Future of west coast runDisney

banzai25

Earning My Ears
Joined
Nov 22, 2015
i know this topic has been really hashed over in other threads but I had some fresh thoughts this morning. The Disneyland Half and 10K experienced a huge drop in finishers this year despite the races being Sold Out. I know it was hot and there was a lot of folks swept but it doesn't account for the huge drops. When i combine this with them holding off on Light Side and Tink registrations, it makes me wonder they actually closed registration early. If so, this could point more strongly to major changes in the future
 
No doubt things are changing. Some rumors suggest Disney is getting rid of half marathons and just going to 5K and 10Ks because Anaheim doesn't like to shut down the roads. Other rumors suggest Disneyland will go to one or two major events and just cancel Star Wars and Tink. Until runDisney says something we don't know.
 
For sure. I was really caught off guard to realize this " sell-out" was so small. It definitely fits the idea that they may go away from halfs.
 
i know this topic has been really hashed over in other threads but I had some fresh thoughts this morning. The Disneyland Half and 10K experienced a huge drop in finishers this year despite the races being Sold Out. I know it was hot and there was a lot of folks swept but it doesn't account for the huge drops. When i combine this with them holding off on Light Side and Tink registrations, it makes me wonder they actually closed registration early. If so, this could point more strongly to major changes in the future

The race didn't sell out. They randomly closed registration in June when all races were still available.
 


I feel that RD events on the West Coast have popped their bubble and popularity is waning. I was surprised when I visited the Tink Expo back in May that spots were still open for some of the races, as I remember back when the DL Half Marathon would sell out within hours the day that registration would open. If I had to guess, I wouldn't be surprised if some race weekends were cut. The rumored battles with local police certainly don't help as well.
 
No doubt things are changing. Some rumors suggest Disney is getting rid of half marathons and just going to 5K and 10Ks because Anaheim doesn't like to shut down the roads. Other rumors suggest Disneyland will go to one or two major events and just cancel Star Wars and Tink. Until runDisney says something we don't know.
Now, as you said these are just rumors but I wonder if they'd really cancel Star Wars or Tink over Avengers. I really like the idea of Avengers as a theme even though I haven't made it out yet but it seems to sell the least? Granted it is a unique experience that WDW doesn't (and perhaps couldn't?) have but Star Wars and Tink both tie into a C2C challenge so I would almost think that they would make sense to keep over Avengers.
 
I feel that RD events on the West Coast have popped their bubble and popularity is waning. I was surprised when I visited the Tink Expo back in May that spots were still open for some of the races, as I remember back when the DL Half Marathon would sell out within hours the day that registration would open. If I had to guess, I wouldn't be surprised if some race weekends were cut. The rumored battles with local police certainly don't help as well.
I agree with this...4 race weekends is maybe 1 or 2 too many for Disneyland. But Dark Side didn't sell out at WDW either - actually I think that was the first expo with race weekend registration available. And I remember reading that race registrations are down everywhere, not just at Disney.

It does seem like Disney's California races don't sell quite as consistently as the Florida ones do, though.
Now, as you said these are just rumors but I wonder if they'd really cancel Star Wars or Tink over Avengers. I really like the idea of Avengers as a theme even though I haven't made it out yet but it seems to sell the least? Granted it is a unique experience that WDW doesn't (and perhaps couldn't?) have but Star Wars and Tink both tie into a C2C challenge so I would almost think that they would make sense to keep over Avengers.
I was thinking the same thing about Avengers, but (cue the outrage), I also don't think they need 2 Star Wars weekends. Maybe taking it away from California would help Dark Side sell better?

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I saw the discussion about Disneyland potentially transitioning away from half marathons to 5K/10K-only weekends (which, if true, makes that blogMickey post about the Disneyland Marathon even more ridiculous) on a Facebook group, and they asked an interesting question: if runDisney had 5Ks and 10Ks in California, and no half marathons, would you still participate?

