The changes and modifications keep coming. One of runDisney’s races will not be an in-person event this year.
Disney had already cancelled some of the runDisney events due to current conditions. However, people were holding out hope that by November they would still be able to run the popular Wine & Dine Half Marathon, but that will not be the case this year. Disney just announced that they will be transitioning the 2020 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend to a virtual race.
As we have shared before, we are basing our decisions on the safety and well-being of our Cast Members, athletes and our Guests, since there is nothing more important than that.
With that in mind, we are transitioning the 2020 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World Resort to a virtual race.
Guests who are signed up for the race do have the option to receive a full refund for the race. Guests with a U.S. mailing address also have the option to convert their runDisney reservation into a reservation for the new virtual race. Which means the race can be completed right from your home. Not as fun as running in Disney World, I know, but at least you still get the fun Disney medals. Eligible runners who are registered for the race will receive an email with instructions on how to make their registration selections. The emails will be sent out beginning on July 23 and selections will have to be made before August 5.
Refunds
According to Disney, refunds will be processed in six to eight weeks. If the original form a payment is no longer available from the guest they can receive a refund in the form of a check or Disney gift card for race registrations, commemorative merchandise, ChEar Squad, and the processing fee.
Virtual Race
Those who opt for the virtual race will receive different items based on what they registered for. Those items include:
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- Race Distance Medal(s)
- Runner Long Sleeve Shirt(s) and Kids Short Sleeve Shirt(s)
- Digital Bib and Finisher Certificate
- A Digital Toolkit (includes start/finish line and mile markers)
- Digital Goody Bag, Virtual Playlist
- Disney Gift Card for Select Races (Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, and Two Course Challenge)
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Cancelling
If a guest does not cancel or select to join the virtual race by August 5, 2020 Disney will automatically cancel and refund the guest. Guests who booked through a charity, tour operator, or travel agent should contact them regarding their race registration. If the reservation was made directly through the Walt Disney Travel Company cancellations or changes can be made by calling 407-939-4786.
For those that have made donations to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida know that those donations will not be refunded. The donations will be delivered as planned.
Also, Disney stated that they still plan to have the 2021 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend at this time. The will release more information on that sometime in the future. I’ll update when that information becomes available.
While it is disappointing that the race is now virtual, it’s good that guests have an option. This gives runners a chance to still get the medals and participate, instead of it being cancelled all together. We’ll have to wait and see for sure on the 2021 Marathon Weekend, but it is good to hear it is still on, as of right now.
Were you planning to run the Wine & Dine Half Marathon this year? Are you opting to do the virtual race instead?
Thanks for reading!
Liz
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Liz
I love all things Disney, but my main love is for Disney World and I'm always planning for the next trip. Before becoming a Disney blogger, I was a radio DJ, so I guess I'm just continuing in the communication industry, just in a different form. I love talking Disney and I could talk about Disney all day. That's why I started blogging and created the Facebook group. The Disney community is full of friendly, helpful, and happy people...and I love being a part of it! If there is any Disney subject you would like to see covered just let me know! Need help planning your Disney vacation. Feel free to contact myself or Melissa at Never Stop Dreaming Travel Co. We love helping people plan their trips! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to check out our Countdown to Disney app! Feel free to email me with suggestions of things you would like to see in the app :-)