Registration Guide
runDisney races are exceptionally popular. They often sell out within minutes, which can be stressful. There is no single “best” way to get a bib via regular registration, but some tips and tricks can help put the odds in your favor. The key is understanding how runDisney registration works. For this guide, I will break down the registration process and a few strategies for registering multiple people. This is going to be a lot of pages and a lot of text, so buckle up. I hope this guide will help you get the bibs you want and make the process a little easier.
First Things First
If you do not have a runDisney account, go make one! You don’t want to waste time creating an account while registering for races. If you have a My Disney Experience login, you still need to connect your credentials to the runDisney system. Set up a new account or link your MDE credentials by going to “manage account” under the help and support menu on rundisney.com.
The Clock is Ticking
Race bibs can and do sell out at any point in the process. They can sell out while you’re still waiting in the queue to register. They can sell out as you’re entering your information. They can sell out as you click “pay”. As a result, your best shot at getting a bib is to get into the registration portal as early as possible and then check out as quickly as possible. Everything in this guide is designed with this in mind.
The Queue
The Queue is the Key
Disney uses a queueing process to manage the high demand for these races. Essentially, once you click the "register" button, you're placed in a virtual queue. When it's your turn, the page will refresh and you'll be directed to the registration portal where you can purchase your bibs. Sounds simple, but it’s not. Depending on when you join the queue, you will either be placed in line to purchase on a first-come-first-serve basis, or you will be randomly placed somewhere in the purchase line. You’re going to take advantage of both these options via multiple browsers, but before we do that, let’s talk about how these queues work.
Random Placement
Officially, registration begins at 10 am eastern standard time. However, runDisney will often activate the “registration” button on the event page about 20 min prior to 10 am. If you click on the registration button at this time (i.e., before 10am), you will be put in a holding room. They call it a queue but think of it as a room. Here is a picture of what the holding room looks like:
The holding room page looks almost identical to the actual queue. The major difference between the queue and the holding room is there is no estimated wait time when you are in the holding room. You will also notice runDisney calls out the random assignment for those in the holding room prior to 10 am (the official booking time). You can see in the screenshot the time I joined the holding room is 9:41 am.
At 10 am, the holding room page will automatically update and you will be placed in the real queue. Again, you are assigned a random spot in the line.
Numerical Order (First-Come-First-Serve)
If you click “Register Now” at or past 10 am, you will be immediately placed in the next available spot in the queue. No holding room at all. What some people find confusing, is that the next available spot may be a shorter wait time than a randomly assigned one. Imagine there were 1,000 possible spots in line and only 50 people in the holding room (not real numbers, just easy numbers). Those 50 people will be assigned a number from 1-1000. That leaves 950 spots free. Those free spots are the spots filled in numerical order. So it’s totally possible for a person to click in after 10 am and be able to register before someone from the holding room who got an unlucky spot in line.
Multiple Browsers
Rolling the Dice
As you can tell, getting your spot in line is like rolling the dice. So what do you do?
You get more dice.
This is where multiple browsers come in. Every single browser (think Chrome, Safari, Mozilla, etc.) counts as a different spot in line. Browsers on other devices, such as your phone or iPad, also count as separate spots in line. Incognito and private browsers can also count as a separate spot in the line, but it may prevent your data from auto-populating once you get to the registration page. Multiple tabs do absolutely nothing.
Now that you know how the queues work and about multiple browsers, let’s put together some strategies
Start With the Holding Room
As I said earlier, the Register Now button often (but not always) goes live before 10 am. Have the runDisney event page pulled up on all your various browsers and devices. Manually refresh these pages until you see the Register Now button appear. Once it does, put all but a few browsers into the holding room. Each browser in the holding room will have a different queue ID at the bottom of the page.
At 10 am, these browsers will update and you’ll have the wait times. Don’t freak out. A lot of them will likely say over an hour. The queue placement can and does change quickly as people get through the checkout process. Your wait time may jump down by big increments.
Jump in at 10am Too
After 10 am, browsers that click Register Now are automatically put in line on a first come first serve basis. You’re going to use your remaining few browsers to get in line after 10 am. Why? Because of what we talked about earlier. There’s a chance all your holding room browsers were bad dice rolls. This option is your safety net. I like to stagger it out after 10 am by waiting a few min between putting each browser in the queue.
