Tinker Bell Half Marathon

The Tinker Bell half marathon has it’s pros and cons. The half marathon is on Mother’s day which is not great since I had to run and then go out afterwards to spend with my mom — I was a bit tired after doing the Pixie dust challenge & 5 K that Friday. Yes, I know it is a family oriented event but I wish walkers would be kind enough to go to the right and let runners go to the left and when it cramps up that people not push and slow down since it is a bottle neck effect occurring. I felt this time Run Disney had more bottle neck area because there was one spot the walkers and runners had a ‘stand still’ — I felt bad for people that are trying to PR. Yes, I know everyone has to get somewhere and it is to the finish line without getting picked up by the Balloon ladies/​men. The pictures with the characters –well of course the line are super long but they had multiple camera takers so then people got a chance to have pictures and it was going quite fast. The pictures with the characters is what brings the runners to RunDisney so hopefully they will add more characters since it seemed really few this time around like on the 5K they had only 3 main spots with a character. Yea it seems like they have less characters out– I did get to take one picture with Tinker Bell.
I am glad that they do donate the proceeds to a charity so they are not taking all the registration fees and processing fees. The medals are made in China since it must be cheap to make then I hope the money is actually go to a good place.
Love the the medals –they are truly gorgeous (I attached pictures of them)

THINK OF HAPPY THOUGHTS, & YOU WILL FLY
I have always dreamt of doing a Disney race, but due to their popularity it always sold out. This year I was «lucky» and for $ 180 I was officially signed up. FYI, typical early registration for half marathons are ~$ 60. FYI #2, if you have an annual pass you have the opportunity to register earlier!
CAPTAIN HOOK WOULD LIKE A WORD WITH YOU
You are required to pick up your bib at the Disneyland Hotel. You go through this deep dark tunnel for your gear and enter another maze for the expo. Included with your bib was a luna bar, shirt, Official Event Guide Book, and if you participate in their challenges a souvenir bag, and more shirts. The book is about 50 pages, and gives you all the info you need. The most you would receive from any other race is an e-​mail or referral to the event website. The expo was enjoyable and worthwhile. It was a giant Disney-​Running store with tons of photo opps.
SECOND STAR TO THE RIGHT & STRAIGHT ON TIL MORNING
Good morning! 5am for the Friday 5K, and 5:30am for the Saturday 10K and Sunday half. It was a grueling drive from San Diego on-​top of the $ 17 fee for the Mickey and Friends structure. Next time, I will probably get a nearby hotel with complimentary shuttling. When you head to the starting line, be aware of your placement. They make sure you are in the right coral, and check your bib at every corner. Aside from the bib-nazi’s, Disney races are meant to be fun. Disney encourages people of all different shapes, sizes, ages and first timers to participate. Heck, a lot of runners complete the entire half marathon by walking. Don’t plan on taking this race too seriously, have fun for goodness sake!
TO LIVE WOULD BE AN AWFULLY BIG ADVENTURE
It was fun seeing runners showing off their inner fairy-​ness, especially big, burley men! Who doesn’t love a hairy Tinkerbell? It was a hair bun, tutu, fairy wings, glittery party. For the course, 6 miles were between the two parks which included back alleys. The remaining 7.1 miles were around boring Anaheim. The plus side about running in the theme parks is the bathrooms. Port-​a-​potties were still available outside, but if you are like me, you’d rather wait for a real bathroom. The real highlight of Disney races are the photo opps. Unfortunately, lines do get long, and you may waste a good 10+ minutes waiting. Most of the character stops have a MarathonFoto Photographer along with a Disney employees that will gladly take your picture with your phone — just make sure you have your camera ready so it will make the process a lot more quicker. If you do not want to wait, you can go on the side and take a selfie. Aside from using the bathroom, and taking photos, you will notice the amazing course support and that EVERY water station had Dasani and Powerade.
NEVERLAND IS NOT SO FAR
Of the 18 halfs I have completed, runDisney is the most organized. After you collect your medal, you progress through the finishing chute where volunteers hand out bottles of Dasani and Powerade. As you continue down, you come across some type of grocery check-​out line for photos. There’s a table to put your stuff down, and the photographer will take the time to take a nice photo of you. If you don’t want a photo, you just continue on towards the exit like you would at a grocery store. Other races have photo opps on the side which causes people to clutter walkways and pictures are rushed, and then there are the roaming photographers that harass you like paparazzi, and those photos are even worse. After photos, you reach the goodie station. Unlike most races where you basically trick-​or-​treat down the tables, they provide a prepackaged box of snacks. Gear check is at the end of the finishing chute, and then you end up in the family and friends reunion area. Sweet, fast and seamless.
I’LL GET YOU FOR THIS PAN IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO
Mother’s Day Weekend + 13,000 Runners + Friends & Family Support of the 13,000 runners + Ect Folks visiting Disneyland Properties… can we say, busy? If you want to sit-​down and eat somewhere, you must make reservations. A lot of restaurants were just ridiculously busy, or only took reservations. You may be able to snag something from Earl of Sandwich, La Brea Bakery Express or Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen Express if you are really desperate. However, if you are like me, you will want something fat and juicy, and those places will not fulfill your needs. I am not sure how the actual theme parks were (I had work later that evening, so I ate and bounced), but if Downtown Disney was crazy, I am pretty sure they were too.
NEVER SAY GOODBYE BECAUSE GOODBYE MEANS GOING AWAY, & GOING AWAY MEANS FORGETTING
The support, the beautiful medal (Tinkerbell swivels!), the photo opps, WOW. Disney surely raises the bar. If they didn’t charge such a premium, I would definitely participate in more races. If you plan to do one race in your life, I think this would be the one. :)

