Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend Recap: The Good, The Bad and The Magical
I am home from the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, feeling maybe a little worse for the wear, but so grateful for the opportunity to attend this AMAZING event! This was the first time runDisney races have been back in Disneyland for 7 years, so there were some bumps, but that is to be expected. It was a great experience and I can’t wait to share it all with you!
Thursday - Expo Day!
Similar to what we have seen in the Walt Disney World races, the Disneyland Expo was utilizing a virtual queue this year to ensure that a steady flow of traffic for runDisney merchandise occurred rather than a flood of people. Overall, the process was smooth and worked very well, but definitely took a while to move through the virtual groups. We were around group 70 and our queue was called a little after 1:00pm.
The excitement in the queue was palpable!
Once we were in the runDisney merchandise shop, I was very happy with the merchandise that was available. I managed to get everything I wanted - a jacket, ears, sweatshirt, ornament and two pins!
Showing off my new race jacket and ears to Minnie!
The rest of the Expo was much smaller than what you see in the Walt Disney World race weekend expos. There was a good variety of vendors available and again I was able to pick up what I needed. And we were able to take some great photos with the props at the expo!
Ready to fly on the race course!
Friday - 5K Race
One thing you learn very quickly about runDisney races is that you have to get up EARLY. We were up about 2:15am to head to the corrals at 2:45am. The best part about Disneyland - I was still on East Cost Time so it felt like 5:15am to me! It was super chilly in the morning with the temperature at 42 degrees Fahrenheit. Luckily, we brought our mylar blankets and were fairly prepared for the cold. There is nothing like the solidarity of freezing cold runners early in the morning! Everyone was all smiles and ready to go!
Now, the absolute coolest part of this race weekend was that the corrals for the 5K were in Disneyland! Corral A was to the right of the Hub, Corral B to the left of the Hub, Corral C was on Main Street (that was my corral!) and Corral D was by the park entrance.
My view from the front of Corral C on Main Street.
Not only were the corrals in the park, almost the entire 5K was in the parks. We only left the parks to run on an access road between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. I have never had a race that ran through the parks so much. It was a unique and exciting experience! Even Matterhorn got in on the action and wanted to be a part of the race!
Matterhorn looking extra festive!
We didn’t stop for many of the character lines because the lines were very long, but there were a lot of character options for those that did. We were able to stop for Bolt and we did try to stop for Russell and Carl from Up, but the line had already closed. I know a lot of people were bummed about that one closing when it did, but there were so many opportunities to take your own pictures through the parks that we didn’t worry much about it. Instead we made our own magic and created photo stops throughout the parks!
All in all, the Pluto-themed 5K was so much fun and I would absolutely do it again. It was a great opportunity to run through the parks and have fun doing it! The bling you get at the end is a great bonus, too!
Loved the 5K medals! Pluto even moved!
Saturday - 10K Race
Saturday was another early morning and we headed out the door at 2:45am. It was a bit bumpier of a morning since the corrals were off site of Disney property and unfortunately, signage was scarce. After a few misadventures, we made it to our corrals and somehow I ended up front of my corral again! I was super nervous because I was starting in the last corral and my running partner in crime, Jill was in Corral C. My goal was to catch up and finish together!
Heading to the starting line!
I managed to catch up around Mile 5, but didn’t get a chance to take many pictures along the way. I had to get a picture before running through Sleeping Beauty Castle, though! How cool is that?! The course was great, it started outside the parks, but had a lot of in park time making it really fun to run.
It’s a little blurry… Must be because of how fast I was running!
We finished the 10K together and headed back to the hotel to get ready to spend the day with our friend, Michele, at Disneyland! It was an early night because I had a half marathon to prep for!
Showing off my Donald and Daisy 10K medal!
Sunday - Half Marathon Race
Sunday morning I was up bright and early and headed out to the corrals one last time. Jill walked me through Downtown Disney and dropped me off like a mom drops off her kids at school. Thanks, Mom!
I will admit, I didn’t take any pictures during this race because I was so worried about my time. I was undertrained and knew it, but I was determined to finish. I started at the front of Corral F, the second to last corral and never looked back. There were definitely a few on course snags, though. Around Mile 3, I left my water bottle and fuel in a bathroom so didn’t have it for the rest of the race (thank you runDisney for having water and Powerade every two miles and a fuel stop!). There was also a complete traffic jam at the mile 3 marker due to a water stop in a narrow pass. This cost me and the other racers precious minutes.
Traffic jam at Mile 3! We were packed in there!
But, I kept going! Around Mile 7 I switched to walking from my run/walk intervals. Once I hit Mile 10, I knew there was no way I wasn’t finishing this. I only had a 5K left and was not going to let myself not finish. Around that same time we passed the Honda Center and they were blasting Sweet Caroline. All those people singing along was a great energy boost!
Crossing that finish line felt amazing! I may have shed a few tears after…
My hotel photo with my Mickey and Minnie and Dumbo Double Dare Medals! I was hurting by this point!
This race weekend was full of ups and downs, a lot of great moments and a few opportunities for improvement in future races. One thing that always amazes me at runDisney events is the energy, fun and camaraderie of the participants. There is such a positive vibe and everyone supports each other. I made friends in my corrals, chatted with other runners on the course and everyone encourages and congratulates each other. It’s an environment like no other. Overall, runDisney did a great job and I will definitely be coming back again in the future!
And I would be completely neglectful if I didn’t thank everyone for all the support and well wishes sent my way throughout race weekend! It means more than you know and made a huge difference! Now, onto Springtime Surprise… see you at the races!
“When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.”
