So... why do you runDisney?

[croach]

The purists and elites that are upset about "lax" time limits and walk breaks are pretty short-sighted.

This got cut off my last post but I kind of think there probably aren't a lot of people in the running community making those kind of comments. I think their comments are so stupid and inflammatory that runners grab on to them and they get a lot of attention. Or maybe I need to get out more.

 

[roxymama]

I think it all comes down to some people feel like "if everyone is now special, then I am not special." It happens in literally every subculture, especially amongst die-hard fans.
And disney certainly as a company is in the business of making people feel special. So they aren't going to go out of their way to exclude people. So I can't really see them ever going to a qualifying time situation like Boston or t-shirts only for a certain time limit like other races have done.
But to me, that's ok...because races like that do exist. And if you are up to the challenge of doing them then no one says you only have to do those...you can do rundisney too. And you don't have to only do rundisney.
I like the options to try out more and less competitive races. But generally I find whether a race is competitive or not has more to do with myself internally than the actual race. Am I gonna be competitive on this specific day or not?

 

[Anisum]

See, this is where they get upset. They believe that there should be some different award for finishing a marathon than a medal. I guess that it goes back to the infancy of the sport, when only the best runners got medals. Each race had criteria for the medals, but they generally went to the top X number of finishers or finishers who completed the course within a specific time frame. Some races gave finisher shirts to those who did not meet the medal criteria, but who still finished within the maximum time allowed, but even that was pretty rare. Essentially, only a very small percentage of runners ever got a medal. It was a true prize - like a trophy.

So how does that effect the purists? They feel like a lot of people feel today about our "everyone deserves a trophy" culture, and they resent that it has taken over the sport of running. So it is not so much that they resent slower runners as they resent the "medal" philosophy. I get it because I used to be one of them. It made sense to me then. I still understand, though my views have changed and I now like the idea of a finishers medal. I do wish, however, that events with finishers medals should have separate and different medals for those who meet certain finishing criteria. I think that it would create a more competitive atmosphere in all races, the way that races used to be. And I hate the idea that rD awards finishing medals to people who do not actually finish the races. It devalues the medals completely.

On the one had I get what you're saying, and I understand that you're playing devil's advocate but I would think the people who feel this way are going to struggle more in the future. Overall, I'm not sure how giving all finishers medals should upset people more at Disney than anywhere else. I think giving out finishers medals (to finishers, runDisney's policy of giving them out to everyone is something different) is standard across the board once you reach around a 15k (with the exception of some smaller races). There are certainly races that have stricter pace requirements but these days I would say it's more difficult to find a race that doesn't offer some sort of incentive to all who finish since even races with a time limit tend to have more lax limits that allow at least most participants to finish. I definitely get where that culture may bother them because I feel the same way about things like medals for a 5k but I think it's going to be a struggle to find races that fit their philosophy.

 

[IamTrike]

Disney races are plenty competitive to me. A lot of fast times are posted. You don't get the big stars but like someone said there's no pay day for them so they don't show. Same thing happens for Marine Corps/

I think there might be some slight variation in the way people are using the word competitive. Disney affords people at any level the ability to push themselves or not during a race. For 99.99% of the running population you'll find someone to run with you at the pace you choose to run. However, in terms of average page or things like BQ time qualifiers Disney skews slower than other races. For example, I got injured during my first NY marathon and wound up walking he last 6 miles or so. They based my corral placement for this years NY marathon off of that time showing my estimated finish of 4:25. Based on that they seeded me in the 2nd corral in the last wave. So a 10:05 pace for a marathon put in the slowest quartile of runners. At Disney I think that would have been much closer to the middle of the pack. Also if you compare Percentage of BQ qualifiers at Disney to other races Disney skews low particularly given that their course is pancake flat and is well supported. For example I think around 1.5% of Disney marathoners BQ vs 3.5% of Space coast marathoners.

This got cut off my last post but I kind of think there probably aren't a lot of people in the running community making those kind of comments. I think their comments are so stupid and inflammatory that runners grab on to them and they get a lot of attention. Or maybe I need to get out more.