It Will Go Wrong
There is so much traffic and demand on race day that it is not uncommon for the site to experience problems. Brace yourself. It’s all part of the experience. Lately, these are the most common issues I’ve seen:
Register Now Buttons Appearing Late
Sometimes the Register Now buttons don’t appear until 10 am, or even later. That’s ok. Whenever the button does appear, click on it. If the page does NOT have a wait time, then you’re in the holding room. Proceed like normal. If there is a wait time, then the queue is officially open. Go ahead and start moving all your browsers into the queue.
Only One Register Now Button Appears
Sometimes the Register Now button will appear for one race distance but not the others. That doesn’t matter. Every registration button takes you to the same place, regardless of the race distance tile it’s on. Click the first button you see appear. You’ll pick your actual race distance to purchase in later steps.
The Register Now Button Doesn’t Work
Sometimes you click the register now button and nothing happens. Usually, this is also when only one register now button appears. Just keep clicking, it’ll eventually work.
The Register Now Button Disappears
Sometimes you’ll see one Register Now button, and then all of a sudden it’s gone. Don’t sweat it. This is usually a sign that all of them are about to appear and things are kicking off.
Multiple Browsers are Why Things Break
The reason there can be so many issues with the site is because of the sheer volume of traffic hitting it all at once. For some race registrations, the demand has fully crashed the site. Multiple browsers and devices exponentially increase traffic, which means that using multiple browsers is a big part of the problem. In the past, Disney has asked participants to NOT use multiple browsers. If everyone did this, things would most definitely go more smoothly.
Unfortunately, if you ask me what your best shot at getting a bib is…the answer is multiple browsers. That’s just the reality of the current situation.
Time to Register!
Make a Cheat Sheet
When you get to the registration form, there will be a lot of required information to fill out. This information includes things like emergency contact information, addresses, etc. Remember, you are on the clock and things can sell out at any time. You don’t want to waste time looking up somebody’s phone number or address, so make sure you have their information handy before registration time. For every bib, you will need to fill out the following information:
Name
Gender
Shirt Size
Date of Birth
Email
Address
Phone Number
Emergency Contact Name
Emergency Phone Number
Emergency Relationship
In-Person Race Acknowledgement (check box)
In-Person Race Acknowledgement (check box)
Military Division (yes/no)
Athlete with Disability (yes/no)
Proof of Time Submission (checkbox)
Anticipated Pace
Affinity Group Membership (select all that apply - This is AP, DVC, etc.)
Previous runDisney Events? (Select all that apply)
Number of previous runDisney Events
Staying On Property (yes/no)
Travel Party (Drop-down selection - solo, friends, family)
TIP
Copy and Paste this information into a shared Google doc or email. Make sure everyone registering has filled out their information. When it comes time to register, you’ll be able to copy/paste the correct answers into the registration form, saving time.
Strategy 1: Single Purchase
Bibs can sell out at any time. The longer you take adding bibs and filling out the information, the more you risk a race distance selling out before you can buy and secure the bibs. To make things even worse, if a race distance sells out while you’re attempting to checkout, you are not allowed to proceed with the races that are still in stock. Instead, you have to start the entire process all over again, adding each bib (and filling in the information for each bib) back into your cart. You do not experience another queue, which is nice, but it’s still a very stressful thing to re-enter all your info. This makes the process even longer and increases the risk of missing out on even more bibs.
The upside is if you make it through checkout, everyone’s bib is secured. I use this method for my husband and I, because it’s not worth the travel costs if only one of us is racing. Keep in mind, race bibs are non-refundable, non-deferrable, and non-transferable to another person. There is no undo option after you buy it. So you’ll need to have an honest conversation with your travel party on if it is a deal breaker for everyone to get into the race. If you are planning to share a room with other participants, will they still want to spend the money to travel if they don’t get a bib? What will you do if they don’t want to travel but you do have a bib?