Had a great time running the Tinkerbell 10k over Mother’s Day weekend this year. Yes, it’s a pricey race. No, I’m not a crazy Disney fanatic but some friends were doing it so I joined them for fun.
Having participated in the Disney Half years ago and not caring much for it I was happy to participate in the 10k and knew what to expect from a Disney race.
We had a good time. Traveling down to OC from LA on Friday, attending the expo together, having girls night out near Angels Stadium and a slumber party makes the entire thing that much more fun!
Race day is always EARLY with these Disney events! We were up around 4A and out of the house before 5A. I started without my girls who were in different corals than me. Arriving a few minutes before the start I jogged up to a very organized and small Coral A which made my start super smooth and the course pretty open unlike the bottleneck areas that many may experience further back when you get the walkers who are starting with runners. I placed 9^th in my age group, which isn’t horrible but reminds me there is always room for improvement even when running on wet, slippery surfaces after tons of rain and through and around amusement parks. If I do this run again, I’ll definitely run quicker and have realized it can still be competitive fun for myself so long as I get out of the gate before the folks who aren’t as serious about the running aspect.
Charging to park for the Expo and Race day always gets me. I feel it’s completely ridiculous on top of the already high price registration fee and we’re out of the lot before people coming to the park are even arriving. What can you do? You pay. Or Über perhaps. I never care much for the expo and don’t feel I need to spend much time in there.
The race was fun, being the shorter distance most of it was spent running through Disneyland and California Adventure which is surely the highlight to these runs. I wish I’d had my jacket unzipped because I have no pics since I zippered up over my race bib. I was half asleep and it was raining when we arrived, so clearly I wasn’t thinking clearly.
The bibs are festive, the shirts are always nice (I was able to exchange my S for an XS), the medals are massive and of nice quality for a distance as short as a 10k.
I wouldn’t rule out participating again in the future, may even be more fun to do the 10k and half to earn the Pixie Challenge Medal.

#5for12 I am almost half way there in reaching my one run a month for 2017. And I am excited to say that the Tinkerbell 10k was a milestone for me! From a 5k to 10k, this run was the perfect Segway to adding more mileage to my training.
Right from the get go, after signing up, Disney provided updated emails, updates and even resources to help train. The Tinkerbell 10k training schedule helped me big time! I don’t think I would have been able to get through the course without that schedule keeping me accountable.
From the initial bib pick up to the expo, it seemed seemless. Than again, I had a friend who is an runDisney expert so I followed her lead. The expo was huge and full of great discounts, gear and more. There was a booth where you would get taped up but the line was a bit long but it’s worth it if you don’t have a personal trainer as your husband. :D
The morning of the run it did rain but that didn’t hinder any spirits. The corrals were easily noticeable, the staff (characters) were helpful in directing folks and runners were dressed up and ready to go! I really fed off the energy of the runners around me.
The course itself was good. Not great but good. I think because of the rain, the runners ran around the puddles making it difficult for folks. The hills didn’t bother me, the run through the park wasn’t the bad part (though there are some really narrow areas and it bottlenecked pretty bad)…it was some of the runners. I learned running etiquette… walk on the right pass on the left. It seemed like some people forgot about that rule and just did their own thing. There was one point where I was in my running interval and the lady in front of me did a complete stop to take a photo! I seriously almost knocked over her. Other than just running, I was also juking and doing football exercises. Oh my hip sure felt it the next day…
There is a lot of see, a lot of stops to take photo ops and bathroom/​water stations throughout. It was nice to have the staff there cheer us on too. And at the end, a box of goodies, your obligatory banana, your medal and a photo with everything in your hand. :) Priceless.

