Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend Recap
August 31 – September 2, 2012
by
Mousekeplanner ~ Diana Sanguinetti
While many people view Labor Day Weekend as the last hurrah of summer, runDisney fans, including PbRC members, know it is time for the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend! This year marked the 7th annual event at Disneyland Resort and Parks in Anaheim, California.
With tens of thousands of people arriving in Southern California for a weekend of fun filled events, all racers are sure to have a magical time, regardless of what your pace is! This weekend events included the Health and Fitness Expo, Cars Land 5K Rally, Kids Races, Pasta in the Park Party, and the Disneyland Half Marathon. There was also a special runDisney event called the Disneyland Half Meet Up and Warm Up for a select group of runDisney racers.
Now while keeping the new Cars Land Radiator Springs Racers attraction in mind… follow me on my adventure through the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend.
ON YOUR MARK, SET YOUR PACE, LET’S GO!
As most PbRC members can attest, the excitement began long before race weekend arrived. For many of us it started the day that race registration opened. Besides the many magical reasons to run the Disneyland Half, another exciting reason to do the DL Half, is that it is one of two races in Disneyland that enables runDisney fanatics to get the coveted and special Coast to Coast Challenge medal. You can get this special medal only by completing a Half Marathon (or Full Marathon) in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland within the same calendar year.
With a few weeks to go to the DL Half Marathon Weekend, many of us began sharing travel plans, running tips and advice within the group. Then runDisney announced a special Disneyland Half Marathon Meet Up for 30 lucky racers. When runDisney opened registration for the DL Meet Up on its Disney Park Blogs, racers with lightning fast email skills fired up our E-mail engines and shot off an email to runDisney requesting to be part of the event (literally within seconds of the announcement). We then anxiously awaited the runDisney announcement of who was selected, which was to happen later that same afternoon. The hours crept by until BAM!!! Did I see this correctly – I took a few blinks but there I was! I was on this list! As the excitement of what I just saw began to sink in, I scanned the list and noticed that I recognized other names. By the time I was done reading it, I realized that about half of the names were PbRC members. YES!
HURRICANE ISAAC – for many DL Half Marathon racers just getting out to Anaheim proved to be a challenge. A week before the race began, Hurricane Isaac zoomed into the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall in Louisiana. Flights in Louisiana, Alabama, Texas and other states were cancelled or postponed due to the hurricane. Several people had to drive hundreds of miles to different airports to board their flights out to California. Luckily, travel issues did not create a permanent detour for PbRC members as we arrived in So. Cal, safe and ready to race!!!
TEST LAP (DL HALF MEET UP): Early Friday morning, before any of the other official festivities began, there was a meeting of excited runners with big smiles outside the Disneyland Hotel. As I mentioned previously, this was a group of about 30 lucky racers selected to participate in DL Meet Up and Warm up run, and almost half of us were fellow PbRC members. We all had been anxiously waiting for this event! Disney presented each of the DL Half Meet Up participants with a runDisney exclusive tech shirt, and the runDisney staff had packet pick up set up for those of us doing the Half and 5K – what wonderful service. Before long Jeff Galloway appeared and was right there in front of us talking about the race. There were other celebrities present too – Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton, authors Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea from another mother runner, and Joe Taricani from the Marathon Show. After the brief introduction we were off. All racers enjoyed an approximate 2.6 mile run/walk lead by Mr. Galloway doing a 30/30 second run/walk interval throughout the Disneyland Park. We took many pictures along the way, and before we knew it the Warm Up was over. It seemed like the fastest 2.6 miles I have ever done! Immediately following the run we had some photo opportunities with the celebrities and each other. With so many PbRC members in attendance, there were photos being taken everywhere!
Following the run, we were shuttled off to a special Disney room where the presentation portion of the DL Meet Up took place. First, we had presentations by runDisney officials including runDisney’s head marketing director (who shall remain nameless since he hinted at a possible dream of an international runDisney event), and who was actually running the DL Half with us on Sunday. One by one, the celebrities got up and each gave a presentation, full of advice for us eager runDisney fanatics. Galloway discussed running tips, including how studies show exercise makes us live longer and that we should expect adjustments to our racing pace based upon how hot it is on race day. Mother Runners, Dimity and Sarah, got up and discussed how busy everyone’s lives are and we should not push aside our running. Then Suzy got up and wowed us with her energy and gave us a real fun warm up routine, which I heard made it immediately onto YouTube via Matt Marcella!
