Official 2020 Star Wars Rival Run Weekend - CANCELED

Glad I have a few Millenium Falcon medals already as I don't love the new Kessel Run design. Otherwise both the half medals look great, but not crazy about the 10K and wished the challenge medal featured characters, not a ship.

What characters would you have put on the challenge medal when it was announced to be X-Wing vs TIE Fighter? I guess you could put Biggs or Dak or generic pilots on there, but I don't think that would have really been in keeping with the way they announced the theme.
 
Definitely having mixed feelings on the Kessel Challenge medal - I knew they would be changing it, but I don't think I was expecting that. Kind of disappointed that this is going to be my first RunDisney Challenge medal, but I guess...throwing the switch to lightspeed is my favorite part of Smugglers Run, so that connection can be cool at least...maybe? I'm trying...

I do like the half marathon medals though so I'm excited about those ones for sure. Definitely no regret on signing up to get that Yoda medal
 
Definitely having mixed feelings on the Kessel Challenge medal - I knew they would be changing it, but I don't think I was expecting that. Kind of disappointed that this is going to be my first RunDisney Challenge medal, but I guess...throwing the switch to lightspeed is my favorite part of Smugglers Run, so that connection can be cool at least...maybe? I'm trying...

I do like the half marathon medals though so I'm excited about those ones for sure. Definitely no regret on signing up to get that Yoda medal
Would be better as baby yoda ;)
 




My daughter and I ran the Space Coast Marathon this weekend. Going through the expo, there were a lot of booths for local races featuring their upcoming medals. The medal designs on display were intricate, detailed and beautiful almost across the board. It is very striking how little detail, thought and care were put into the RunDisney medals for Marathon Weekend (most, but not all) and now Rival Run, SW Virtual and Kessel. It's amazing how cartoon-y RunDisney's medals look by comparison. It's like other races are trying to attract runners and RunDisney just doesn't care about that part of the experience.
 
My daughter and I ran the Space Coast Marathon this weekend. Going through the expo, there were a lot of booths for local races featuring their upcoming medals. The medal designs on display were intricate, detailed and beautiful almost across the board. It is very striking how little detail, thought and care were put into the RunDisney medals for Marathon Weekend (most, but not all) and now Rival Run, SW Virtual and Kessel. It's amazing how cartoon-y RunDisney's medals look by comparison. It's like other races are trying to attract runners and RunDisney just doesn't care about that part of the experience.
It really depends on the race weekend. I loved the Wine and Dine medals. There was no over arching theme but I really liked each individual medal this year.
 
Last edited:
It really depends on the race weekend. I loved the Wine and Dine medals. There was no over arching theme but I really liked each individual medal this year.

I thought the W&D medals were attractive and would have liked them, but I think the fact that we’re picking and choosing within race weekends and across weekends is emblematic of how inconsistent RunDisney has become in their offerings. Even the good ones aren’t as detailed as what I’m seeing from a lot of local races for a fraction of the price. Just look at the difference in design thought and quality between the MW 5k and 10k medals. It’s striking. I was ready to sign up for W&D early based on the villains theming, but the dramatic inconsistency in medal designs and concern over the downgrade in shirt brand/quality has me seriously questioning whether I want to support them for an additional race weekend.

I LOOOOOVE all the medals!!! Kinda surprised to see so much negative. I would have liked the falcon medal, but I still really like this one!! Can't wait to get them alllll!

ETA: I think this link shows the best quality pics of them. I liked them a whole lot more once I saw these pics compared to the first ones I saw.
https://insidethemagic.net/2019/12/...T_nwr751UemdTRLO-YDL3qe0VusZhRQdcU_UtOq1xOahQ

I can only speak for myself, but I don’t think they are all bad. My anger is based on the fact that the only reason I signed up for the virtual race was to get the Millennium Falcon medal that had previously been unchanged for the 4 years that it had been on offer. While the current Kessel Run medal doesn’t look bad, in my opinion, there is nothing special about it. They replaced something iconic that wasn’t broken with something solidly “meh”.