I just finished the Tinkerbell half this weekend. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. Took off one star for the chear squad.
Expo: well organized, I went on Thursday. Parking is offered at downtown Disney, 2 hours for free. So if you’re planning on running in really quick, it great. Got my bib then picked up my shirt. I really liked the shirt and the fit. They did have an expert talking about race nutrition and answering questions on pacing and a ton of other stuff. There was also asl interpreter. I didn’t stay but I thought it was cool. There were a lot of vendors and I think cliff bar had some samples. I bought a magnet and the mug, everything is Disney priced.
Accommodation: not Disney related, stayed at best western close by and hey offered a shuttle. I highly recommend this! Race day there are s in of road closures and many surrounding hotels offer a shuttle. Take advantage to avoid parking headaches.
Race route and corrals: I was in a slow corral. (lol because I’m slow). It was my first half so perfect for me. If you’re faster, get your time verified! I can assure you’ll be incredibly annoyed with all the walking and bottle necks. The first part of the race goes through Disneyland and California adventure which was really fun. The rest of the race goes through Anaheim. I think the organizers did a great job of having spectator support along the race outside of the parks. Lots of cheerleaders, a few bands, and a few community groups on top of friends and families of runners. That really helped. Hydration station were very frequent. Water, and Powerade. Maybe every two miles the first half and then more often with a cliff shot station at mile 8. The course is mainly flat. Like flat flat. Three tiny hills met with downhills. Very gentle course.
Chear squad: so my mom purchased the chear squad. The race loses a point for this. Very disorganized. I felt that if people are paying for the service, the park employees should know about it and know where to meet. I think they should put more thought into it. Also my mom said they only had hot water in the food suite. They should offer cold water and juice as well.
Finish line: got my medal! Which was very pretty. I definitely think they should change it up though for people who run it every year. There was a massage tent, medal engraving, more hydration, bananas and a snack pack, and picture stations for completing the race. It was easy to find my mom after the race.
Getting out of the park was a headache. You go back through security. It took maybe 30 minutes which after the race was just exhausting.
All in all, I would do the race again. It was fun. A nice course. The bottle necks were annoying but I just jogged in place so keep up my momentum. It is very expensive so register early.

My review is for the 10k race specifically and the event weekend generally.
In general — this is our 4^th year participating in Tinkerbell weekend. 2013 we joined the ChEar squad, though not at the highest (most expensive level) so no VIP perks, just a t-​shirt and noise makers. Quickly realized we could have saved a buck and ChEared on our own which we have done in the succeeding years for family in the half marathon. When the 10k was added in 2014, my husband and I have walked that race each year. Yes, we walk. We understand race etiquette. We start from our assigned corral, keep to the right except when passing other walkers.
The Good: Tinkerbell races are happy races. The opportunity for a couple of 50 — somethings to put on tutus and smear glitter on our faces and in our hair doesn’t cone up often. My husband gets a lot of great comments about his tutu. We both smile our way through the entire course.
We love receiving our finisher ’ s medals. Not likely to ever ‘win’ a race or even my age division but having a collection of medals to show for effort feels good. Disney medals outshine all the others and make you hungry for more.
Walking through the parks before they are open is such a thrill. We happen to be Disneyland nuts (AP holders for many years) The chance to go behind the scenes makes us fairly giddy — super shout-​out to Third Shift Maintenance! They are the best at ChEaring!
Bonus: ability to use restrooms inside the parks — why would use a port a john when you don’t have to?
The Bad: sign ups are SO stressful! Knowing that races fill up f*a*s*t! I’m always fearful the race will close before I can complete registering my husband and myself. RunActive isn’t exactly intuitive or clear. When registering more than one person, it will overwrite the info of the 2^nd registrant onto the first. Runner relations can fix it at the expo, but it is wasted time in an unnecessary line and bibs have incorrect names.
The ever increasing price is troublesome. There doesn’t seem to be added value for the added cost. Like so many Disney prices, it feels more like testing limits of what the market will bear over actual value for purchase.
Please Please Please make bib pick up available day of race. We travel from out of town. My husband has to take a day off work in order for us to arrive before the expo closes. A table for bib pick up only near the corrals should be easy enough. Post race we could go to expo for shirt, etc.
Being in the last corral means impossibly long lines at character photo ops. I can accept that because I don’t want to be swept up for lagging. But I’ve never seen a character at the finish line despite many happy RunDisney pictures showing fresh looking finishers crossing the line being ChEared on by characters. Would *love love love* to have a character photo op post race with my medal. Lots of time to wait in line without fear of not finishing.
2016 races specifically — there was no real break between each corral start. This made for some terrible bottlenecks along the course. In the 10k just a s-​l-​o-​w-​i-​n-​g as we made our way behind the scenes. In the half marathon an actual stop along the course — too many people/​not enough space.
With construction inside Disneyland park, there were changes to the course. This year behind the scenes was not fun — no train, no animals, no parade floats. Even the cast members were less than enthusiastic, little ChEaring, no high fives. The number of character photo ops was significantly reduced (I know, I don’t stop but they are still fun to see along the way)
Overall the weekend is good, clean Disney fun. But the popularity has made it too crowded. Disney has made it too expensive. Construction along the course has detracted from the overall experience.
We are going to take a RunDisney break and hope that there are changes and improvements in the future.

