If you ask anyone who has ever registered for a RunDisney race, one of the most nerve-wracking things you can do is register! RunDisney registration takes place months before the actual race and is very well known for selling out as soon as the races open. For example, Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend registration opened a couple of weeks ago and all races are currently sold out, except for the Two Course Challenge, which is odd because typically the challenges are the first to sell out. There are a few tips and tricks to make sure you are ready for registration, lets go through those!
Create you active.com account prior to registration day. All RunDisney registrations will go through active.com, so you need to make sure your account is set up and ready to go. If you already have an account through active.com, log in the day before and make sure you know your login and password.
Be ready for the registration to open on 12:00 p.m. ET All race registrations open at 12:00 p.m. ET, this would be 9:00 a.m. PT. The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to be on about 10 minutes before the registration goes live. I have had experiences before where I was clicking refresh and the links went live at 5 minutes early. Making sure you are online and ready for registration will allow you to get your spot.
Once you have clicked on the link to register, what's next? Once the registration links go live and you have clicked on the race you want to run, you have 15 minutes to complete the registration. Some people think 15 minutes is a lot of time to register for the race, but beyond the questions they ask RunDisney also offer runners bundles, performance jackets and commemorative items during registration. The thing to know about this is the pins are the same that will be at the expo, but the jacket is race weekend theme, not a race specific jacket.If you aren't sure about these items when you first register, that is okay. These items stay on active.com and you can order them at any time. If you are a fast runner, like you run a half marathon is 2:45 or under, you will need to make sure you submit a proof of time. The proof of time will need to include the following information: race name, race date, race city, state and country, race time and race distance. RunDisney will verify this information and will place you in the appropriate corral for race day. If you are new and don't have a proof of time, no problem, there is typically a due date for the prior of time and you can run a race to get the proof of time before the cut off date. If you click on the link to register and you are put in a holding queue, that is okay. Don't freak out, it just means the current queue is full and they will typically give you a countdown. Once you get into the queue it will show you the races that are still available for registration. If there is a group of you registering for the same race it is best for everyone to register themselves. When you go through the registration process you can only register one person at a time. If you try registering multiple people, you risk the chance that someone may not get into the race. Make sure everyone in the group knows the date and time of registration.
If you are an annual passholder, or DVC member, do you get any special deals? YES! Good news for anyone who is a passholder or DVC member, you get to register a week or two before general registration. This gives you an even better chance of making sure you get into the race. If you miss passholder registration, or it is sold out before you are able to log on, don't worry you can still register during general registration.
Are there any other options if I miss registration? YES! RunDisney partners with charities and travel providers for race registrations. The charity option typically comes with a fundraising goal and going through a travel provider means you might have to book hotel and tickets with the provider to get a bib.
Once you have successfully registered for your race (or races #runalltheraces) it is time to celebrate and to start thinking about training!!