A lot of people were saying they wouldn't make the trip for a race less than a half marathon, but I think I would. It would just be different - rather than being a *race trip* with some park time thrown in, I think I'd adjust my mindset to it being a Disneyland trip that happened to have a race (or two, because I'd likely sign up for both if they were only the shorter options - I'm guessing a lot of people would). To me, Disneyland is still worth it with or without the races. Thoughts?
 


I agree with this...4 race weekends is maybe 1 or 2 too many for Disneyland. But Dark Side didn't sell out at WDW either - actually I think that was the first expo with race weekend registration available. And I remember reading that race registrations are down everywhere, not just at Disney.

It does seem like Disney's California races don't sell quite as consistently as the Florida ones do, though.

I was thinking the same thing about Avengers, but (cue the outrage), I also don't think they need 2 Star Wars weekends. Maybe taking it away from California would help Dark Side sell better?

-------------------------------------

I saw the discussion about Disneyland potentially transitioning away from half marathons to 5K/10K-only weekends (which, if true, makes that blogMickey post about the Disneyland Marathon even more ridiculous) on a Facebook group, and they asked an interesting question: if runDisney had 5Ks and 10Ks in California, and no half marathons, would you still participate?

A lot of people were saying they wouldn't make the trip for a race less than a half marathon, but I think I would. It would just be different - rather than being a *race trip* with some park time thrown in, I think I'd adjust my mindset to it being a Disneyland trip that happened to have a race (or two, because I'd likely sign up for both if they were only the shorter options - I'm guessing a lot of people would). To me, Disneyland is still worth it with or without the races. Thoughts?

Stop hating on Star Wars!! :furious: :P

I'll also throw in my caution here about judging races based on sell outs. Extended availability of race registrations is good for runners, especially those who can't/won't commit 10-11 months prior to race day. Also, just because a race doesn't sell out doesn't mean it's not profitable for rD. Admittedly, we don't know the cut-off point and rD will never tell us, but profitability based on sell out would be a hideously bad business model.

I think the speculation that DL is overloaded with race weekends is pretty accurate, especially with the nationwide trend towards less race participation. If they were to drop a race, though, I think there could be a combination effect, though. From a theme standpoint, I think Avengers/Superheroes will be the one to go. It is, by all accounts, the least popular theme. I just don't see SWLS going under with the massive popularity of the movies, the effort that Disney has put into expanding the theme in the parks, and the popularity of the Kessel Run challenge. What I think they could do, though, is drop the Avengers theme and move SWLS into its November time slot. That would move it away from the massively popular WDWMW and, hopefully, increase attendance by reducing the number of Disney runners sucked into Dopey and not willing/able to foot the bill for another Disney vacation/race the very next weekend. Yes, it would still be close to W&D, but that's a much smaller weekend than WDWMW without quite the same draw. Additionally, it would make the Kessel Run a bit more accessible for many with an April-November turnaround versus the current January-April.

Finally, count me in the crowd that would not attend another DL race, if half marathons went away. As an East coaster, trips to DL are significantly more expensive than WDW. Couple that with the overall smaller resort size and fewer things to do at DL and it's just not worth it to me. The only reason I made my first trip to DL was to get the C2C medal. The only reason I have left at this point is to complete the Kessel Run. Take the half away and I won't bother. I know other opinions will vary, but I'm not traveling anywhere for just a 5k/10k.
 
@camaker I never said I *hate* Star Wars! :flower3:

I agree with you, I could see them dropping/shuffling a date that's really close to a WDW race weekend (Light Sight right after WDW Marathon weekend or Avengers right after Wine & Dine). I know people don't like Tink being over Mother's day but I really wonder if Tink not selling well IS actually due to the date or if it's due to the theme being sort of narrow? But I also agree that it's nice that they don't sell out like they used to!

