Hello! Here is my recap of the Disneyland Half Marathon! I did the Dumbo Double Dare which is a 10k on Saturday and half marathon on Sunday. Check out my Disney 10k recap here.
After the 10k I carb-loaded for the 13.1 with Pho and Sonic. #boom
Then it was time to wind down and get ready for a 3:40am wake-up call. I didn’t stay on Disney property since I live close enough to drive up at that ridiculous hour.
There was a lot more traffic for the half than the 10K, I didn’t take that into account! So, I barely made it to my corral with two minutes to spare.
Disneyland Half Marathon Recap
Tip: Look out for your corral as you walk toward the start. The first morning I got into the wrong corral on accident just walking up the street and was fenced in – I had to go all the way back and around to get to my assigned corral. You can go back to a later corral, but can’t move up to an earlier one.
The course winds outside of the park before going inside California Adventure.
Then, you hit Disneyland.
Tip: Disney races start super early so a lot of your first pictures will be before the sun comes up when it’s still dark. Make sure you know how to take good pics with your camera or phone before you realize this as mile 3 and have a collection of blurry pics for your blog…
Toon Town!
The Disneyland Half Marathon had mostly villain characters out around Fantasy Land. I stopped and took a picture with Cruella De Ville near Small World.
Tip: After mile 4 it’s all outside the parks. So, if you want to take pictures of the parts through Disneyland and CA adventure have your camera ready at the beginning of the race. I put my camera away after we left the parks, but pulled it out again near Angel Stadium.
Even though runners head out of the parks after the first few miles I still think it’s a good course for the most part. There were folklorico dancers and a long line of old cars with people cheering.
Around mile 9 you run through Angel Stadium. That was super cool since the part of the stadium we ran past had a bunch of people in the bleachers cheering!
At the end you run back toward Disneyland and the race finishes at Downtown Disney.
Disneyland Half Marathon Results: 1:54:46
I don’t worry about time at races where I stop to take pictures. But, I did keep a decent pace when I was running.
Since I did the 10K on Saturday and the Half on Sunday I completed the Dumbo Double Dare and got an extra medal for that.
From the finish it was an easy walk back to the parking structure.
Tip: The Disneyland races end at Downtown Disney which is a lot smaller than Disney World’s Downtown area. There are places to get coffee, smoothies and food – but it’s crowded. Let your support crew know they can get food and drinks while waiting for you near the finish, but you might want to plan breakfast/brunch off property.
Tip: Run Disney races are meant to be FUN! You run through Disney parks and get to see characters and the theme parks in a different way. I don’t think the majority of people run these races for speed. So, it’s common to stop, take pictures and run in a costume. I say enjoy it and go all out at your next race.
Question: Do you do races for FUN or to be FAST? Or for the FOOD after??
WOW I’m so impressed with you. You desserve a massage and a sundae!
I recently got the bug to sign up for a marathon of some sort (length), and Disneyland seems like SUCH a fun venue!
I’m running the Star Wars half in January. The course map has not been released. Where do these races normally start? Where do you recommend staying? Thanks!
It sounds like both races were amazing! Awesome job! I do have a quick question and I apologize in advance if you’ve answered it on the blog before, but what do you do with all your race medals? Do you display them somehow?
Too cool 🙂 what an amazing race – I literally love that you stopped to take a photo with Cruella 🙂
Last half marathon i ran i said “im just running for fun today, not racing” aaaaand then ended up racing my hardest, almost puking, and PR’d by 7 minutes! HaHa.. So I guess Im a racer, even though I’m not very fast I race against myself apparently…
I was going to run for time, but once I got out on the course I had to stop for pics and have fun!! It was my first and I just did not want to miss out!
Disney races – totally for fun! There are plenty of other races to run for speed – ones that don’t have fun characters to take pictures with!
I love this race so much. I ran it last year and it’s the September page on my photo calendar so I am looking at three fun photos now! My fave is coming around the back side of Fantasyland looking toward Matterhorn Mountain. The sun is on the rise and there are pink and grey clouds; park is lit…it’s gorgeous! Now I’ve got the bug to run Tinkerbelle in May. Prices go up today!
