Does Disney Endurance Sports make anyone else want to tear their hair out? - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Does Disney Endurance Sports make anyone else want to tear their hair out?
We have participated in marathon weekend several times, with seemingly increasing levels of frustration each time.
This time, DH is running the Goofy Challenge again, and we are both signed up for the family 5k on Friday 1/8. We plan to arrive in Orlando late on Thursday evening (1/7), after the marathon expo is closed. BEFORE we signed up for the 5k, we called Disney Sports and asked if there was race day packet pickup for the 5K because we were getting in late the night before. They assured us that there would be race day packet pick up. Relying on that, we registered for the 5K (non-refundable) and bought our airplane tickets, which have us arriving at 10:30 p.m. on 1/7.
We got an email from Disney Endurance Sports yesterday saying, among other things, that race packets had to be picked up at the Expo because there is no race day packet pickup.
I don't know what we're supposed to do now. I can't get through on the phone. I've submitted an inquiry via the "Contact Us" link on their website, but haven't received an answer yet. Frankly, I'm not overly optimistic. Every other time I've contacted them through the website, the answers I've gotten in return have been useless.
I can't imagine that they didn't think about the fact that lots of people are probably arriving on Thursday evening for marathon weekend and going to miss the expo. I'm so frustrated!
Let me preface this by saying I have never been to the marathon and may not have a clue here.....BUT , I wonder if there is some confusion in what they are calling "the Expo". According to their website, the Expo has hours on Thurs, Fri, and Sat. So, couldn't you pick up your race packet at the Fri expo hours, instead of Thurs? Does this make any sense besides in my head? Here is exactly what it says on the website I read: PACKET PICK-UP
All runners must attend the Expo for race number and packet pick-up. If you are planning to arrive at Walt Disney World® Resort before Thursday evening, we highly recommend that you attend packet pick-up on Thursday to avoid expected long lines on Friday and Saturday. You will need to download your personalized race number pick-up card/waiver form online and bring it with you to packet pick-up at the Expo when it becomes available online in December.
If you cannot attend the race packet pick-up, then shirts, race packets and goody bags will not be mailed. EXPO
Thursday, January 7, 2010 from 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday, January 8, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 9, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Disney's Wide World of Sports® Complex
Oops, now I think I may see the problem. If you are doing the Family 5K that starts at 7 am on Friday, the expo wouldn't be open yet that day for you to get your race packet. That is probably why they are telling you you have to pick it up Thurs. I bet the CM that told you you could pick packets up on Friday didn't pay any attention to what race you were in. I hope you are able to work something out with them to get your packet!
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
There happened to be a live chat with the Endurance Sports team today. I submitted my question about this and they said that there would be late packet pickup before the 5K, but not for any of the other marathon weekend races. The problem was that they had sent the email saying "no race day packet pickup" to everyone who was participating in ANY marathon weekend event, so their communication was not a model of clarity.
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, I wonder if there is some confusion in what they are calling "the Expo". According to their website, the Expo has hours on Thurs, Fri, and Sat. So, couldn't you pick up your race packet at the Fri expo hours, instead of Thurs? Does this make any sense besides in my head? Here is exactly what it says on the website I read:
I hope you are able to work something out with them to get your packet! 
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