I should amend my answer about whether I'd do the West Coast races if they weren't half marathons...if it was a trip with friends, I would still do it. If it was a trip with my husband, I wouldn't as the timing won't work out for us (he's a teacher so it's summer or winter break for travel for us, especially if it's going to California from here in the Midwest).

Mostly...I just can't believe how long this has been going on. Light Side registration was supposed to open MARCH 14!! We're approaching 6 months of radio silence from them on where this race weekend stands (6+ for those that did the early registration). Just crazy.
 
Cue two part response.

It does seem like Disney's California races don't sell quite as consistently as the Florida ones do, though.

I was thinking the same thing about Avengers, but (cue the outrage), I also don't think they need 2 Star Wars weekends. Maybe taking it away from California would help Dark Side sell better?
I love Star Wars and want them to keep it for the selfish reason that I haven't gotten to run it yet but I do think that they could re-theme the WDW race to be all of Star Wars and have a lot of success. Right now Dark Side struggles most of WDW races and I think that could really change if it was the only Star Wars race. I'm not sure how much of that is because of theming versus the date versus being a race that is more appealing as a C2C for those who can do it? If it's the last one Light Side could boost sales by not immediately following Marathon Weekend. In the end though, aside from the loss of the Kessel Run medal I would be all for one Star Wars weekend.

On this subject though, I feel that Tink Weekend is kind of niche. It's nice to have women dedicated races but Mother's Day Weekend is a tough one (though I don't think they did better before they changed the weekend) and it lacks the wide theming that many of the other races have. Every other race is about a large group there are a not of Star Wars and Avengers characters to use for race merch and medals, Disney has more than enough Princesses for theming, The Fab Five never goes out of style, etc. Tink is limited to just Peter Pan and the Tink specific series/movies not many people have seen. I don't know that there's a better choice other than Princess which is already taken but Disney has been getting away from being too specific (Dumbos Double Dash, Glass Slipper Challenge, Etc.) so I worry how well Tink can keep up with the other race themes.

I saw the discussion about Disneyland potentially transitioning away from half marathons to 5K/10K-only weekends (which, if true, makes that blogMickey post about the Disneyland Marathon even more ridiculous) on a Facebook group, and they asked an interesting question: if runDisney had 5Ks and 10Ks in California, and no half marathons, would you still participate?
Probably not. I enjoy the parks in California, I like the weather better than Florida and the race start times are much better since I'm coming from the East Coast but because of it's location in reference to my own the cost to travel and stay off property is about double what it costs for me to travel to WDW and stay on property and to me that's just not appealing. I'm not saying that if I wasn't already going to be out there I wouldn't be interested in running a race or that if I was planning a trip to DL anyway for some reason (I have never planned a trip to DL except for a race, I just ended up in that area once) I wouldn't make it coincide with a race but I would be much less likely to go out there.
 
@Anisum good point about the Dark Side date. I think being close to Easter/Spring break and being (from what I understand) pretty hot is tough for people.

Totally agree that Tink is niche - I used the word "narrow" above but you're wording it better than I did. And personally I don't think "women-focused" race weekends are needed either. :confused3
 
Finally, count me in the crowd that would not attend another DL race, if half marathons went away. As an East coaster, trips to DL are significantly more expensive than WDW. Couple that with the overall smaller resort size and fewer things to do at DL and it's just not worth it to me. The only reason I made my first trip to DL was to get the C2C medal. The only reason I have left at this point is to complete the Kessel Run. Take the half away and I won't bother. I know other opinions will vary, but I'm not traveling anywhere for just a 5k/10k.

Agree with this. I got a C2C last year and had the Kessel Run medal on my bucket list, but no specific plan on when I'd be getting that one. I'll be disappointed if Light Side goes away, but so it goes. I'm definitely not flying cross country just for a 5K/10K, unless there was another local race I could maybe do at the same time (LA Marathon?).
 
I would do 5Ks and 10Ks for DL but that is because I am fairly local (live about 4 hours north of the parks). I can understand people not wanting to fly for anything less than a half/challenge weekend.

