runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend to be a Virtual Race for 2020
runDisney has announced that the 2020 Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend, originally scheduled for Nov. 5-8 at Walt Disney World Resort, is being transitioned to a virtual race, citing concerns for the health and safety of cast members, athletes and guests due to ongoing circumstances surrounding COVID-19.
Registered guests are being given the option to receive either a full refund or, for registered guests with a U.S. mailing address, to convert their existing registration to a virtual event that can be completed remotely.
Virtual race participants will receive the following based on their registration(s):
- Race distance medal(s)
- Runner long sleeve shirt(s) and kids short sleeve shirt(s)
- Digital Bib and finisher certificate
- Digital Toolkit including start/finish line and mile markers
- Digital Goody Bag
- Virtual playlist
- A Disney Gift Card for select races (Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, Two Course Challenge)
Gift Cards values corresponding to each race distance are: $100 for the Two Course Challenge; $90 for the Half Marathon; $30 for the 10K; and $10 for the 5K. Gift Cards are expected to be processed in six to eight weeks after selecting the virtual race option.
Registered runners who choose to be refunded will receive a refund back to their original form of payment for the following:
- Race registrations (Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, Two Course Challenge and Kids Races)
- Commemorative merchandise (automatic refund – no virtual option)
- ChEAR Squad (automatic refund — no virtual option)
- Processing fee
Guests who purchased tickets for the Wine & Dine after-party will also receive refunds. Refunds are expected to be processed within six to eight weeks.
Emails will begin going out to registered runners on July 23 with instructions on how to select either the refund or virtual race option. Registered guests who do not make the selection by Aug. 5, 2020, will be automatically refunded.
The above options are for guests who have registered directly with runDisney for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon weekend. Runners who have registered through a participating charity, tour operator, or The Walt Disney Travel Company should reach out directly to the organization to confirm their options.
As for future races, runDisney has already opened registration for the 2021 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend in January and the 2021 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend in February. As to whether future races will go ahead as planned, runDisney has stated the following:
“We’re looking at every aspect of the runDisney experience and making decisions with the safety and well-being of our athletes, volunteers, Cast Members and Guests at the forefront of our planning. At this time, we plan to host the 2021 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend as scheduled and will share more details at a later date.“
UPDATE: Virtual registration opens to all July 30
On July 28, runDisney announced that a limited number of additional registration opportunities will be open on July 30 at 10am EDT. Runners will have the opportunity to register to run the Virtual 5K ($79), 10K ($99), Half Marathon ($118), and Two Course Challenge ($252). Participants will receive the following:
- Commemorative Finisher Medal
- Long Sleeve Event Tech Shirt
- Digital Bib and Finisher Certificate
- Digital Race Tool Kit featuring printable mile markers
- Digital Goody Bag
- Virtual Playlist
We’ll keep you updated as we learn more about upcoming runDisney races.
