For runDisney fans, the ultimate experience is an "official meetup". These events are held by runDisney staff as a thank you the most loyal fans and bloggers. They are typically the Friday before a big runDisney event. The Meetups are often attended by celebrities and always attended by the famous Jeff Galloway. They always start with a 2-3 mile run through a Disney park, followed by breakfast and some talks by the attendees. There are surprises galore! They could be park tickets, rides, giveaways such as race entries and the famous New Balance running shoes. I was lucky enough to be invited to the Tinkerbell Half meetup. Check it out here!
I have been asked so many time--Amy, how do I get in? I put together a list of tips to help you get into one of these super cool events.
Follow @runDisney on Twitter. They tweet "teasers" a few days before the official announcement.
Write an email containing your full name. Have it ready to send to one of these email address, depending on which coast the race is at:
Disneyland: DLR.SportsMeetUps@disney.com
Disney World: WDW.SportsMeetUps@disney.com
Have the email open and ready to send at a seconds notice.
Stalk the Disney Parks Blog at http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/. This is where the official meetup information will be posted first. When it does, act! You typically only have seconds to get your email in before the event is full.
Follow runDisney on Facebook. The announcement is not usually made there, but you never know--they may decide to change things up.
Start watching the above media sites beginning two week prior to the race for announcements. Announcements are typically made between Wednesday and Friday, but again this is subject to change.
Good luck getting in!
A dream is a wish...
--Amy
It is definitely hard to get into these meet ups. I tried for the Princess meet up and missed... O well, there will hopefully be plenty more opportunities...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips! I will be stalking the RunDisney blog before next year's Tink. :) Loved your recap of the meet-up, by the way!!
ReplyDeletethe tink half meetup was one of my favorite memories from the whole weekend! it was so great meeting you there.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I'll be stalking runDisney for next year's Princess Half for sure!
ReplyDeleteI'll add a few more tips I figured out last year. Set up text alerts or pop-up notifications on your phone for the Disney twitter account, and enable auto-refresh on your browser set to the park's blog page. I've done all these you mentioned and still struck out at Wine & Dine, WDW Marathon, and Princess so far. You have to be LIGHTNING quick it seems. However, I was able to get into the Oz Meetup happening the evening of the Princess Half, only because my phone alerts were still enabled. I'm still hopeful that my email will get chosen one day. But I'll be running Disney as long as my two legs allow. It is a blast, with or without the meetup. :)
ReplyDeleteI truly appreciate this post. I have been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thank you again! “All that is gold does not glitter not all those that wander are lost.” by J. R. R. Tolkien.
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