Hello fellow runners and more specifically Disneyland runners!
With the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend just 2 WEEKS, I repeat 2 WEEKS away. I thought it was time to share my knowledge nuggets with you all about what to expect.
I realized after running the Dumbo Double Dare last year, I never recapped my adventure but wanted to share what I thought was note worthy as it draws near.
My runDisney Background
Last year was my first race at Disneyland and I fell in LOVE with it! I had run all the races at WDW at that point, so I thought I knew how magical a race can be but seriously this was an AMAZING experience and I fell in love with running at Disneyland.
So, why is running at Disneyland better?
- Staying Closer – Pretty much all the hotels surrounding the DLR property make it super easy to walk to the expo and start line. If you don’t want to walk you can also hop on the Anaheim Resort Transit buses and they’ll transport you (included with your race entry!) This also means less chance of a bus snafu in the morning.
- Early Wake Up But Not That Early – Since these races have fewer people running them, bag check and corral line up tend to be pretty easy. Also, since you can walk to the start line from most hotels, you don’t have to worry about the bus transportation to the start. If you give yourself 1.5-1 hour to get from your hotel compared to the start time for the race, you should have a pretty relaxed morning.
- Part Park Race/Part Road Race – So I know the best part of every Disney race is running through the parks and these races don’t disappoint but the thing I love most is that is the best of both worlds. You spend the first half or so in the parks keeping you nice and slow because of crowding on the paths and then the last half is road race with LOTS of entertainment. I really love the balance. WDW you tend to run on roads and hit parks intermittently during the race which can mess with your mid run pace so I like that Disneyland “front loads” the parks in all its races and then let’s you run free on wide streets on the second half.
- Smaller Expo – The expo is housed in a convention space and is a good deal smaller. You don’t have to worry about wearing out your legs walking around the expo, because, well, there isn’t that much to walk though. Also, again since you can walk to it, no worrying about buses to get to and from the expo!
- Running in DCA – This is just AWESOME! It reminds me of when we got to run in Epcot at the WDW Marathon in the early miles. Depending on your pace, it’s still dark out to Carsland is still all lit up and the World of Color fountains are dancing in an array of beautiful colors. This park is amazing to run through!
So those are the 5 things to look forward to at the Disneyland Half Marathon. If you are use to running at WDW, get ready for a whole new race experience!
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