I also agree that Tink is incredibly specific and I think a lot of people are fine with doing it just once (probably to get their pink Coast to Coast). I think if they rethemed it to something broader (like Villians perhaps?) it might have a great appeal since there is so much that you can do with the Villians. I am not a fan of Tink and that is one of the reasons I haven't even thought about running those races - the medals are pretty but I just don't like her as a character.

Count me in as someone who hopes that DL will continue to have at least 1 weekend (but that it is much cooler than what we experienced for DLR Half Weekend :crazy2:).
 
I saw the 5k/10k survey on the one facebook running group and I chose that I would still go for those distances on the West Coast (mainly if I already was planning on going out there for a vacation near the time of a race.) Mostly because that's precisely what my family is doing at W&D weekend. 5k & 10k only. It's not that we can't physically run half marathons...we just don't always want to run them. And sometimes there feels like a lot of pressure to run one if it is available because the longest distance gets top billing. If I saw a 5k/10k challange I'd sign on up...it'd be cheaper for sure...and I could definitely stay up late watching parades instead of leaving the park early the night before like for Tink weekend.

I'd still 100% wants the half and marathon option to exist though at some disney races so they are available to me when I want them. And I really think they need to keep the disneyland half because not all W.C. people are going to want to travel to Florida for one.
 
A villains themed race would do very well.

And personally I don't think "women-focused" race weekends are needed either. :confused3

I really agree with this. It's nice that Princess provides that environment for those who desire it but really Disney is about everyone and focusing the weekend on one gender takes away from that a bit.
I'd still 100% wants the half and marathon option to exist though at some disney races so they are available to me when I want them. And I really think they need to keep the disneyland half because not all W.C. people are going to want to travel to Florida for one.
I think this is a good point. Even if they have to cut back because the city doesn't want four half marathons a year, I think one, The Disneyland Half, is completely reasonable.
 
I do like "feminine" bling and merchandise because I'm just a girly girl. And so I do like the female leaning races because I'm a sucker for a big blingy tinkerbell medal or something with a tiara on it. Unfortunately most women are cool with masculine looking medals but not as many guys are cool with the vice-versa. I'd be fine if they didn't do a "women's only" type race...with the corrals being non gendered, etc. Just give me lots of feminine merch options and give me a giant dose of minnie and tink and princesses in with the guy characters too.
The minnie 10k medal at WDW race weekend hopefully will one day be mine (a perfect example of a non-women's race with a lady on it!!!)
 
I would still do DL races if they were 5k/10k only. I actually found it less expensive airfare to go from Providence to CA than Providence to Orlando. And it is easy to get up for races because of the time change. I loved our trip to DL for Avengers and 10ks are my favorite, so I can see still doing a race weekend out there without a half. I really wanted to both Light Side and Disney Land half eventually. So I hope they keep them, but would not be surprised if they did not based on all I have read about them over the last year or so. My sister and I are big Star Wars fans, so we were hoping to do those races once the Star Wars lands open, but always knew it was not guaranteed. Hopefully they will keep one somewhere. Selfishly I like Dark Side on the weekend it currently is, because its the weekend our school vacations overlap - I'm in MA and she is in NH.
 
I do like "feminine" bling and merchandise because I'm just a girly girl. And so I do like the female leaning races because I'm a sucker for a big blingy tinkerbell medal or something with a tiara on it. Unfortunately most women are cool with masculine looking medals but not as many guys are cool with the vice-versa. I'd be fine if they didn't do a "women's only" type race...with the corrals being non gendered, etc. Just give me lots of feminine merch options and give me a giant dose of minnie and tink and princesses in with the guy characters too.
The minnie 10k medal at WDW race weekend hopefully will one day be mine (a perfect example of a non-women's race with a lady on it!!!)
what guy would not want to run in a girl centered event....geez i was totally hoping to do that. it would be the only time they would recind my restraining order to allow me to chase women around a park. ;)
 

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