Yeah I do think they seem to be the exception to the rule. I've really only encountered it twice. Once was that pacer and another was a shoe store clerk that looked me up and down and said "you don't look like a runner".

 

[roxymama]

I tend to laugh at myself because I am guilty of being overly excited about corral placement. Mostly because I hate standing around a long time before a race (but I'll admit because I feel kinda bada$$ when I get a high placement.) And I too often have to remind myself that my 9+ min or slower mile doesn't somehow get faster because I'm in a C corral vs a K corral. I've been known to work my backside off in the hopes for a really high disney corral because I know I have a better shot at it than some of my home races. But that may just be a byproduct of me actually wanting to get faster.
I was overly excited to be in A this year at disney. I knew that doesn't mean I'll be in A at the big Chicago races...that's a far faster place to be. And I felt worried I was in the way of some of the type of people who could be in A in those faster races. But it ended up being fine.
But I do have to remind myself I'm being silly when I get bummed about getting in a C if I was hoping for a B or whatever. And then I see the pacers in my particular corral and realize I'm in the right spot.

I don't know if what I'm saying has anything to do with the topic at hand. Haha
I just wanted to share

 

[kbenson13]

Does a race have to be either "competitive" or "inclusive"? I don't see those as mutually exclusive absolutes, especially in the case of runDisney. One of the reasons I really enjoy the events is that you can choose to be as competitive or as casual as you want in your approach. Want a PR? You've got a certified, chip-timed course that you can take as fast as you want to. Worried about the crowding with "casual" runners? There's a PoT system to help you get clear of a majority of them. Age group and category awards await if you're good enough. Want a fun run with character stops and mid-race rides? Go for it! RunDisney provides a product that can cater to both.

I wanted to echo this point. If you want to be competitive and run fast, any race that has "proof of time" corral assignments is going to be a good race for you. I've only been running for a few years, but I already resent the non-Disney races where people don't have to adhere to the suggested pace guidelines in the corrals or at the starting line. Tons of walkers seem to willingly ignore the pace "requirements" and I usually spend the first 10 minutes of races like this zig zagging in and out of walkers. I should just learn my lesson and line up with the 6:20 milers in these races!

If you're careful about those photo op stops you can generally avoid people slowing down in front of you to get over to them. They're really no different than water stations in that regard.

Also if you compare Percentage of BQ qualifiers at Disney to other races Disney skews low particularly given that their course is pancake flat and is well supported.

It's funny that you say this as I sure *felt* like I was running on a constantly uphill grade at last weekend's Wine & Dine!

 

[Jsciv]

See, this is where they get upset. They believe that there should be some different award for finishing a marathon than a medal. I guess that it goes back to the infancy of the sport, when only the best runners got medals. Each race had criteria for the medals, but they generally went to the top X number of finishers or finishers who completed the course within a specific time frame. Some races gave finisher shirts to those who did not meet the medal criteria, but who still finished within the maximum time allowed, but even that was pretty rare. Essentially, only a very small percentage of runners ever got a medal. It was a true prize - like a trophy.

In general this makes perfect sense to me. Specifically to Disney though, if they're charging me $200 to race, the prize better be worth more than a shirt.

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

I tend to laugh at myself because I am guilty of being overly excited about corral placement. Mostly because I hate standing around a long time before a race (but I'll admit because I feel kinda bada$$ when I get a high placement.) And I too often have to remind myself that my 9+ min or slower mile doesn't somehow get faster because I'm in a C corral vs a K corral. I've been known to work my backside off in the hopes for a really high disney corral because I know I have a better shot at it than some of my home races. But that may just be a byproduct of me actually wanting to get faster.
I was overly excited to be in A this year at disney. I knew that doesn't mean I'll be in A at the big Chicago races...that's a far faster place to be. And I felt worried I was in the way of some of the type of people who could be in A in those faster races. But it ended up being fine.
But I do have to remind myself I'm being silly when I get bummed about getting in a C if I was hoping for a B or whatever. And then I see the pacers in my particular corral and realize I'm in the right spot.

