might be able to get away with making it virtual, but I think going virtual for Marathon Weekend or Princess would be a potential PR disaster among runners and fans. They will take a tremendous amount of (justified) criticism along the lines of “Chicago, New York, Boston and Marine Corps have all been able to put on similarly sized events in major metropolitan areas. You can’t manage to hold an event in a location where you literally control the entire property?” Maybe they won’t care, but at this point all they really have is excuses.

Disney though unlike ATC or NYRR or a lot of those groups do a lot more then just races. Timing wise it would be almost impossible to pull W&D off at this point. Disney right now just has higher priority items on their list then rundisney mainly getting the parks back to full normal operations.

A PR disaster would be announcing we are going to do a race in january but not have any dates announced for return of M&G, Fireworks, parades, etc. Disney is going to have to have dates for those at least announced before they can announce rundisney. At least in my mind. They also need to return the rundisney employees from furlough.

I do think we'll get an announcement soon but right now I'm not optimistic for MW. Disney has too many other things going on right now that are higher priority for them. That doesn't mean they don't care it just means they have other projects higher priority then rundisney and will get to rundisney when they can.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Disney though unlike ATC or NYRR or a lot of those groups do a lot more then just races. Timing wise it would be almost impossible to pull W&D off at this point. Disney right now just has higher priority items on their list then rundisney mainly getting the parks back to full normal operations.

A PR disaster would be announcing we are going to do a race in january but not have any dates announced for return of M&G, Fireworks, parades, etc. Disney is going to have to have dates for those at least announced before they can announce rundisney. At least in my mind. They also need to return the rundisney employees from furlough.
.

I’m not sure. There’s already indications they’re hiring for and testing fireworks right now. Those don’t take announcements 6+ months in advance.

I do agree on the institutional priority issues. NYRR and BAA and others exist for the sole purpose of hosting races. RunDisney is way down the pecking order within a very very large organization.

 

[camaker]

Disney though unlike ATC or NYRR or a lot of those groups do a lot more then just races. Timing wise it would be almost impossible to pull W&D off at this point. Disney right now just has higher priority items on their list then rundisney mainly getting the parks back to full normal operations.

A PR disaster would be announcing we are going to do a race in january but not have any dates announced for return of M&G, Fireworks, parades, etc. Disney is going to have to have dates for those at least announced before they can announce rundisney. At least in my mind. They also need to return the rundisney employees from furlough.

I do think we'll get an announcement soon but right now I'm not optimistic for MW. Disney has too many other things going on right now that are higher priority for them. That doesn't mean they don't care it just means they have other projects higher priority then rundisney and will get to rundisney when they can.

“You’re not important enough for us to worry about right now” is exactly the kind of PR debacle I’m talking about. They’ve got an entire division dedicated to making these races happen independent of the other concerns that you’ve listed (regardless of how small that division might be). The concept that an organization of Disney’s size has to tackle things linearly and can‘t walk and chew gum at the same time just doesn’t wash. Basically, you’ve confirmed the “all they have is excuses” argument.

 

[fatmanatee]

Disney though unlike ATC or NYRR or a lot of those groups do a lot more then just races. Timing wise it would be almost impossible to pull W&D off at this point. Disney right now just has higher priority items on their list then rundisney mainly getting the parks back to full normal operations.

A PR disaster would be announcing we are going to do a race in january but not have any dates announced for return of M&G, Fireworks, parades, etc. Disney is going to have to have dates for those at least announced before they can announce rundisney. At least in my mind. They also need to return the rundisney employees from furlough.

I do think we'll get an announcement soon but right now I'm not optimistic for MW. Disney has too many other things going on right now that are higher priority for them. That doesn't mean they don't care it just means they have other projects higher priority then rundisney and will get to rundisney when they can.

Do we know anything about RD employees coming back though? We know that employees from everywhere else are coming back from furlough, I haven’t heard anything either way about specifically RD staff but that’s also the case with other WDW employees.

As for announcing dates for other returns... I dunno. I still think meet and greets could come back anytime, effective immediately, it’s just a matter of Disney feeling comfortable and having the staffing for it. It’s also something that I feel like if you announce that it’s coming back at a point in the future, you risk angering anyone who’s making their return visit prior to that. That goes for everything coming back, and they’re going to want to minimize that happening if possible*.

*one exception IMO: if they decide to delay stuff like fireworks and parades until the start of the 50th

 

[Onceuponamarathon]

If Marathon weekend is a go, do you think W&D will be virtual?

On the one hand, seems like easy money. Why not? On the other, if runners are faced with paying for virtual medals (after a year of virtual medals) or saving the high costs and applying it to an in-person Marathon weekend, I would think many choose the in-person option. Sale of a virtual W&D may actually be hard to pull off in that scenario (again, assuming MW is a go).

