What to Expect: RunDisney Kids Races

My daughter, who will be 3 in March 2013, has been running the Disney Kids Races since she was 17 months old.  She has ran them at every runDisney race in 2012.  I didn’t really know what to expect the first time at Disneyland and Disney World.  Here is what to expect:

1.  They tell you to get there early.  This is both true and false all at the same time.  The kids races are broken up by kids age which corresponds to the distance they will run.  The 1-3 year old 100 yard dash is first, and than the 200, 300, 400 and last is the diaper dash.  If you are in the 400 group you are in a staging, waiting corral until all the other kids have raced.  Keep this in mind when you are rushing to be there “early”

2.  They don’t have the whole age group run at once.  They send off about 10 kids at a time to run, so it takes a little longer than one would think.

3.  The parents can run with the child.

4.  The medals they get are cute, but rubberized plastic.  My young daughter loves them, but I have heard some older kids complain that they aren’t metal, so maybe prepare older kids for this.

5.  They hold the kids races at different places, so it isn’t always the same.  At Disneyland Half they hold it down between ESPN zone and the Disneyland Hotel, but at the Tinker Bell Half they were inside California Adventure down by Paradise Pier.  At Disney World it is usually at ESPN Wide World of Sports.  We have ran on the track there before and also on the fields.  I saw that this years Princess they are listed at Epcot.

6.  Be patient and you will have a blast.  Sometimes it seems a little chaotic, but my daughter is always happy and proud at the end and that is what counts.

7.  You will print out a waiver for your child, just like yourself, to bring to the expo and pick up their race bib and t-shirt.

8.  The races at Disney World are usually $10 and $20 at Disneyland.  I say usually because sometimes it changes, but I still feel like this is one of the best deals at Disney!  They get a cute shirt, a medallion, a race bib, and the action of the race for less than the cost of a counter lunch at one of the parks.

Here is a picture of some of my daughters kids race medallions.