The Castaway Cay 5k

If you are familiar with any of runDisney's races, you know one thing they are not is cheap. If you aren't familiar with runDisney's races, well, they aren't cheap.

A free runDisney race! There is one catch though. You have to be sailing on a Disney cruise that stops at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. Easy enough right?

If you happen to be taking a Disney cruise and you'll be stopping at Castaway Cay, whether you are an avid runner like me, a family that wants a challenge, or you just want the chance to work off all of that delicious cruise food, check out the Castaway Cay 5k! If you aren't a runner, no worries, Disney will give you plenty of time to walk(seriously, when I did this race I watched a man with a broken foot in a walking boot complete the race).

To sign up, head to guest relations once you are on the ship. Popularity will vary and there is always a chance you don't get a spot, so the earlier you sign up, the better. Once signed up, all members of your stateroom participating will be given a ticket to bring on race day.

Your ticket will have the day of the race, as well as the time and location to meet at on that day.

On the day of the race, make sure to bring your Key to the World card as well as your photo ID because this is treated like any other time you get off the ship. You will need both to reboard the ship, whether you are getting back on right after the race or staying for the day at Castaway Cay.

When you check in for the race, your ticket as well as your ID and Key to the World card will be checked. The cast members on hand to direct the race will remind you of what you need several times. You'll then be given a race bib and you'll wait for further instructions, including getting off the ship, getting the the race start, the course itself and getting back on the ship.

The check in and instruction process, along with debarking the ship, takes a bit of time and you won't start the race until 9:30am or so. There is a decent walk from the ship to the race start.

Once to the starting area, the directing cast members will give final instructions and start setting up their water station.

The course itself is set further back on the island and there isn't a lot to see(but it's flat, who doesn't love a flat race course?). You'll start and head towards the airstrip, make a turn to do a loop through the bike path, come back out and head down to the end of the airstrip where you'll turn around and head back into the loop to do that one more time.

It will most likely be warm(you are in the Bahamas after all) so if you need to, take advantage of the water stop. After exiting the loop for the second time, you'll make a left back to the starting area, where you'll finish the race. After finishing, you'll receive a neat medal to add to(or start) your collection. By the time you finish, more passengers will be coming off of the ship, but the island will still be relatively empty. Characters will have started coming out for meet and greets, so take the opportunity to mark your accomplishment with a great photo! If you think you are up for 3.1 miles while on vacation, check out this race!