I would be so incredibly frustrated if they announced a Virtual W&D with a "we hope to share more soon" non-answer on future races....

 

[Kerry1957]

On the one hand, seems like easy money. Why not? On the other, if runners are faced with paying for virtual medals (after a year of virtual medals) or saving the high costs and applying it to an in-person Marathon weekend, I would think many choose the in-person option. Sale of a virtual W&D may actually be hard to pull off in that scenario (again, assuming MW is a go).

I agree. After 4 straight "real" W&Ds, I did not sign up for the virtual because I didn't see enough value for a medal I didn't like. I probably will not sign up if W&D goes virtual again, and I definitely will not sign up if the marathon is a go for January. The savings from not doing the W&D virtual could pay for my January airfare.

 

[huskies90]

A PR disaster would be announcing we are going to do a race in january but not have any dates announced for return of M&G, Fireworks, parades, etc. Disney is going to have to have dates for those at least announced before they can announce rundisney. At least in my mind. They also need to return the rundisney employees from furlough.

Not sure why announcing a race prior to other announcements would be a PR disaster. I see it as no different from announcing the new Halloween party. They can announce the main elements of the race and as meet/greets, fireworks, etc come back online they can announce those elements as well. For example, they didn’t say the new Halloween party would not have fireworks. They just didn’t say they would. If they open race registration before all of the elements are confirmed, runners would have to realize the race may or may not have all the elements of previous races. We know some things are going to change as just about everything coming back is doing modifications in some way. How different it looks might be unknown at registration. I sorta think people won’t care at this point.

 

[Krandor]

“You’re not important enough for us to worry about right now” is exactly the kind of PR debacle I’m talking about. They’ve got an entire division dedicated to making these races happen independent of the other concerns that you’ve listed (regardless of how small that division might be). The concept that an organization of Disney’s size has to tackle things linearly and can‘t walk and chew gum at the same time just doesn’t wash. Basically, you’ve confirmed the “all they have is excuses” argument.

Rundisney doesn't and can't operate independently though. They don't get to dictate what happens. They need to have things approved by many departments within disney including things like park operations, security, parking, and many others Those other departments have other priorities right now. rundisney is a "co-equal" division. They can't do things on their own and can't force any other department to allow them to do things. A lot of those other departments have other priorities right now.

A lot of rundisney approvals for courses and the like happen and start 6-8 months in advance and a lot of those likely haven't happened yet for any races.

Call it excuses but it is the reality right now. Yes disney has the advantage of owning their own property they run on but a lot of other people use that property too and that makes a lot of coordination needed.

My feeling is still April 2022 will be the first race back

 

[camaker]

Rundisney doesn't and can't operate independently though. They don't get to dictate what happens. They need to have things approved by many departments within disney including things like park operations, security, parking, and many others Those other departments have other priorities right now. rundisney is a "co-equal" division. They can't do things on their own and can't force any other department to allow them to do things. A lot of those other departments have other priorities right now.

A lot of rundisney approvals for courses and the like happen and start 6-8 months in advance and a lot of those likely haven't happened yet for any races.

Call it excuses but it is the reality right now. Yes disney has the advantage of owning their own property they run on but a lot of other people use that property too and that makes a lot of coordination needed.

My feeling is still April 2022 will be the first race back

I think you’re missing my point entirely. I’m not under the illusion that RunDisney works in a vacuum, but the fact remains that they have a dedicated division just for planning these races. Those other departments always have their own priorities. It’s also not like these are new courses or race weekends. There’s most likely a “playbook” for putting them on within each group. You pull that out, go over it, and do a gap analysis to see if anything needs to change for the upcoming weekend and plan accordingly.

The ONLY reasons remaining for Disney not to put on a race are in Disney’s control. They are a large enough organization to do multiple things when they want to. I guarantee you they have channels/processes to expedite decisions when necessary. If they decide that putting on the races that they’ve had in place for many years is too much trouble, that’s not going to go over well. There is no reason beyond “we don’t want to hassle with it right now left”. They have to decide whether they want to give that kind of impression to their running community. It‘s time to stop making excuses for them. They don’t have to hold the races, but I don’t have to give them a pass for it.

 

[GreatLakes]

As more and more races announce they are going to be in person this fall and Disney announces more stuff opening up I think we get closer to the next in-person race being Marathon Weekend. I've been pretty pessimistic about it happening in person but I think at this point it is a toss up on which race will be the first between MW, Princess, and the new spring race but I would be very surprised if W&D happens in person.