I did this event the other day. It was pretty fun. I have done 9 half marathons so I am a pretty competitive runner. This half marathon for me was not as competitive as some of the other ones that I have participated in. I got there late unfortunately so I missed my corral group which means I had to go into a slower corral. And let me tell you this running pace was not exactly what I was used to. some of the times, especially going through Disneyland, we even almost came to a stop and a complete walk. So if you are looking to actually push yourself in this race, recommend starting in one of the earlier or faster corrals. There were a lot of people that were dressed up in tinkerbell outfits, a lot of people walking, and a lot of people who looked like they were having a blast. You run through Disneyland and California adventure which was a pretty awesome. At some of the places inside the park they had the characters that you could stop and take pictures with… which to me I don’t really understand why you would do that during a half marathon… There were many Disneyland «cast members» Who were standing along the course to cheer us on and they were so encouraging! as we ran through the streets of Anaheim there were a lot of spectators too. The run Disney team did a good job of keeping the race organized especially when they had so many participants. The medal that you earn at the end of this race is so awesome! I have many medals and this one by far is my absolute favorite! I would probably do this event again because it was so fun and unique running through Disneyland and because of the metal at the end. however there are a few things that I would do differently such as getting there a little bit earlier (probably 4:45 am) so I can start at the correct time with people that are more my pace. If you want to do a first half marathon this is a great choice!

Eat my pixie dust
7 of 12 in 2016 half marathons — done and done!!! TinkerJane runs the happiest place on Earth (Disneyland).
RunDisney events are well organized. The staff at Disneyland and runDisney ARE SO FRIENDLY — they make Disneyland the happiest place on Earth. First time running a runDisney event and it was one of the funnest race I have ever ran. And if you know me, I’m all about being festive in costume and «in character» so events such as these are up my alley. I ran with fairy wings :)
Instead of paying $ 250 for race entry, I ran for charity. I was a runner for the American Association of Cancer Research Foundation. Technically, I paid $ 250 and by end of fundraising my page raised $ 850. As a collective, we raised $ 20,000 during this fundraising period. It was a honor to run for cancer research.
THE EXPO.
It was held at the Disney Resort Hotel in the Convention Center open Thursday — Saturday. Complimentary 2 hr parking, additional 2 hr parking if you eat at the restaurants in Downtown Disneyland. This was no ordinary expo, I spent 1.5 hr at the expo. Very informative, you have Disney staff on stage giving you marathon tips, picture stages all around, getting info about the layout of the race AND shuttle information and shuttle pass — all this is very important because its a huge race. At runDisney events they have a section specifically for that events merchandise. The good stuff/​designs and sizes run out quickly. I usually don’t buy stuff at expos but this one I spent some money.
THE COURSE.
Mile 0 – 1.5 running outside of Disneyland. Mile 2 – 5.5 running inside Disneyland. Mile 5.5−11.5 through Anaheim. Ending it wrapping around the outside of Disney and finishing it off on the LILo parking lot. And a lot of Disney music playing during this course… It stimulates the mood from «too early to be awake» to «I’m so happy I don’t know what to do with myself».
THE RACE.
Average wake up is around 3:30 — 4:00am. Catch the shuttles at the surrounding hotels (or walk from your hotel). It’s highly recommended to be at your corral around 5am as the race starts at 5:30am. So many friendly and happy Disney staff everywhere, they were all helpful and informative and supportive. When in your corrals you feel like a sardine. It was almost impossible for me to get some stretching in. Loved the big arc with a huge digital screen at the front to see the hosts and characters come to the stage from afar. Between every corral there is a 4 minute gap. When running outside of Disneyland the course had a ton of space to run, running inside Disneyland was had narrow paths. Running inside Disneyland was the best ever! At this early hour it’s just staff, you, the other runners, and characters ready for pictures. There was a lot of stopping to take pictures or getting in a line to take pictures with some of the Disney characters and taking shameless selfies with iconic backdrops. No PRing, literally just sexy pacing it through the course. Disney staff lined up clapping and waving in support… They really made you feel special here. Lots of water stations on the route and restrooms and/​or port-​a-​potties. I even «tinkered» a few times during the tinker bell race. Around mile 7 in downtown Anaheim there was a block of hundreds of ladies (majority elderly) wearing pink cheering you on. Omg they were one of my favorite spectators I have ever seen of the many years I been running. They gave me this boost of energy and I felt their positive energy. Around mile 11.5 you start to hug the outside of Disneyland and into the LILo parking lot. The finish line was also very organized. They had several lines of people ready to give you the medal, then you have the snack area — snack is packed in a runDisney box (how convenient), then the photo opp area, then the parking lot area that was staged for people to hang out along with many booths. It was very spacious. I am just blown away by the experience. I really did feel like I was at the happiest place on Earth.
THE AFTERMATH.
There was a stage in the lilo parking lot playing fun music. Reception sucks, plan a location of meet up with friends prior to starting the race or you will have a challenging time getting a hold of anyone. A lot of people went to Downtown Disneyland to eat. Mind you, everything was chaotic at the end. Runners + spectators + Disneyland opening up to the public… You can imagine there’s a lot of people everywhere as soon as you leave the finish area.