As the presentations ended, each DL Half Meet Up participant was escorted over to Flo’s V8 Café for breakfast, and we were given a $15 meal voucher (which we could use there or any other dining location we chose). During breakfast we enjoyed the beautiful and peaceful view of Cars Land in the early morning. After breakfast, Disney took group photos of us, and then gave us one more magical experience – a special behind the scenes look at Soarin’ Over California!!! We were escorted to the attraction and divided into 2 groups, one group rode the attraction while the other was escorted to view backstage magic of Soarin’!
One thing Disney knows best is making magic happen, and all I can say is the DL Half Meet Up was Magical!!!
EXPO TIME: The Health and Fitness Expo was the official beginning of the weekend festivities and opened on Friday, August 31st at noon at the Disneyland Hotel Lower level Exhibit Hall. We had seen some advanced pictures of the racing T-shirts and the medals at the expo the day before, including the WDW 20th Anniversary Marathon Medal. When the doors opened at the Expo, the participants immediately began gathering up the assortment of runDisney merchandise. Wine glasses, shirts, sweatshirts, hats, lanyards, pins and more shirts went flying off the shelves into the arms of us eager racers! Also present at the DL Half Expo were a long list of vendors providing all different kinds of merchandise for any level of runner. Running belts, socks, energy supplements, headbands, shoe jewelry, running clothes, running shoes, shadow boxes for medals and bibs…..one visit to the Expo is never enough!
Disney doesn’t make any race weekend boring, and the DL Half Expo was all fun. Throughout this race weekend there are scheduled guest speakers at the Expo. Of course, Mr. Jeff Galloway, the Official runDisney Training Consultant and former U.S. Olympian was there discussing his Run/Walk program and answering everyone’s questions. Also present at the Expo was Suzy Favor Hamilton, an Olympic runner and motivational speaker, and Another Mother Runners (Sarah and Dimity). A truly magical experience for the attendees!
RACE TO THE POLE POSITION (CARS LAND 5k RALLY) – On Saturday the excitement was in the air for the Cars Land 5K Rally! Engines were revving early around Disney, as the 6:45 a.m. start time approached. A Disney 5k is the perfect race for young kids, and those who can’t keep a 16 minute mile pace for the longer races. All around participants, including families and children in strollers, were raring and ready to go! As is usual for Disney 5k races, there were racers dressed in costumes or matching outfits milling around the starting area. Boom – the gun went off and we ran and walked through the entire course, taking advantage of nearly every photo opportunity that Disney offered to us. This is truly a fun run for all with an exciting finish in Cars Land. We finished and were presented with a special Cars Medal!
PRE RACE FUELING: Many DL Half participants pre-purchased tickets for the Pasta in the Park Party, which was held on Saturday also from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree in Disneyland Park. This party had all the pre-race fuel a racer needed, including a buffet pasta dinner and dessert, plus entertainment Disney-style, as Disney characters were popping up all around, and we got to rock along with music via a live DJ. Many PbRC members also pre-arranged dining plans the night before for carb loading and moral support. We also discussed weather conditions for the start of the race, which is always important! The darkening skies stayed illuminated that night by the remnants of the special Blue Moon that occurred on Friday evening. Back in our rooms racers set out our race gear, set our alarms with hopes of getting a few hours of sleep, and dozed off to dreams of running 13.1 miles through the Happiest Place on Earth (and the City of Anaheim and Angel Stadium).
LET THE RACE BEGIN! The alarms went off Sunday morning, September 2, 2012. Race Day was finally here!!! We got up quick and the pent up excitement of the past several months quickly morphed into action as we readied ourselves for the DL Half. People were fueling up, getting our race gear on, and getting ready to meet our friends for photo opportunities before we headed on over to the corrals!!! As always, it is wise to make a few “pit stops” especially before heading into your assigned corral.
As the minutes drew close to the start, and with the final countdown running, runDisney staff introduced actor Sean Astin. Sean said a few words to the masses of us wearing racing shoes and bibs, ready to speed off down the track of this sold out event! Recently Sean launched a successful Twitter campaign, called TEAM #Run3rd, which has spread throughout the running community. His site, http://run3rd.blogspot.com/ features our very own PbRC founder Tony Conticello, who happens to be a Team Captain for #Run3rd at Disney’s Tower of Terror 10 Miler race taking place on September 30th. Sean wished us luck, took a picture of us and handed the final countdown off to Disney Characters.