As for the other medals:
Virtual - Nice medal. Good detail in Chewy. A little overkill to force it into being a spinner.
5k - Meh, too cartoony. I love Ahsoka and Maul and was waiting to see the medal to decide whether to sign up. This won’t get me to sign up.
10k - Why is this not a spinner? It doesn’t go with the rest of the set. The worst of the lot, a la the MW 10k Oswald medal.
Half - Really like this one a lot. Vader looks great. Would have preferred Yoda to look a little less constipated, but overall the best of the set.
Challenge - Overall pretty good, but I want to see it in person. The vehicles look a little undetailed in the pics I’ve seen. The continuation of the vehicle design from the spinner into the edge of the medal is intriguing and may look better in person
 
Last edited:
I thought the W&D medals were attractive and would have liked them, but I think the fact that we’re picking and choosing within race weekends and across weekends is emblematic of how inconsistent RunDisney has become in their offerings. Even the good ones aren’t as detailed as what I’m seeing from a lot of local races for a fraction of the price. Just look at the difference in design thought and quality between the MW 5k and 10k medals. It’s striking. I was ready to sign up for W&D early based on the villains theming, but the dramatic inconsistency in medal designs and concern over the downgrade in shirt brand/quality has me seriously questioning whether I want to support them for an additional race weekend.
My personal opinion is you may be a little too nitpicky.

I don't sign up for races because of shirts so that has never factored into any race I have done. Champion shirts were fine and great but I only ever really wear them to train and I will do the same with the new ones.

I for one would rather see changes from year to year whether good or bad than the same medal every year. When runDisney first started with the marathon it was a very similar medal from year to year. I like the variety. No I certainly don't love every medal that I have ever earned but thats not the point. I still have a blast running these races and getting the chance to earn those medals whether I like it or not.

No I am not signed up for this weekend but if I could I would. I would have rather had the falcon ship probably if I was but I would still enjoy this medal because its Star Wars. Its not like its a Jar Jar Binks medal even though some would like that too. I take the runDisney races for the overall experience and going to Disney not because of one simple medal.
 
Kessel Run is a neat change, kinda meh on the others.
Really mixed feelings here for me. I like the fact that they spelled out Kessel Run in Aurebesh on the medal and I get what they're going for with the hyperspace field, but it's not iconic Millennium Falcon as the original one was.
Great! I finally get to run for the Kessel Run medal thinking it will be a nice boost in detail or upgraded for the 5th anniversary and that uninspiring piece of #$@# is what they come up with as "special"?! I'm pissed! This is very disappointing and I'm regretting signing up for it now.
I felt the same way when they announced the 5K theme. I was hoping they'd go each race themed to one of the trilogies for the 5th anniversary of the race weekend.
I've mentioned this before but I wonder if they think about moving on from the Rival Run theme in 2021, especially given how these medals turned out.
I would be surprised if it changes. No races in Disneyland for 2021 so I think Rival Run stays until they decide once and for all the fate of races on the west coast.
Glad I have a few Millenium Falcon medals already as I don't love the new Kessel Run design. Otherwise both the half medals look great, but not crazy about the 10K and wished the challenge medal featured characters, not a ship.
Overall medal thoughts:

5K: Now having seen both sides, I've upgraded it to okay. I was hoping for a lightsaber duel or something to boost my excitement for this one given my overall feelings about the theme. Hopefully Ahsoka fans will not throw lightsabers at me because I'm not a fan of the medal or the theme. But I've already paid for the race so I may as well run it and stop for as many photos as I can possibly get away with.

10K: Even though it's yet another stormtrooper medal, I like it. At least you can easily tell that it's Leia on the medal so that's good. At the same time I wouldn't mind if it had a bit more going on.

Virtual Half: From what I can tell in that one photo, I think I like it. Further views will help me make a final determination.

Half: Possibly my favorite of all the medals this year. We'll have to see how Vader looks on the other side. The large 5 on some of the medals throws me off. I know why it's there, but I'm not sure that I like it there. But Yoda looks good and different than he does on my Inaugural Rebel Challenge Medal. And it's Yoda who remains my very favorite Star Wars character ever.

Rival Run Challenge: Well, I'd like to see the other side. The X-Wing design is just okay for me. Hopefully the TIE Fighter will look better. Not what I expected as I hoped to get both ships on there.

Kessel Run Challenge: I"m guessing this will be a one and done medal design for them. I think a lot of people are going to dislike it. And I don't blame them. In a weird way it's beginning to grow on me. I get what it's trying to do. And it's certainly iconic Star Wars. All that said, I would not be happy if this was my only chance at the Kessel Run after the sheer brilliance of the previous Kessel Run medal.