Still a pretty good experience, but there are still a few kinks that could be worked on for future races.
This was my second Tinker bell half marathon. At least this time around, they offered the «Pixie Dust» challenge where you can do the 10k on Saturday and half-​marathon on Sunday to get a total of three medals.
The course and crowds was awesome. Plenty of festivities at the end. Plus, a lot of eye candy. ;)
Note to self: 1:38:35 in 2015

Registration opened this morning and is almost sold out at 90% capacity already, this is how Disney races go. I’ve run the Disney half before and it wasn’t the greatest thing ever but I signed up for the Tinker Bell 10k with a few friends. Knowing that I didn’t care much for the half, spending half the money on half the distance works for me. It’s still the priciest 10k I’ve ever registered for at $ 110 a head.
These races are filled with Disney fans and I’d definitely consider them «fun runs» vs serious road races.
It’s nice every now and again to have fun with the girls but I wouldn’t suggest signing up for anything more than a good time and going into the event with that in mind. They’ll be plenty of people stopping and taking pics at every place imaginable which makes running this competitively a tad bit challenging.
They have a crazy early start I’m sure due in part to needing to operate the park during normal business hours but c’mon get a glimpse of those medals, they are beauts! add must adds to any bling collection ;)
I’m very much looking forward to this 2016 fun 10k after Fall and Winter racing and plan on heading down the day before for packet pick up or staying nearby the evening beforehand.
Fun stuff! I’ll update after the race with additional deets!

(Half #13, 2015)
Tink marks my one-​year anniversary!
While also debuting its inaugural Pixie Challenge – a 10K finish on Saturday and the Half on Sunday – Disney’s 2015 Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend stands witness to the day I’d decided to begin running. It was a big day for me. I mean, prior to Tinker Bell, I had run a mile or so at a time, I guess, but I had yet to log any serious mileage. Last year, however, the Tinker Bell 10K, 2014, changed that.
Since then and to date, I’ve run 28 Half Marathons and counting, finished dozens of 5K’s and 10K’s, and knocked out a few 12K’s as well. My sweet collection of medals continues to gain momentum! Disney medals, though, they really are the most impressive… and the most expensive! But more than the medals, Disney runs are a blast. Even though I had worked at Disney many years ago, having the unique opportunity, even now, to run backstage and throughout both Parks before their opening is a great experience.
The Half this year spent the first six miles inside the Resort – characters, including Tinker Bell herself lining the course – before heading north on Walnut, east on Lincoln, and south on Harbor. Heading then back toward Disneyland, we ultimately finished behind the Disneyland and Paradise Pier Hotels. Another fun run, just as expected!
Being an Annual Pass Holder, by the way, offers added perks when it comes to running Disney. I’m afforded early registration for each of the sell-​out events, and since parking fees are included with my pass, I easily by-​pass the $ 17.00/day.
The Tinker Bell Half also puts you on track to receive the pink Coast-​to-​Coast, when also conquering Walt Disney World’s Princess Half in the same calendar year. The black, I’ve received. Next, pink!

13.1 miles. I should have trained.
In all seriousness, I had so much fun running through Disneyland! This was my very first Run Disney event, and I didn’t know what to expect. I signed up for the experience! (It was expensive, and the event sold out pretty quickly.) It was definitely worth it to me!
Sunday morning, I woke up at 3 am to drive over the parking structure before all the main roads closed. It still cost $ 17 to park since we were in the Mickey & Friends lot. I was placed in the last corral. I started at ~6:20 am, while the first corral started at 5:30 am. Big difference. (Unfortunately, I didn’t get to fully enjoy the fireworks at the official start time… Corral G is so far from the start line!!) Although my friend was placed in the corral in front of me, we met up at the castle and took tons of pictures together! About six miles were done in the parks. I forced myself to run the last seven miles without stopping! There seemed to be many water stations, which kept me hydrated! I didn’t see any fainting or anything. The medical tents were filled with people getting band-​aids and apparently, people were cutting off the sleeves of their jackets/​shirts.
Although I ran super slow, it was a wonderful feeling to cross that finish line! And the medal is beautiful! I wish I dressed up! Everyone looked cute in Tinkerbell and Peter Pan costumes! Although, I saw a lot of random clothes and items disregarded along the course route. I think people just got tired of carrying around the extra weight. Luckily, I didn’t bring too much with me.
For those who have never done a half-​marathon, my advice is to train (haha, for real though). Even if you choose to walk, it’s a lot. My friend walked those last 7 miles, and she had blisters like no other… all over her feet. Maybe just get good shoes. Well, my friend said the most she ever ran was 2.5 miles. Ever. I ran a 10K (6.2 miles) about 2 months ago, but I regularly run ~3 miles. I firmly believe that you can run any distance you want as long as you run slow…
Well, it is now four days later, and I can finally walk like a normal person again!