I don't know if what I'm saying has anything to do with the topic at hand. Haha
I just wanted to share

My dd (16) is the exact same. She was so thrilled when she was place in the A corral earlier this year for the DL 10k (the only race she ran that weekend). She's running all three races this coming weekend and was so bummed when she was put in C for the half. It was such a let down for her -- even though her placement and times are far better then when she ran star wars and princess.

So you are not the only one that feels that way about corral placement at the RunDisney events.



On a side note my dd is also on her schools cross country team. In the invitationals and meets it is very common practice for only the top runners (first 15 or 20) to finish to get a medal. This does push the kids to be more competitive to get that medal. It is truly awful when you come in just one or two runners behind the last person to get a medal. This did happen to my dd a few times but it only pushes her to work harder at practice or push harder while on the course.

That being said - I'd not enroll in her the RunDisney races if that were the case. Its too much $$ to not get a medal at the end. Also they do have the special recognition for the top racers in the various categories for those that are really competitive.

 

[FFigawi]

I do wish, however, that events with finishers medals should have separate and different medals for those who meet certain finishing criteria. I think that it would create a more competitive atmosphere in all races, the way that races used to be. And I hate the idea that rD awards finishing medals to people who do not actually finish the races. It devalues the medals completely.

There are quite a few races in other countries which hand out different medals for different finishing times. Comrades in South Africa is probably the biggest and best example of this. The Top 10 men and women get gold medals, under 6 hours but not top ten receive gold and silver, and so on until the last group of finishers between 11 and 12 hours receive a copper medal. Most people focus on and train for specific medals/finishing times, and you can see this reflected in the cluster of finishers near the various cut-off points. There are normally large spikes of finishers right before the cut-off times as everyone pushes to get that particular medal, and then a relative lull as people realize it's not worth pushing to finish 5 minutes after a medal point when finishing 30 minutes after gets you the same medal.

 

[IamTrike]

I tend to laugh at myself because I am guilty of being overly excited about corral placement. Mostly because I hate standing around a long time before a race (but I'll admit because I feel kinda bada$$ when I get a high placement.) And I too often have to remind myself that my 9+ min or slower mile doesn't somehow get faster because I'm in a C corral vs a K corral. I've been known to work my backside off in the hopes for a really high disney corral because I know I have a better shot at it than some of my home races. But that may just be a byproduct of me actually wanting to get faster.
I was overly excited to be in A this year at disney. I knew that doesn't mean I'll be in A at the big Chicago races...that's a far faster place to be. And I felt worried I was in the way of some of the type of people who could be in A in those faster races. But it ended up being fine.
But I do have to remind myself I'm being silly when I get bummed about getting in a C if I was hoping for a B or whatever. And then I see the pacers in my particular corral and realize I'm in the right spot.

I don't know if what I'm saying has anything to do with the topic at hand. Haha
I just wanted to share

I'm the same way. I don't really obsesses over them although I am always trying to run faster to move up.

I wanted to echo this point. If you want to be competitive and run fast, any race that has "proof of time" corral assignments is going to be a good race for you. I've only been running for a few years, but I already resent the non-Disney races where people don't have to adhere to the suggested pace

*Cough* Marine Corps Marathon *Cough*

There are quite a few races in other countries which hand out different medals for different finishing times. Comrades in South Africa is probably the biggest and best example of this. The Top 10 men and women get gold medals, under 6 hours but not top ten receive gold and silver, and so on until the last group of finishers between 11 and 12 hours receive a copper medal. Most people focus on and train for specific medals/finishing times, and you can see this reflected in the cluster of finishers near the various cut-off points. There are normally large spikes of finishers right before the cut-off times as everyone pushes to get that particular medal, and then a relative lull as people realize it's not worth pushing to finish 5 minutes after a medal point when finishing 30 minutes after gets you the same medal.

I am really intrigued by this race. Your race report on it was really interesting. I don't think I'll ever make it to South Africa but I would love to do this race.

 

[FFigawi]

I am really intrigued by this race. Your race report on it was really interesting. I don't think I'll ever make it to South Africa but I would love to do this race.