Still none of these medals are as disappointing as the 2017 Rebel Challenge medal.
 
My personal opinion is you may be a little too nitpicky.

I don't sign up for races because of shirts so that has never factored into any race I have done. Champion shirts were fine and great but I only ever really wear them to train and I will do the same with the new ones.

I for one would rather see changes from year to year whether good or bad than the same medal every year. When runDisney first started with the marathon it was a very similar medal from year to year. I like the variety. No I certainly don't love every medal that I have ever earned but thats not the point. I still have a blast running these races and getting the chance to earn those medals whether I like it or not.

No I am not signed up for this weekend but if I could I would. I would have rather had the falcon ship probably if I was but I would still enjoy this medal because its Star Wars. Its not like its a Jar Jar Binks medal even though some would like that too. I take the runDisney races for the overall experience and going to Disney not because of one simple medal.

I don’t think it’s being nitpicky to expect a race that charges premium prices to deliver a product that reflects that in its quality. I don’t sign up for races based on the shirt, either, but I do reserve the right to question whether they are delivering less and less value when prices increase while inclusions like the shirts have their quality reduced and medal detail and quality have become wildly inconsistent. Just because it’s Disney doesn’t mean I have to just drink their Kool-Aid and fail to critically examine whether I’m getting value for the premium price.

As far as the Kessel Run medal goes, I have no issues with them changing up the in-event medals from year to year. That’s expected. That’s not what they’ve historically done with the multi-event weekends, though. Every other multiple "event" challenge medal (C2C, pink C2C, C2Chateau) that they've offered has had, at most, minor changes from year to year, if not outright staying the same. This is the first time I've seen them dramatically change that type of medal (in 5 years of running rD). That’s always been part of the hook to get people to run multiple events. Run more than one weekend and you get this cool, special challenge medal. Sure, they’re free to change it up, but it’s crappy to make such a dramatic change so long after opening registration with their “no refunds” registration policy. Yes, it’s on me that I didn’t wait for the medal release, but nothing in the 5 years I’ve been running Disney gave a clue that was a worry for this particular medal.

ETA: To clarify, the Millennium Falcon medal was not the reason I was going to the race weekend. It was the sole reason I added the exorbitantly expensive virtual half to the weekend. I love the Star Wars theme and have wanted to get back to the weekend since the inaugural.
 
Last edited:
I don’t think it’s being nitpicky to expect a race that charges premium prices to deliver a product that reflects that in its quality. I don’t sign up for races based on the shirt, either, but I do reserve the right to question whether they are delivering less and less value when prices increase while inclusions like the shirts have their quality reduced and medal detail and quality have become wildly inconsistent. Just because it’s Disney doesn’t mean I have to just drink their Kool-Aid and fail to critically examine whether I’m getting value for the premium price.

As far as the Kessel Run medal goes, I have no issues with them changing up the in-event medals from year to year. That’s expected. That’s not what they’ve historically done with the multi-event weekends, though. Every other multiple "event" challenge medal (C2C, pink C2C, C2Chateau) that they've offered has had, at most, minor changes from year to year, if not outright staying the same. This is the first time I've seen them dramatically change that type of medal (in 5 years of running rD). That’s always been part of the hook to get people to run multiple events. Run more than one weekend and you get this cool, special challenge medal. Sure, they’re free to change it up, but it’s crappy to make such a dramatic change so long after opening registration with their “no refunds” registration policy. Yes, it’s on me that I didn’t wait for the medal release, but nothing in the 5 years I’ve been running Disney gave a clue that was a worry for this particular medal.
To each their own. I haven't found a loss in value yet with races I have done. Sure not every single moment or aspect is perfect but I never expect it to be. If I didn't like it or found a loss in value I wouldn't sing up anymore.

Kessel lost its luster for some when they got rid of DL races anyways. Its more of a money grab than much else at this time. It is still the falcon on the medal after all.
 
Yea, I don't run races for the design of the medals (or shirts), they're just a nice perk that I get at the end. That definitely has very, very little factor in to what value I feel like I get out of races. I had also read that the design for the Kessel Challenge medal was going to change quite a while ago, so I was expecting it to be different than it has been.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top