My first run ever.
It was fun. It was crowded. I hurt all over after. And I didn’t notice Mickey trying to give me a high five as I passed the finish line coz I just wanted to sit (sorry Mickey) but it was a great experience overall.
Gotta try at least once. Or twice. See you next year, Mickey and Tink!
P.S.
Thanks to all the volunteers who waited at the end of each mile to hand us Gatorade and/​or water.

I ran this race as part of the Inaugural Tinker Bell Pixie Dust Challenge. The 10k race of the challenge took place on Saturday. You’ll need to go to the expo on Thursday or Friday to pick up your bib. The Tinker Bell race weekend is designed for women. You will definitely see that at the expo. They have allowed men to participate since the event began 4 years ago. This year, they moved the race to Mother’s Day weekend giving up their previous January race date to the Star Wars weekend.
I like this particular 10k course as most of the miles are all within the two Disneyland parks. The two bigger hills of the course are pretty much over within the first two miles. Since now the race is in May as opposed to January, there’s much more daylight during the race.
My one and only semi-​complaint would be that even though it’s a women’s event, they really shouldn’t start the fastest guys in corral B. It’s just not safe for everybody. At least it’s better than starting the guys in corral C which was the case for the first two years. I’m sure the women are just as annoyed by us passing them as we are trying to get around them. Anyways, runDisney does that so that the first runner to cross the finish line would be a female competitor. It’s their race, their rules.
If you’re a guy and are a competitive runner, do keep in mind that there are currently no awards for male participants.

Great course and great energy. I preferred this course to the Disneyland half marathon course. You run almost 6 miles in the parks for this course, compared to like 2 at the Disneyland half marathon. However, there were less water stops, food stops, cheerers, and overall people for this half.
Disney charges an arm and a leg for their races but they a) know they can and b) know they need to make it worth the while. They lose out on one star in making it fully worth it – give me more swag or a better ticket deal!
Probably going to skip out on the Disney runs for a while but recommend them for their noncompetitive environment and fun atmosphere.

Normally I would say the Tinker Bell Half Marathon is a four star race, BUT for whatever reason I felt amazing yesterday and got a new PR, so I think it deserves five stars!
This was my fifth Run Disney race (three halfs, one 10K and one 5K) and fifth half marathon overall. Compared to my first half marathon (Disneyland 2013), I enjoyed this race much more. First of all, I was placed in an earlier corral so I only had to wait about 25 minutes from the gun to start, compared to almost an hour last time (I didn’t submit a proof of time, so I was in the last corral!). I also really enjoyed the course which took me through parts of Anaheim, I’ve never explored before. Since I live fairly close by, I made mental notes of cute shops and restaurants in the area. Fortunately, we did not pass by the Packing District or I would have been running with a poutine in one hand and a popsicle in the other! Both the Disneyland and Tinker Bell courses are very flat, but I think people might prefer the Disneyland course though because you get to run through Angel stadium.
I also noticed that the lines for character pictures were much shorter. The longest line was of course for Tinker Bell, but there were probably fewer than 10 people in all the other lines. Actually now that I think about it, the characters were kind of B-​list — mostly faeries and pirates and things. At the Princess Half (in Florida) the lines were 30+ deep to get a pictures with princes and the Frozen people. The costumes of the runners were also nowhere near as elaborate and again skewed toward faeries and butterfly wings.
Negatives include the price (near $ 200!), having to pay for parking ($ 17) and a log jam for the first quarter mile or so. Also, the parking lot seemed super far away to my tired legs. It also didn’t help that I forgot where I parked lol. Positives include an amazing medal and accomplishing my goal running Coast to Coast in 2015!

One of the best Half Marathons I have ran to date. I have always had somewhat bad experiences… probably because I’m running 13.1 miles like the other half crazy people I’m next to.
This one was different in many ways though. It was the most well organized and everything was executed on time. They kept all the runners/​walkers entertained with dancers, marching bands, stations with Biofreeze, red vines, oranges and even sunscreen! You got a chance to take pictures with characters (those lines were longer than the bathroom which I thought was funny). Water stations were on point as well as Powerade being provided every mile or so.
The only complaint, which is even hard to complain about, was that it was crowded. People were so nice though and quickly got out of the way when you wanted to pass through. I think everyone had the same intentions and just wanted to have a good time and cross the finish line.
I would pay the insane price again and again for this experience. I recommend it for first timers especially because there were a TON on this course, and, because there’s no pressure of being fast, it eases any nerves you might have.
Plus you get to run through both parks and get to see all the behind the scenes stuff. It truly is the best!
See you at the Star Wars Half!