GREEN LIGHTS!!! The speakers blared: Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One – and they’re off!!! Fireworks light up the morning sky and send the same message as a green light to drivers getting ready to start a car race! Potential Energy quickly converts to Kinetic energy as the waves of people are released. As we move forward toward the start line the sound of beeping gets louder and louder. This is the chirping that occurs as each racer passes over the start line! Finally you step over the starting mat, and your race has begun. Disney events are memorable and this one did not disappoint. Disney Characters are there for pictures, bands are there to provide entertainment as the miles draw on, we even get a special chance to run through Angels Stadium, give high fives to the cheerleaders and make it on the large screen jumbotron TV’s.
CHECKERED FLAG: As most racers are accumulating the miles we have finished, Jimmy Grabow , 27 of Running Springs , CA, crosses the finish line in a time of 1:05:29….and set a new course record and becomes the overall winner! Following close behind is Ms. Cindy Lynch, 41 of CA, who wins the Women’s Division with a time of 1:24:45. But whatever your pace may be, nothing can compare to the feeling of accomplishment you get once you cross that finish line. Each of us revels in our own success story, because crossing the finish line is what we are there for! Each of us is a winner regardless of our time!!!
Many of us finishers walked away from the finish area with 2 medals around our necks and got to enjoy the clanking sound of them as we wore them proudly after our finish! For us the race also meant accomplishing a goal of becoming a Disney’s Coast to Coast Challenge finisher, and our prize was a special Coast to Coast Challenge medal.
For those of us who participated in the DL Half Marathon, take a moment to let this sink in, our foot strikes may have landed in the same place as Walt Disney’s footsteps.
CELEBRATION: Team PbRC ran Strong in this race! We had lots of participants, some had PR’s and some didn’t, but we all had magical experiences and individual accomplishments! After refueling, many of us PbRC members enjoyed post-race celebrations with one another, whether it was a Dole Whip, glass of Prosecco or white Sangria. The welcome sound of congratulations from total strangers, the feeling of sore muscles (for most) is priceless!
Most people that attend a runDisney event feel a sense of community with fellow runDisney racers. This weekend, however, there was another community within, the PbRC community. With the runDisney brand exploding and encouraging walkers/runners of all fitness levels, PbRC is also creating a presence within the runDisney community. This fact can be seen in many of the photos that runDisney put up on their Facebook page. One picture in particular was a group picture of all those attending the DL Half Meet Up & Warm Up in Cars Land. Almost half of the members in this picture (with celebrities Jeff Galloway, Suzy Favor Hamilton, Dimity McDowell, Sarah Bowen Shea, and Joe Taricani) were PbRC members! Go PbRC!!!
As with every Disney trip, you walk away from the magic reluctantly, but with anticipation for your next Disney experience. I was lucky enough to spend a few extra days enjoying Disneyland and absorbing the magic.
So what’s up next up for PbRC and Disney Races in 2012? The Tower of Terror 10 Miler Weekend, September 28-29, 2012 and the Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend November 9 -10, 2012. These two races will set the stage for the beginning of 2013, which brings the 20th Anniversary of the WDW Marathon Weekend, January 10 -13, 2013. Many PbRC members will be attendance!! With many participating in the Half, Full or Goofy this weekend, it will be a weekend to remember, and PbRC has planned special events this weekend for our members, including the private Epcot Illuminations Dessert Party on Sunday night from 8pm to 9:30pm. If you haven’t signed up, the spots are limited and I suggest you get with Stacey Conticello quickly before it sells out. If you still need to make travel plans, the PbRC has its’ own official Disney Travel Specialists with Mousekeplanner and we are here to assist you with your travel needs and to help you make your next runDisney event weekend magical.
I am proud to be a Mousekeplanner and a member of the PbRC. Our group’s primary goal is to be a fun forum where racers of all experience and abilities can come together – whether you are sharing training tips, asking for advice, or seeking support – the PbRC is your Pace!
I am also happy to tell you to stay tuned for exciting and upcoming news on upcoming official PbRC gear!
Thank you for allowing me to share my magical DL Half Marathon Weekend experience with you!
Diana Sanguinetti