It's a great race. Highly recommended.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Outside of character lines, Disney races are ones that I feel those taking 3 1/2 hours to complete a half are equal to those taking an hour and a half to complete. When I run Disney, there are folks all over cheering us on at the finish line 4 hours after the race starts. I've done other races where near the end, the tables have been packed up and most folks have gone home, almost making it seem like a bother to take so long to finish.

Some of the large RNR races have the same feel as Disney(specifically Vegas).

It also helps this older, overweight, guy feel accomplished to see a 10K time in the 40th percentile. That happens nowhere outside of Disney.

We also love the Disney shirts. RNR shirts run small. Most local races do cotton shirts.

 

[Anisum]

Yeah I do think they seem to be the exception to the rule. I've really only encountered it twice. Once was that pacer and another was a shoe store clerk that looked me up and down and said "you don't look like a runner".

I've discovered that since runners come in all shapes and sizes that you can't really judge whether or not someone "looks" like a runner unless they're wearing their running clothes. I certainly don't look like someone who runs but low and behold I put on purple running clothes and become a runner. I feel like a shoe store clerk should know that. At least at a running shoe store.

There are quite a few races in other countries which hand out different medals for different finishing times. Comrades in South Africa is probably the biggest and best example of this. The Top 10 men and women get gold medals, under 6 hours but not top ten receive gold and silver, and so on until the last group of finishers between 11 and 12 hours receive a copper medal. Most people focus on and train for specific medals/finishing times, and you can see this reflected in the cluster of finishers near the various cut-off points. There are normally large spikes of finishers right before the cut-off times as everyone pushes to get that particular medal, and then a relative lull as people realize it's not worth pushing to finish 5 minutes after a medal point when finishing 30 minutes after gets you the same medal.

See that's cool. Everyone finishing within the time limit gets a medal which makes sense because they completed the race within the time limit. It pushes people to aim higher though because they may want a specific medal or it might encourage people to come back because they want the next level of medal. I think that's really the best of both worlds.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Novelty of Running Through the Parks
For the Medals
Other

My "other" is just the general vibe at rD races as compared to RnR or others.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

See, this is where they get upset. They believe that there should be some different award for finishing a marathon than a medal. I guess that it goes back to the infancy of the sport, when only the best runners got medals. Each race had criteria for the medals, but they generally went to the top X number of finishers or finishers who completed the course within a specific time frame. Some races gave finisher shirts to those who did not meet the medal criteria, but who still finished within the maximum time allowed, but even that was pretty rare. Essentially, only a very small percentage of runners ever got a medal. It was a true prize - like a trophy.

So how does that effect the purists? They feel like a lot of people feel today about our "everyone deserves a trophy" culture, and they resent that it has taken over the sport of running. So it is not so much that they resent slower runners as they resent the "medal" philosophy. I get it because I used to be one of them. It made sense to me then. I still understand, though my views have changed and I now like the idea of a finishers medal. I do wish, however, that events with finishers medals should have separate and different medals for those who meet certain finishing criteria. I think that it would create a more competitive atmosphere in all races, the way that races used to be. And I hate the idea that rD awards finishing medals to people who do not actually finish the races. It devalues the medals completely.

There are plenty of races out there for people who really begrudge someone who just ran the same distance as they did -- albeit slower -- receiving a medal.

To me, this is ENTIRELY different from the "everyone gets a trophy for everything" issue that many have with the culture these days.

 

[jennamfeo]

I don't think I would even be close to wanting to run a Half Marathon if it wasn't for runDisney. And this year I did THREE. As we were walking into our last runDisney expo (for a while) this weekend in California, I started crying. My husband was like "I guess I just don't feel that much connection like you." (He has done 3 10ks with runDisney.) And I was like "runDisney made me do things I didn't think I could do. The challenges. The HMs. The PRs I have received. It's all thanks to this company." Plus running through the parks and the characters and the costumes. It's a whole different race atmosphere. But I am ready to take a break. See new places. Run new races. Get some new PRs.