GULP
i never think to carb load with pho — such a good idea!
My sis and I have been running the Tinkerbell Half at DL since it’s inaugural race a few years ago. We stop and take pictures and it’s so fun. This year we are also doing the Avenger half in November. We just got our first costumes with tutus so we will probably be slow, totally NBD if we are having fun though!
Congrats on completing the double! Any chance of doing a triple anytime soon? 😛
I did the Inaugural Tinkerbell 10K this year and I just did not think it was worth the $$$$. It was so crowded that it took almost 30 minutes for my corral (I’m slow) to reach the actual starting line and it stayed crowded for almost the entire event. But I do love my finisher’s medal. It’s the prettiest medal I’ve ever earned and is my favorite.
I definitely run for the food post-race 😉 A girl’s gotta have her priorities!
I always have a tough time just taking a race easy and enjoying the scenery but the few times I have done it I was so glad I did! The exception would be the time I decided to stop and eat a Krispy Kreme doughnut with 3 miles left of a 15K. That one hurt. But otherwise, stopping to say Hi to people you know in the crowd or to take pictures can make a race so much more enjoyable! Glad you had fun at the Disney Half as well and the pictures are so fun!
Just signed up for the Tinker Bell half marathon in May 2015. Monica did you get a ticket to Disneyland with your registration fee?
No 🙁
PHOOO!!! WITH STRAW MUSHROOMS!!
Mostly for food or fun. But once a year I pic a race of each distance to push for a PR.
That’s a good approach. I kinda think I do that too.
I run for fun and to be faster than my last time. And I certainly don’t turn down any food afterwards! 🙂
Disney races always look like so much fun, but I feel like they’re so busy!
My twin sister and I are turning 40 in a couple of years (yikes) and to celebrate this milestone, we would love to run at Disney 1/2 marathon. Looking at your post got me all excited! Thank you for sharing your experience!
What a way to celebrate!
This looks so fun!!! I love runs like this that you can stop and take pictures and have really fun memories! So cool you got to run through the stadium. Definitely a race I’d consider!! Thanks for sharing!
i think it’s nice to have some races for fun and other for PRs, but good food after every race is an absolute.
Ha! I read PRs as PBs… guess I have peanut butter on the brain.
Congrats on a great race! I’m doing the Glass Slipper Challenge at Disney World in February. Any tips on doing a 10K and half back-to-back? Any training or recovery tips would be greatly appreciated!!
Races back to back are challenging. If possible work it into training so you’re used to running on tired legs a bit. Rest after the 10k so your legs get some relief before the half. Good luck!
I’m all about the fun and food! (Read: I can’t run fast… :P)
Looks amazing! Seriously craving a trip to Disney now!
Me too! It’s a tease to run through the parks – I want to visit now.
Congrats Monica on completing the DDD challenge. 🙂 I really enjoyed this race, especially running through the Angel Stadium! Super cool!! The last time I ran the Disneyland half was in ’09 so, it was fun to run it this year. It’d be fun to bring the whole familia to Disney next year, stay at the hotel & participate in all the weekend events! I loved all the medals & seeing so many families, runners in the true Disney spirit! I’m naturally a competitive runner & I look at races as a celebration towards my training. I train pretty hard & I enjoy seeing it pay off in races. My goal(s) when I race is to finish within a few minutes of my PR’s. But, that’s me! I guess running for “fun” would be if I was leading a pace group, friend or family member. LA marathon was “fun” because I ran that with my brother (his 1st) at his pace so, I never felt completely spent during the race. 🙂 See you next weekend in Ventura mi amiga!!
Pam! I missed you out there – see you soon though 🙂
I DREAM of doing a Disneyland race one day! Don’t get me wrong, I love to get all competitive and run until my lungs burst, but there’s something so freeing about running for fun and stopping whenever to relax / appreciate life. 😉 Also, I would probably be happy with that time if I ran the entire way. 😉
Yeah, it is nice to not worry about time, but focus on fun!