I woke up around 4am, got dressed, and was out the door by 4:40 to make the 15ish minute walk to the start area. I love running at Disneyland because you can just walk to the start line. This really takes the stress off in the morning.
Poison Ivy is ready to break the Marvel universe with her DC-ness…
I got to the start area, dropped off my bag at bag check, and then made my way over to the corrals while making a port-a-potty pit stop along the way.
Getting all the bananas ready!
The view back from corral A. Look at all the people!
The mega-screen!
So it was the normal banter from Rudy and Carissa as they introduced the Avenger characters and celebrities in the crowd. We then had a really great singing of the National Anthem (w/ some small fireworks) and then it was time to count it down. Here we go!
We started off down the road, passing the Disneyland Resort Hotels but then turned into the backstage area of DCA. We ran into DCA via the backstage entrance to Carsland and then ran quickly through the park. No World of Color fountains or loop around Paradise pier. It was Carsland, across to the Redwood area and then Condor Flats and then out again.
The were projecting the Avenger logos on different things near the meet and greets.
Hello Thor!
Hawkeye!
We then ran across the Esplanade to Disneyland, entering through a side entrance and we entered the park near Splash Mountain. We ran through Critter Country, Frontierland, Fantasyland and the castle, and then down Main St. I wish we had run by It’s a Small World, I would’ve loved to have seen the lights!
The mile markers were really cool!
Fierce! Black Widow!
Snow White and the dwarfs riding the carousel!
Capt America – “I don’t know who you are… but that’s okay!”
We exited through the front gate and then it was on to the streets of Anaheim. Once exiting the parks, we also realized, it was very, very, very windy.
We ran to the large church and then started making our way to the Santa Ana trail. During the Disneyland Half we run on this trail for a little bit when approaching the Angels Stadium, and this race was no different except we were on this trail for 2 miles… with the wind in our faces… and it was kicking up dirt and dust. It was so windy it started tearing the mile markers down. The wind was causing issues for everyone.
Poor Mile 7 marker!
Santa Ana trail
The Santa Ana trail is also really boring. It runs along this abandoned, dried up raveen. They did have a great group of super hero cosplayers out on the course cheering which was really cool. Not sure if this was runDisney’s doing or it was just an excited local group, either way it was awesome!
I knew I just needed to make it to mile 8 and then the wind wouldn’t be so much of an issue. I made it to mile 8 and then we ran into Angel Staduim where they had a cheer groups and bands on the field, very cool!
Entering the stadium!
We then exited the stadium around mile 9 and the wind wasn’t quite as big an issue for the rest of the race. You still have to watch as you went through the water stops though because the wind has a tendency to pick up the water cups and spill them. No fun for the fearless volunteers! Thank you guys so much!
There was also a WWII re-enactment/cosplay group as we exited the stadium. Not sure exactly how this tied into a superhero race, but it was cool to see.
We ran back through Anaheim and made it back to the resort. We ran through some more backstage areas and then down the final stretch to the finish! I grabbed my medal, my water/Powerade, and then my snack box. I got my checked bag and took a picture with my medal, another race done!
A sunny morning = squinty pictures!
Then they announced “Due to high winds, we ask that you please leave the family reunion area.” Wow, didn’t know it got that bad. Hope everyone was able to meet up with their family okay!
I had everything I needed, so I just went straight back to my room, got all the dust and grime off, grabbed some breakfast and chilled for a bit before heading to the parks for some final fun.
Overall, the race was super fun. The theme was great and there were so many people in costume. I was surprised that Capt America was by far the most popular costume. The course was probably my least favorite of all the Disneyland courses I’ve run. There was barely any time in the park and lots of time on the boring Santa Ana trail. The theming for all the course elements (character meet backdrops, mile markers, etc) was awesome. I had a great time and met my goals for this race so that’s really all that matters at the end of the day!
If you are thinking about this as a fun Disneyland race because you like Avengers/superheroes, I totally recommend this race weekend. If you are looking for a full Disneyland run, I’d recommend the other courses.
To sum it up:
Pros:
Cons
So, did you run? Did you enjoy it? Did you get blown away literally or figuratively by anything? Let me know in the comments!
Sounds fun, although it does sound light on the entertainment for a Disney race. I like the shirt.
Hi EB! It was definitely light on entertainment compared to the other Disneyland races. What theming/entertainment was there was really well done, there just wasn't much of it. Thanks for reading!