Disney Half Marathon Pricing More Than a Bit Goofy
Walt Disney has gone mad...madder than the Mad Hatter with more than tea in his tea cup ride. Registration for the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend opens up on February 2nd. What in the wild world of Walt Disney is going on with that pricing??? A whopping $205 for a half marathon, $120 for the 10K, and $80 for the 5k. How happy is your "happiest place on earth" wallet with those prices.? For those fast sub-twenty 5k runners, that's $240 an hour. Do I get a selfie with Ariel at that price? Yes, I think the correct answer to my sarcastic question is yes, but you get the point.
Do not take me for a Disney hater. I have been a frequent flyer of the Flying Dumbo ride since the 60's when the monorail was considered part of "Tommorowland." My kids have been on a Disney cruise and punched their ticket to Disneyland at least five times before they were ten...and yes, my daughter was at one point a Disney princess.
Yes, they have some of the best SWAG going when it comes to race bling, but $205 for a half marathon???
I am a fanatic when it comes to running and admit, I haven't done Disney yet as my kids have grown out of the demographic. I know, I know, you don't have to be a kid to enjoy Disney and I still do. I would like to run the Star Wars Half at some point as that would likely be the coolest medal in my bookcase aside from my unicorns. I just can't see it.
I suppose I could see some value in it being a "destination race," particularly if you have a family with little ones in tow so it becomes a "win-win" for the family. But there are other fantastic destination half marathons to consider. Competitor Magazine's January 2016 Issue features their Ultimate Running and Racing Guide with plenty of options.
One of my favorite half marathons is right here in Colorado; the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon. The current registration (early bird) price? $50. I'd argue that the mountains of Colorado offer a destination value that rivals Disneyland with historic mining towns "book-ending" the start and finish line. Another local favorite in Denver is the Platte River Half Marathon which also opened up at $50 (early bird) pricing, and is currently $70. Use my BibRave discount code (Bibrave10) for 10% off. The Platte River Half Marathon includes downtown Littleton, the (you guessed it) Platte River and historic Buckhorn Exchange which is the oldest restaurant in Denver.
I can see perhaps some novelty of running through the Disney park itself, but I've heard of other reviews of their races and the park itself was a small portion of the race with less than picturesque scenery along the rest of the route. I was looking for a course map on their site and and it only provides a description that includes "picturesque" Anaheim and "past the Honda center." Oh boy, an arena parking lot! Sign me up...for a different race. I think Colorado wins the scenery "bang for the buck" here.
I would love to hear from those Disney runner fans out there about their experience.
Do not take me for a Disney hater. I have been a frequent flyer of the Flying Dumbo ride since the 60's when the monorail was considered part of "Tommorowland." My kids have been on a Disney cruise and punched their ticket to Disneyland at least five times before they were ten...and yes, my daughter was at one point a Disney princess.
Yes, they have some of the best SWAG going when it comes to race bling, but $205 for a half marathon???
I am a fanatic when it comes to running and admit, I haven't done Disney yet as my kids have grown out of the demographic. I know, I know, you don't have to be a kid to enjoy Disney and I still do. I would like to run the Star Wars Half at some point as that would likely be the coolest medal in my bookcase aside from my unicorns. I just can't see it.
I suppose I could see some value in it being a "destination race," particularly if you have a family with little ones in tow so it becomes a "win-win" for the family. But there are other fantastic destination half marathons to consider. Competitor Magazine's January 2016 Issue features their Ultimate Running and Racing Guide with plenty of options.
One of my favorite half marathons is right here in Colorado; the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon. The current registration (early bird) price? $50. I'd argue that the mountains of Colorado offer a destination value that rivals Disneyland with historic mining towns "book-ending" the start and finish line. Another local favorite in Denver is the Platte River Half Marathon which also opened up at $50 (early bird) pricing, and is currently $70. Use my BibRave discount code (Bibrave10) for 10% off. The Platte River Half Marathon includes downtown Littleton, the (you guessed it) Platte River and historic Buckhorn Exchange which is the oldest restaurant in Denver.
I can see perhaps some novelty of running through the Disney park itself, but I've heard of other reviews of their races and the park itself was a small portion of the race with less than picturesque scenery along the rest of the route. I was looking for a course map on their site and and it only provides a description that includes "picturesque" Anaheim and "past the Honda center." Oh boy, an arena parking lot! Sign me up...for a different race. I think Colorado wins the scenery "bang for the buck" here.
I would love to hear from those Disney runner fans out there about their experience.
My very first half was the Disney World Half in 2011. I think I paid $175ish. It was a great experience but some of that was attributed to the fact that I was completing a bucket list item. I would totally do it again though.
ReplyDeleteI haven't participated in a Disney race but would love to do the Dopey Challenge (5k on Thurs, 10k on Fri, 1/2 marathon on Sat, 26.2 on Sunday)--the priciest Disney race of them all, lol! Go big or go home, right? Jaja!! @hellyontherun
ReplyDeleteThanks Helly. Disney is clearly doing a lot of things right as their loyalty seems quite high with the Disney run fanatics.
Deletethe cost (and travel costs)is why ive never done a disney race... might do one as a destination/vacation when my kid is old enough to enjoy disney though... the medals are pretty sweet (not 200$ sweet though)
ReplyDeleteNot to mention all the other costs.. Hotel, airfare, food. It would get to be outrageous if the only purpose is to run the race. Plus I've heard the crowds are crazy! Too many people.
ReplyDeleteNot exactly the best "bang for the buck."
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