 

[Kerry1957]

As more and more races announce they are going to be in person this fall and Disney announces more stuff opening up I think we get closer to the next in-person race being Marathon Weekend. I've been pretty pessimistic about it happening in person but I think at this point it is a toss up on which race will be the first between MW, Princess, and the new spring race but I would be very surprised if W&D happens in person.

I fear you are correct that W&D will not be in person. I think most of the interesting back-and-forth discussion today relates to perceptions that if runDisney really wanted to put in on, then they still could if they made the decision today. Yes, it would be a bit more involved than it would have been pre-covid, perhaps a lot more involved.

What we don't know is if "corporate" has already made the decision not to have the races this fall (or even January). If they have not made a decision then what additional data do they require to make it? The wait for all of us to hear the decision only creates more frustration, but the level of their customers frustration does not appear to be a major concern for them at the moment. runDisney is huge for those of us on these boards, but in the overall scheme of things, it may not be as big of a deal to corporate as we wish it was.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

What we don't know is if "corporate" has already made the decision not to have the races this fall (or even January). If they have not made a decision then what additional data do they require to make it? The wait for all of us to hear the decision only creates more frustration, but the level of their customers frustration does not appear to be a major concern for them at the moment. runDisney is huge for those of us on these boards, but in the overall scheme of things, it may not be as big of a deal to corporate as we wish it was.

I’ve felt for awhile that it’ll come down to what sort of advocate RD has within the new corporate hierarchy (The Chapek Regime).

To that end...to the extent that Disney is pivoting towards attracting and indulging the sort of clientele that pay more per visit - eschewing AP programs and such - then us crazy runners who show up, stay for a few days, and torture ourselves very early in the morning for a medal AND buy t-shirts and jackets and the like are the sorts of customers Disney will be wanting to cultivate. Just a thought

 

[Baloo in MI]

Yep, that is exactly right! MW, and all the runDisney Weekends represent a lot of money going into the parks, restaurants, resorts, shops, etc. I mean we got to get our “I Did It” shirts, and go to big celebratory meals after our big race. Seriously, who buys more treats and food than a person dealing with runner hunger! This is all money, we are all ready to give to Disney; “take my credit card”...

I will not even get into brand loyalty. But two years of virtual races could become an issue, especially as every other race opportunity is becoming available!

So it is financial opportunity for a company that needs money. If they put it out now, people will register, I will! Ok, rant over. Sure hoping for good news soon!

 

[GreatLakes]

I haven't listened to it yet but this week's Disney Dish Podcast apparently addresses RunDisney based solely on the title of the episode.

 

[doombuggy]

Please understand that only about 80% of the furloughed/released cms elected to come back. Staff is needed and isn't out there. Many f/t cms have been working 6 days a week instead of 5. CPs are set to come back and you will probably see them at attractions. RunDisney relies on some cms to staff the courses, work the Expo, etc. When stretched, even a rubber band will break...

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

I haven't listened to it yet but this week's Disney Dish Podcast apparently addresses RunDisney based solely on the title of the episode.

I listened to it during my five mile run this morning! Great episode as usual. I wonder if Len Testa is reading these boards?

 

[GuinnessRunner]

Yep, that is exactly right! MW, and all the runDisney Weekends represent a lot of money going into the parks, restaurants, resorts, shops, etc.

Would be interesting to see (and we never will) if that's true. As I recall, the runDisney events were started to draw people to the resorts during a slow period. I wonder if Disney really needs something like MW to drive more business especially because (1) many people are excited to travel again and (2) the 50th will drive more attendance on its own. Pre-COVID, the days of really low attendence at any time of year seemed to be gone. No doubt we are all loyal and definitely spend our $ when we go for race weekends, but if Disney can get close to the same $ without the cost & issues of putting on races (closing down roads for other guests, etc.), I do worry they make the decision to use this as a change point on the future of runDisney.

Now, lots of non-$ reasons to keep it too, including the charity partner aspect, the goodwill of promoting fitness, etc.

I still very much want MW weekend and the other races to come back and hope they will, but I just question if they are truly money makers for them any more.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

Just listened to the Disney Dish Podcast and they say it is a huge revenue stream, so that answers that question for me right after my post and it can now be 100% ignored. Also makes me a lot more optimistic!

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Just listened to the Disney Dish Podcast and they say it is a huge revenue stream, so that answers that question for me right after my post and it can now be 100% ignored. Also makes me a lot more optimistic!

Yes. I think it's meant to boost attendance in the lull between Chrismas/NYE and MLK, Jr. weekends. Many likely opt to stay on-site for transportation, and while you're there may as well batch it with a park, and have to be there a day or two early to go to the Expo to get your packet...it adds up.