My Attempt to Get a Pair of runDIsney Shoes

A few months ago, Disney named New Balance as the official shoe of runDisney. In honor of such an occasion, New Balance reveled an exclusive shoe made especially for runDisney. These new Mickey (men’s) and Minnie (women’s) shoes made their big debut in January at the Walt Disney World Marathon and were for sale to those attending the expo. Their popularity was overwhelming, resulting in a quick sell out. Whether it is due to their Disney theme or with the fact that they are, at this time, only being offered for sale at race expos, it is clear that that these shoes are very much in demand.  I, too, was immediately drawn to these shoes and was quite excited to learn that they would be sold at the Health and Fitness Expo during the Princess Half Marathon Weekend.

We planned on arriving at the expo on Friday morning before it opened at 9am. Apparently, everyone else had that same idea, as there were a couple hundred people lined up outside of the expo, located at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.  Since the shoes had sold out very quickly during both the Marathon and Tinkerbell expos, I knew we would be facing a large crowd. I just did not anticipate THAT large of a crowd! Fortunately, not everyone waiting for the expo doors to be opened was looking to score a pair of shoes. It was, however , an extremely LONG line that started near at the main doors, ran almost the entire width of the building before making a hairpin turn, doubling back to the entrance of the New Balance booth. I really wanted a pair of these shoes, but, to be honest, I wasn’t certain if it was worth waiting in line that long with all five kids. My husband, being the supportive and accommodating man that he is, said he would stand in line while I went to pick up our race packets. Packet pick up was a frustrating task in itself. I had to pick up my bib for the half marathon and 5k and also the bibs for the other three kids. Despite registering everyone at the same time, we all  had a vastly different bib number which meant waiting in separate lines for each bib. I waited in five different lines in order to obtain everyone number.  By the time I returned to the shoe line, just over an hour had passed and my husband was about half way through the line. We swapped spots and he went to pick up his bib. 

It was upon his return, 15 minutes later, that I realized I only had my Key to the World card with me–no cash no credit card. If you are unfamiliar with the Key to the World card, it is essentially your resort room key. It not only opens your door, but also holds your dining plan credits, can be used like a credit card to make purchases, and can also be used as your park ticket. So, in an attempt to travel light (and with five kids, I’m always looking to carry LESS stuff), I left my wallet back at the room, save my ID and Key to the World card. I began to feel ill. Did we just spend the last hour and fifteen minutes standing in line for NOTHING?  The answer, sadly, is yes. My husband, too,  had left his wallet back in our room and was only carrying the same cards as I. After a quick talk with the very nice people at the New Balance booth, we were informed that they did NOT take the Key to the World card and unfortunately we did not have the means in which to pay for a pair of shoes.  We had become so reliant on only needing our Key to the World cards during our visits to WDW, it did not even dawn on us that we wouldn’t be able to use it at the expo. So out of line we went—a perfectly good Disney morning wasted!

I will admit, I was pretty bummed. Partly because I REALLY thought I had a chance to get my very own pair of Minnie shoes but mostly because we spent all that time in line for nothing. We decided to head over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to try to salvage the rest of our day. A very large cup of coffee and cheese danish later, I was feeling better. Small pangs of envy sparked very time a new tweet was posted about the expo or the runDisney shoes, but by late afternoon I was over it and decided it was just not meant to be.

I had planned on going back to the expo with Baby Girl to meet up with my sister and parents, as they still needed to get their bibs. Plus, with the morning fiasco, we did not get our race tshirts (some said THAT line was one to two hours long ) nor did I get a chance to peruse  the booths.  Baby Girl and I hopped a bus back to the expo. When we arrived, morbid curiosity got the better of me as I just HAD to know if the shoes had sold out. I followed the same path we had taken while waiting in line that morning  back toward the New Balance booth. There wasn’t a line and the closer I got the more certain I became that no one was waiting for shoes. When I reached the booth, there were two people trying on shoes–plain old running shoes. I stopped a saleswoman to ask her if by some weird chance they had a pair of the Minnie shoes. I was completely SHOCK when she said yes, they had run out earlier that afternoon but they had just gotten more in. I couldn’t believe it. I GOT MY SHOES!!

Okay so maybe its a LITTLE ridiculous the be that excited about a pair of shoes, but given that morning’s events I think I am entitled to a little craziness.  The shoes sell for $125, which may seem expensive but is really not that much more than I spend on good running shoes. It really irks me to see them being sold for double and even triple that amount on eBay, but since at this time the runDisney shoes will be sold exclusively at race expos, it is, I suppose, an option to those who do not have future plans for a runDisney race. While I suppose the “early bird catches the worm”, one cannot help but think that perhaps race participants should get first crack at the shoes, as they hold a special meaning to them, a meaning that does not involve dollar signs. It was the same situation during last year’s Princess Half Marathon with the special edition Dooney&Bourke bags. This year Disney remedied that situation by offering a presale  to race participants. Perhaps the same will occur for the shoes. Will New Balance mass market these shoes? I do not know. It is speculated that the answer is no, based on the success at the expos. As for me, I am enjoying my Minnie shoes. Since it is designed to accommodate mild to moderate pronators (fancy running term for people who’s foot turns, either inward or outward when they strike the ground), it is not a good shoe for me, personally, to use as a running shoe, as I have a neutral foot.  So, my runDisney Minnie shoes have become my everyday shoes and every time I  put  them on I feel just a little bit “magical”.

(you can read more of my articles about the Princess Half Marathon at WDW Fan Zone!)