Do you know that feeling you get when you’re trying to score an individual Lightning Lane pass for Rise of the Resistance at 7 a.m., knowing they’ll be gone for the day by 7:02? (Only a very slight exaggeration there.) Well then you know what it feels like to register for Race Weekend events.
Registration generally opens about 9 months ahead of any Race Weekend, and some of the races will sell out in minutes. Do not hit the snooze button on your alarm this day. You will miss out. Generally the shorter races sell out first. If you’re looking for one of the longer races or a challenge, you might have a little more time, but I recommend clearing your calendar for an hour or so on registration morning, for finding someone who can do it for you if there’s no way you can do it yourself.
In most cases, registration becomes available at 10 a.m. ET on a Tuesday. You can find the link to the form from the event page on the runDisney site.
About 10-15 minutes before 10 a.m. the tiles for each race will update (you will want to refresh your browser until you see the links change). As soon as the links change, click “Register Now”
From then until 10 a.m. you’ll be placed into a waiting room, along with several thousand of your best running buddies. At 10 a.m. you’ll be assigned a position in the queue for registration. There will be an estimated wait timer to help you gauge how closely you need to pay attention. The site will play a chime when it’s your turn to register. If you don’t start your registration within a few minutes you will lose your place in line and have to start over.
There’s a few pieces of information you should make sure you have handy while you’re waiting. This is especially important if you’re registering another participant. You don’t want to get half way through the form and realize you don’t have an essential piece of information.
Make sure you have the following information ready:
- runDisney login
- personal details (Name, address, phone number, etc)
- credit card number
- emergency contact information (can be added later)
- T-shirt size
- They will also ask you if you are in the military, Disney Vacation Club or Passholder, or a cast member, and if you have run a Disney race before
As I mentioned before these races sell out fast! If you are registering for multiple races or are registering for more than one person, you will want to do it all on one form. If you submit a registration and need to do another, you will have to go back into the queue, and risk missing out if the race sells out in the meantime.
Another thing – even if a race is in your shopping cart, you are not registered until you get a confirmation email. Sometimes races can sell out even while an event is in your shopping cart. SPEED COUNTS.
How easy is the form? The last time I registered, I registered multiple people for different races in a flurry of adrenaline. I made some mistakes and I ended up overwriting the same registration 4 times. I was lucky I got all the races I wanted. Here are a couple of screenshots to help you avoid the pitfall that got me.
When you complete the registration for one person, you’ll see a button to select a registration for another person. After you click that button, the page refresh is very subtle. Make sure you scroll all the way up to the top of the page to select your new race for your second registration.
What happens if your race sells out? Well, there are a few options requiring either patience, flexibility, or more money.
- You can wait and check back later. There may be cancellations an a spot could open up
- You can run for one of the race’s designated charities. Details can be found on the runDisney site.
- You can run the virtual race. Not the same, I know, but if you’re itching for that medal, the virtual medals are just as pretty!
Disney Park Runner 
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