Preparing for the Inaugural Disneyland Paris Half Marathon Weekend

After a lot of speculation, runDisney officially announced the Disneyland Paris Half Marathon Weekend in early 2015.

During the announcement (and many months to follow), the only information given were the dates – September 23-25, 2016. Many runners were anxious to learn more about this first international race weekend, especially as the cost would be substantially higher due to travel.

Slowly, more details were shared. The weekend would include an Expo, Kick-off Party, 5K, Kids’ Races and Half Marathon. At first, the registration details were a little vague, in that the first round would be for those purchasing travel packages, including race registration, hotel accommodations and park tickets. A few months later, race registration only would be available.

While this race wasn’t originally on Megan’s schedule, it soon became a mother and daughter adventure. The easiest option seemed to be getting a travel package, not only because we planned on staying near Disneyland Paris for the race weekend, but also to ensure we secured our race registrations. The original registration date in early October 2015 was pushed back a week at the last minute. It appeared this race would be quite the interesting saga. (Race registration only was also pushed back, and became available in mid-February 2016.)

When the next registration date came, Megan got on the phone to Disneyland Paris early in the morning. (Travel Provider packages were also available, but did sell out very quickly.) After a 45 minute wait, the package was booked, with full payment due at booking.

Megan was told that additional information regarding the race registrations would be sent later. Two months later, another email arrived stating there were steps they needed to take in order to officially register for their races (5K for both, half marathon for Megan). A username and password were provided, and all information needed to be entered. Along with your birthdate, etc., Megan had to provide additional information as a half marathon participant. This is where she gave her proof of time link, but also had to upload two certificates:

Castle to Chateau

In order to receive the Castle to Chateau medal, participants must run a half marathon or longer distance at Walt Disney World or Disneyland in 2016, as well as the Disneyland Paris Half Marathon. Since Megan had run the Walt Disney World Marathon, she uploaded her finisher’s certificate (found in the race results section on the runDisney website).

Medical Certificate

This was something that was definitely new! Those participating in the half marathon are required to have clearance from a doctor prior to participating. A medical certificate can be downloaded from the Disneyland Paris Half Marathon Weekend website, and must be signed by a doctor (including their license number). This signed certificate must be uploaded to the registration area by June 1.

Once Megan uploaded both of these certificates, along with additional registration information, a confirmation was sent to her email. They were officially registered for the Disneyland Paris Half Marathon Weekend!

Now, the wait continues. At this time, no new information regarding race weekend has been provided. Stay tuned as the preparation for the inaugural Disneyland Paris Half Marathon Weekend continues!