Of all the Disney races I’ve done, this one was just ok. It’s well organized for sure. The RunDisney expo was the usual cluster it usually is, but at least it was open until 8 pm on Thursday and Friday. The 5K was held on Friday morning, the 10K held on Saturday, and the half was on Sunday.
The route is different from the Disneyland 10K that I’ve done before. The photo ops were with all the fairies other than Tinkerbell which was a tad disappointing. I’m not sure if she came out at a different time but I didn’t see her. It didn’t matter because a lot of the runners dressed up as fairies or other Disney characters. I saw Hook, Peter Pan, Wendy, Aladdin, Belle, and Hades running on the course.
The finisher’s expo was disappointing in that they only offered Powerade, Dasani water, and bananas. That’s it. Usually, there are food boxes stuffed with a Cliff bar, Craisins (another sponsor), crackers, cheese, and other goodies. This time around, nothing but bananas. I’m not sure if the boxes were misplaced, stolen, or what but for as much money as we pay to run these races, the least they could do for us at the end is to give us more food. The finishers’ medal was cool though. It has all the fairies from Pixie Hollow on it surrounding the words Tinkerbell 10K along with the date. Now with more RunDisney races being offered throughout the year (Star Wars, Tinkerbell, Disneyland, Avengers) in California, I’ll probably run the other ones before considering signing up for this one again.

Very fun race, and I’m very glad that I decided to run it! Although it’s expensive (VERY expensive), I thought it was well organized from beginning to end, there were a lot of water stations (every 1.5−2 miles), and one station around 8miles that was sponsored by Clif and had Clif shots.
The expo was actually pretty big – the biggest race expo I’ve been to thus far. There was a lot of gear, from t-​shirts/​sports bras/​shorts/​etc to headbands, to light-​up run accessories to water bottles, to you-​name-​it. There were a lot of volunteers at every turn to answer your questions.
Race morning was easy to find where I needed to go – I just followed everyone else! My family and I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and booked out room through GET Travel Sports (which was the travel sponsor listed on the runDisney site). The discounted park tickets was a great perk for using them. Since we were staying at the park, it was a short walk to the starting line. I had an estimated finish time of 2:20, and I was placed in corral B. I think anyone under 2 hours was placed in corral A (corrals went from A to G). As I was walking to my corral from back to front, there were volunteers making sure you were getting in your correct corral, and they were very strict about it, which I was really happy to see. Corrals C through G were VERY full with a ton of people. Once I got past that, the corrals were much less crowded, and everyone looked like they were more serious about running for time. The announcer said there were just under 16 000 half marathoners, and I would think there may have been less than 1000 each in corrals A and B.
The race started at 5:30 on the dot, and corral B started at 5:38. Once the race was underway, it went a little bit around the block, then entered CA Adv through a back door by Tower of Terror, went through and around the park, then exited through the main gates to enter Disneyland. The route went through almost the whole park except for Adventureland (but adventureland is kind of crowded, so I get it). Then we ran through Downtown Disney and passed about a million Red Hat Ladies. They were my favorite part because there were SO many of them cheering us on! Then we exited Disney property and finished the race along the streets of Anaheim. The course is basically flat except for over– and underpasses, so it wasn’t a difficult course. There were a couple high school marching bands and cheer squads along the course, so there was always something to look for/​look at/​keep your mind off the run.
One thing, I was expecting more characters throughout the parks. Maybe not for photo opps, but at least there along the sidelines cheering us on. There were only a couple photo opps with characters throughout the Disney property, but it looked like the lines for those were going pretty quickly. On DIsney property, there were a bunch of photographers capturing us runners. My photos have already been uploaded, and they turned out really well. There were no official photographers on the Anaheim streets, though.
Would I do the race again? Sure. I don’t think I’ll make a habit out of it… it’s awful expensive, but I think it’s very well done. Maybe it’ll be something I do every 3 – 5 years. It was fun!

I loved this race and the only reason I’m giving it 4 stars is because it’s so ridiculously expensive. It’s the most expensive race I’ve entered thus far and I hope to not make a habit of it. Although, after this race, I may consider running another Disney one, but maybe at Disney World.
Health and Fitness Expo. This one may be a little smalller than the Rock and Roll ones, but it was still pretty fun. Everything was tailored to the Tinkerbell theme and I mean everything. Even the KT tape was sparkly. What I probably liked most about this race is that it’s extremely well organized. I was in and out with my bib and gear bag within a few minutes and spent about 2 hours at the expo trying to find the perfect tank top to capture my Tink-​ness.
The actual race:
Got to the parking structure at 4:30 am. I got to check in my bag and lined up in my corral. Within 30 minutes, the race started. Usually for races, I have to get there early and wait like an hour and a half before starting. This was perfect. Plus, it wasn’t that cold with everyone around you. You start outside the park and then go through CA adventures, take pictures with some characters (It’s a super quick process. They are extremely prepared. They have a cast member or two willing to take pictures for you if you want to have a photo that you don’t have to pay for *cough*MarathonFoto*cough*), go through Disneyland, more character picture taking, and out you go onto the streets of Anaheim. I really believe that those characters gave me more motivation to run faster.
Post race:
They give you little munchies to eat and drink. Then comes the award ceremony and then you’re done. Massages for $ 1/​min is a bit much so I passed on that. The post race stuff isn’t as interesting, but since I woke up at 3:30 am, I was totally fine with just getting my photo ops and leaving.
NEW PR: 2:01:41
Pace: 9:16 min/​mile
Thanks Tinkerbell for the pixie power. :D

