Official 2018 Star Wars - Light Side Half Marathon Weekend - Cancelled

[Keels]

When they sent out the link for the Star Wars Light Side race for previous runners of the race, it wasn't protected via sign in, so anyone could share the link and register for the race. My theory has been that they had too many people register early and they're trying to work out what that would mean when they re-open registration and provide entries to travel partners or if they can expand the race for more runners.

Long shot for sure, but hearing others raise internal IT problems makes me think that my theory isn't completely crackpot.

True - and a GREAT theory ... but that would be really disastrous if it took five months to fix.

I personally talked to the Active group that handles RunDisney registrations today and they confirmed that RunDisney shut down registrations and that anyone who purchased a registration and has it show in their Active account was fine - regardless of how they acquired the link.

I believe them, seeing as I'm the one that found the backdoor link to the early registration site for deferrals-only for Marathon Weekend in 2016 and had countless people use it to register, only to have RunDisney call the next morning to say my registration was being canceled and "How did you find this link, by the way?".

If RD cancels a registration, they call you almost immediately. They don't take five months to sort it out.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

It probably has to do with all the construction that will be starting rather than IT issues.

 

[SarahDisney]

Thanks for all that investigative work (and for explaining everything so well), @Keels!

 

[banzai25]

Let me join the chorus of Thank You's to @Keels for all the great investigative work. Personally, rD needs something really good and positive at the end of this to avoid looking terrible.

 

[rteetz]

It probably has to do with all the construction that will be starting rather than IT issues.

I don't think this has to do with it. Star Wars has been under construction for several races out there now. As for DCA we don't know yet when Marvel will begin work and Pixar Pier will be a quick change without any major construction.

 

[trackgam]

will be glad once it opens again. Considering how disappointed people were this year at tink, the medal underwhelming for the disneyland race, all while this is going on for ls and now tink..... The lack of communication was turning off so many and with prices going up and races not selling out, I was starting to think the cancel races was possibly true!! So glad for the behind the scenes work, thank you! @Keels

 

[Mil leech]

Thanks for all that investigative work (and for explaining everything so well), @Keels!

I agree, thank you!!!

 

[kirstie101]

Thanks @Keels for the investigative work!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I don't think this has to do with it. Star Wars has been under construction for several races out there now. As for DCA we don't know yet when Marvel will begin work and Pixar Pier will be a quick change without any major construction.

I was talking more about the construction that is going to take over the parking lots by Disneyland Hotel.

 

[rteetz]

I was talking more about the construction that is going to take over the parking lots by Disneyland Hotel.

I don't think that is much of an issue either. I think you can work around that.

 

[Krandor]

I was talking more about the construction that is going to take over the parking lots by Disneyland Hotel.

I don't think you hold up registation for that. You just have to have it sorted out by race day.

Though if they are moving the festival area I'd like to know where to as soon as possible since I normally stay at a certain hotel due to its proximity to the festival area so I might need to re-think hotel options.

 

[Krandor]

The first year was Sierra Nevada.

and not the "good" sierra nevada company (the beer company). lol. When I first saw sponsored by sierra nevada my first thought went to the beer company but I don't see disney ever having a beer company as a priamry sponsor.

 

[1mena7]

Apologies for the placeholder and replace -- this is the most updated info that's been received ... just wanted to pull some names out, in an effort to keep everything semi-anonymous on a public board like this. We do have an incredibly active Facebook group discussing all of this, so if you want to DM me I can send you the link and add you.

ANYWAY........

Sorry I'm new to this and tried to find out how to DM you but clearly failed. Can I please have the link for the facebook group?? Thanks!

 

[camaker]

Sorry I'm new to this and tried to find out how to DM you but clearly failed. Can I please have the link for the facebook group?? Thanks!

Look towards the top of the page. Find the bar with your user name and next to it will be an "Inbox" button. Click on that and then click on "Start a New Conversation". Enter the user name and other information and send!

 

[rteetz]

Sorry I'm new to this and tried to find out how to DM you but clearly failed. Can I please have the link for the facebook group?? Thanks!

Look towards the top of the page. Find the bar with your user name and next to it will be an "Inbox" button. Click on that and then click on "Start a New Conversation". Enter the user name and other information and send!

A poster must have 10 posts before they are allowed to DM.

 

[camaker]

A poster must have 10 posts before they are allowed to DM.

Did not know that! Thanks for the clarification!

 

[1mena7]

A poster must have 10 posts before they are allowed to DM.

OH! Ok. Thanks for that! I'm glad it wasn't something completely obvious that I'd been too blind to see.

 

[Plaid Princess]

Thanks, @rteetz! It's not much, but it's something!

I'm still standing by my cash-flow lacking theory ... but I also think that maybe something like a corporate sponsor fell through, so they need the $$ from DLH Weekend to go forward with everything.

I think you are right on the Money (pun intended) with this one. I'm a College Program Alumni, and I got an email earlier this year about the opportunity to work the Tinkerbell half for the weekend. There was a third party company staffing a lot of the race positions, and I'm wondering if it was Disney's way of trying to manage the cost of the race. Previously those positions have just been filled with CM's picking up extra shifts. I can see them having a hard time with the costs in CA... in FL they just massively oversell the races to compensate, and they have the hotel rooms to make it work. It's more complicated in Anaheim.

On a side note, there is no mention of the Light Side on the RunDisney Facebook page. Whether they are privy to more info than they are letting on, or just trying to avoid the constant questions on their page who knows.

I did send another email to RunDisney yesterday to see if they would give any new information. To be perfectly honest, I have no interest in doing a race at WDW if I'm not getting another Kessel Run medal out of it. I much prefer the California races, and without that specialty medal, there's no reason to do a FL race.

 

[StarGirl11]

I'm thinking if we somehow don't have an answer by next month I might try asking the guy in charge of disabled runners at Disneyland when I'm there for the DLH and see if he might be able to at least give an idea of what's going on. Since I think he may be high enough up to give some sort of concrete answer. Not going to guarantee anything though.

At the least I can possibly vent a bit about the lack of info and making it difficult for runners from out of state to plan anything.

 

[Mil leech]

I hadn't thought of the possible implications to dark side. Some people signed up hopeingbto get the coast to coast medal. Would runDisney refund the people who no longer wanted to do dark side if there were no light side?