Strategy 2: Separate Purchases
The other option is to buy bibs separately. This sounds simple, but you can do it a few different ways. As I said, people can get through the queue at different times. And once you are through the queue once, you are forever through the queue. This means the first person through can secure their bib, then immediately go back in and start buying bibs for other people, even while they are still waiting in line. As other members of the travel party start clearing their queues, they can help register people one by one. This approach will take coordination, and I recommend a group phone call vs. text so that your hands are free to fill out the registration information.
You can also group the bib purchases. The first person can buy all of the challenge bibs for everyone, the next person pick up the 5k distances, etc.
Buy Based on Priority
I’m always asked what bibs will sell out first. Yes, I have the historical data, but the truth is it’s too unpredictable to help form a strategy. Instead of trying to play Madame Leota, I recommend you make a priority list. What is the number one race that you want to do? The race that you will travel for even if it’s the only one you get. Make that race the first purchase, even if you don’t think it’ll sell out first. It’s the one that means the most to you. Then go from there.
Skip the Pre-Ordered Merch
Disney sometimes offers race merchandise for sale as a pre-order. Don’t waste time adding merch to your cart. After you secure your bibs, you can go into your runDisney dashboard and buy all the merch you want.
Don’t Put in A Proof of Time
Runners who would like to be placed in the first few corrals can submit what is called a Proof of Time. Do not bother selecting a finish time that requires a Proof of Time during registration, even if you plan to submit one. It will take time to enter all details needed for a proof of time submission, and that time is better spent securing your bib. Pick a slower corral/finish time. After you’ve purchased your bib, you will be able back into your runDisney dashboard and edit your finish time selection. You can then add your proof time later. There are some caveats to this. Your information will become locked down and uneditable at the Proof of Time Deadline (typically months after registration opens). If you happen to register after the Proof of Time Deadline, your only opportunity to provide a Proof of Time will be during registration. I also keep the Proof of Time Deadlines updated on the Important Dates page, and you can find them on the runDisney website.
Buying Multiple Bibs (for yourself or others)
At the end of the registration form, there will be a gray button on the right-hand side. The button says, “I want to add another registration.” When you click this button, you will have the opportunity to select another bib. This additional bib can be for yourself or for someone else. The important thing to understand is that when you do this option, you are adding all the bibs to a single cart. Which means you will purchase them all at once. Some people opt to buy bibs separately, checking out with one bib at a time. Each approach has pros and cons.
Checking Out
Purchasing Methods
You can only use one method to purchase runDisney bibs. This means you cannot use a gift card for a portion and pay the rest with a debit or credit card. Also, multiple gift cards act as multiple methods, so will not work either. If you want to use a gift card, you will need to combine your gift cards via the manage gift card function at www.disneygiftcard.com.
Errors Checking Out
You should get to a confirmation screen of your purchase, but checkout errors happen. If you don’t see a confirmation screen, look for a confirmation email of your purchase. This email and the confirmation screen with the purchase number are how you know you’ve secured your bibs. Having a charge on your card is NOT proof of purchase. In fact, you may see multiple charges, depending on the errors you experience at checkout. These charges should be pending charges and ultimately fall off your statement, however, always reach out to Disney with questions regarding specific scenarios.
Last Things To Know
Move a Bib to Another Account
If you bought a bib, that bib will show up in your account. Even if the bib is not yours. Don’t worry. When you go to the bib in your runDisney Dashboard, you will see a notice that documents need attention. This is the participant waiver, which must be filled out by the actual participant (or on behalf of the participant). Here you will see the option to email the waiver to the correct person. When the correct person receives this email, they will be taken through the process of having the bib moved into their runDisney account. Occasionally, there may be issues if there is a discrepancy with the names. I once registered my husband as Nicholas, but his runDisney account is Nick. This resulted in a phone call to runDisney and they solved it quickly. I don’t have any great photos of this process, but I plan to get some screenshots soon.
Upgrading Your Bibs
You may not get the race distance you want. There is still hope. Occasionally, Disney will relist some bibs in limited inventories. When this happens, you can go into your runDisney dashboard, select your bib, and select the option to upgrade your bib. You can only upgrade to a longer distance or challenge. When you upgrade, you will be charged a $45 dollar admin fee + the difference in price between your bib and the bib you are upgrading to. This only works if the distance you want is available, and they can sell out during the upgrade process.