Finding a Qualifying Race

[amym2]

My 17yo daughter and a friend ran the Disney Half in 2019 and want to run it again in 2022. They ran from the back corral last time but really want to qualify for a front corral this year (my husband and 19yo son should be in corral A based on a race they ran in Apr). Problem is that they run XC for our high school and aren’t allowed to do outside races during the season, and meets start Aug 7. We hadn’t hurried to find a qualifying race this summer because it didn’t seem like the race would be in person. Now we are stuck! There’s one race Aug 1 almost 4 hours away, but it is not listed on the USATF list of approved courses. Is there any chance Disney will accept it anyway?

 

[GollyGadget]

Yes, there is. The website says it must be USATF but they definitely don't enforce it. The main thing is that it is of one of the specified distances and posts online results.

What was their finishing time at Disney in 2019? If it was less than 2 hours, it's likely they could use that. I'm not sure what the cutoff dates will be for princess or the spring surprise, but marathon weekend is allowing any races between Jan 1 2019 and Sept 30 2021.

For more discussion on this topic, check out the recent posts on this thread:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/pot-proof-of-time-race-equivalency-cutoff-confirmed-times.3699036/

 

[amym2]

Yes, there is. The website says it must be USATF but they definitely don't enforce it. The main thing is that it is of one of the specified distances and posts online results.

What was their finishing time at Disney in 2019? If it was less than 2 hours, it's likely they could use that. I'm not sure what the cutoff dates will be for princess or the spring surprise, but marathon weekend is allowing any races between Jan 1 2019 and Sept 30 2021.

For more discussion on this topic, check out the recent posts on this thread:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/pot-proof-of-time-race-equivalency-cutoff-confirmed-times.3699036/

Thank you! My husband reached out to the race coordinators, and they said it is certified even though it’s not on the list.

The half took them 3 hours in 2019 partly because they stopped for every character photo (and had waits since they were at the back) and partly because my daughter’s friend was battling an injury. Hopefully this 10K goes well and they qualify like they should!

 

[SheHulk]

This is some A+ mom support @amym2 I hope it works out!

 

[GollyGadget]

Thank you! My husband reached out to the race coordinators, and they said it is certified even though it’s not on the list.

The half took them 3 hours in 2019 partly because they stopped for every character photo (and had waits since they were at the back) and partly because my daughter’s friend was battling an injury. Hopefully this 10K goes well and they qualify like they should!

I hope it all works out as it should! Even if they don't get the time, as long as they register with an estimated finishing time of over 2 hrs and less than 3 hours, they should be able to avoid being the the very last corral. The other tip I have is to arrive early. I know it really sucks waking up that early (especially as a teenager), but if you're placed in a large corral and arrive early you can at least be in the front of that group.