Update to 2020 RunDisney Wine and Dine Race Weekend

With Walt Disney World reopening this month, things were looking good for all of us Disney Nerds getting our bit of magic back on track. Unfortunately, for our RunDisney Nerds, they were given some bad news today.

According to RunDisney.com, the 2020 Disney Wine Dine Half Marathon weekend, which was to be November 5th-8th, will no longer be held at Walt Disney World. Disney is offering runners the option of a refund or to participate in a Virtual Race.

RunDisney has already released the photos on their website of what the race medals and shirts will look like now that they have gone virtual!

Here is the official advisory from RunDisney:

“With circumstances surrounding COVID-19 continuing to change around the globe, we continue to make timely decisions about our operations after considering guidance from local and national health authorities. As we have shared before, we are basing our decisions on the safety and well-being of our Cast Members, athletes, and our Guests, since there is nothing more important than that.

With that in mind, we are transitioning the 2020 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World Resort to a virtual race. All registered Guests for the onsite event have the option of receiving a full refund for the race, and registered Guests with a U.S. mailing address may convert their existing registration to the new virtual event that can be completed from home, a local running track or favorite running trail.

Eligible runners who select to participate in the virtual race will receive a race shirt and medal for each distance they complete, in addition to the satisfaction of completing the race they’ve been training for. Registered participants will receive an email beginning July 23 with instructions on how to make their registration selection before August 5, 2020. If a selection is not made, registered Guests automatically will be refunded.

2020 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend Refund Option

Runners registered for the 2020 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World Resort who select the refund option will receive a refund back to their original form of payment for the following. If a Guest no longer has their original form of payment used when registering, they may contact runDisney by August 5, 2020 to receive a refund via check or a Disney Gift Card 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

Additionally, any registered participant with a shipping address outside of the U.S. will automatically receive a refund back to their original form of payment. At this time, participants without a valid U.S. shipping address are not eligible for the virtual option.

Refund timing:

Refunds from runDisney can be expected to be processed in six to eight weeks. If you haven’t received your refund after eight weeks, please visit the “contact us” section on runDisney.com.

2020 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend Virtual Race Option

All registered participants with a valid U.S. shipping address for the 2020 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World Resort who purchased their registrations on runDisney.com will have the option to participate in a virtual race. Please note this does not include PO Boxes or APO Boxes. Participants who select this option 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

Guests with a U.S. mailing address who already have received a refund for their registration may still register to participate in the virtual race option by contacting runDisney by August 5, 2020.

Disney Gift Cards for select races:

Eligible athletes registered for select events during the 2020 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World Resort will receive a Disney Gift Card:

• Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, Two-Course Challenge

Disney Gift Card timing:

Disney Gift Cards from runDisney can be expected to be processed in six to eight weeks. If you haven’t received your Disney Gift Card after eight weeks, please visit the “contact us” section on runDisney.com.

Alternate booking methods:

Runners who’ve booked through a charity or tour operator should reach out directly to that organization. Runners who’ve booked through the Walt Disney Travel Company may call them at 407-939-4786 (407-939-IRUN) for available options.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida donations:

Donations made to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida will not be refunded and will be delivered to that organization as originally planned.

Future Races:

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. We thank you for your continued patience and understanding.”

It’s another sad blow to getting things back to “normal” at Walt Disney World but we can only hope that RunDisney races will return in 2021. Be sure to stay tuned for more information as it comes in. As always, we will keep you up to date with all the news from Walt Disney World and the other Disney parks!