Having done all the Disney races except the Wine and Dine, I can say these are organized events and the medals are always really nice. This race has real problem with runners wearing stupid wings. Plus, Disney races attract a lot of first-​timers who insist on running 3 and 4 abreast. Between the wings and 3-​wides, its incredibly difficult to pass slower participants.
There is an easy solution — you want to wear wings? Great! Go for it, but you start in the last corral.

Last year I wasn’t able to get to the expo until like, 1 min before it closed, and they wouldn’t let me in to get my shirt or bib. I got my bib the next day for the run, and when I requested my shirt via email, they sent me a medal instead… from 2013 (what?). Anyway, long story short…
I think the whole customer service aspect piece of this race really turned me off. I can’t believe that they refused to allow you to get your shirt the day of the race, there was plenty of room in the bib booth that morning. ANY other race I’ve done, this has never been an issue. They charge you an arm and a leg, you train for months, and then drive all the way down from San Jose only be told «Well, you should have planned better.» Disney is beautiful, the parks are lovely, this race was so magical to run through, but I don’t know, I guess the wealthy clientele sets the expectations so high that the rest of us get treated like dirt with no regard for anybody’s personal circumstance. I still have not been able to find a shirt on Ebay.
Side note… if anyone out there has a Women’s L or M that they would like to sell me, I would be so freaking happy. I don’t know why it matters so much to me, I guess I felt like I really earned it and it was devastating to me that I never received it. #firstworldproblem but still…

Disney is magical and definitely convinced a non-​runner like me to sign up for their first half marathon. I ran the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in January 2013. I hadn’t ran since high school so I definitely needed to train and get into shape. Thankfully, I had a great trainer and motivator. :)
The expo was large and getting our bibs and shirts wasn’t too bad. There were lots too see and lots to sample. You could even get «fairy dust» before you left in preparation for the next day’s run.
The hardest part was waking up early and getting there by 5am for the 6am run. Hotels partnered with Disney to offer transportation for the weekend which was nice.
The race itself was fun because you got to run through the park and see behind the scenes area. Characters were out waiting to take pictures with runners and cheering everyone on. There was plenty of water stops too. My favorite part was running through the castle and seeing the holiday lights still up.
My only complaint was that when the race course left the park, it got boring running through the streets of Anaheim.
At the end, you are pretty much where you started in a parking lot near the Disneyland Hotel. You are given a boxed snack along with water and you’re super cool medal for finishing! If you want to participate in the coast to coast challenge, you need to complete two races, one at Disneyland and one at Disneyworld to earn an additional medal. Race participants get discounts through Disney on park tickets and hotels. Be sure to sign up for race reminders because these races do fill up fast!
I didn’t dress up for my first run because I didn’t want it to interfere with my running but I regret that decision. It would have been much more fun dressing up in Disney costumes like many others there. Next time! :)

Set phasers on one-​and-​done…
Ah Disney, bless them. What will they ever do with all that money? I did the coast to coast challenge this year and I personally liked the Tinkerbell half slightly more than the Disney Princess.
There’s a lot of people, and for the runners out there, let me give you a huge tip: get in a corral. Most of the entrants walk, so if you can run do a half somewhere else and submit your time. To give you an idea, I ran about 2:10 in a prior race and was put in corral A.
They do sweep slower people, I believe the minimum is a 17 minute mile pace. I always encourage people to push themselves, but if you can’t even do that you might want to wait until your fitness is better. Again, most of the women walk. I’d like to give a shout out to the woman I saw speed walk in a walking cast. She finished after me but probably near the 2:30 mark. Props to her.
You are not in the park for very long, and well, some of it is in garbage alleys. I didn’t take any pics with the characters since I wanted to run, but there will be lines and if you aren’t in the first few corrals you will have to wait awhile for your pic. But the few male entrants who ran in costume was pretty funny.
I hear they are moving the race from February to May next year. I signed up first chance I got and I think it was $ 135? It does sell out quickly, but again, one and done for me.

This was my first Disney race and what a magical experience it was!
I got to the expo on Saturday afternoon. Since the 5 and 10k’s had already taken place that morning, there wasn’t a wait for bib and shirt pickup for the half marathon but I still had to walk through a maze to get there. Not knowing the schedule of guest speakers and such, I happen to be there when the woman who was the reference model in the 50’s for Tinker Bell was speaking.
I wanted to wear Tinker Bell green to the run so I caved in and spent a small fortune on a shirt from the Raw Threads booth. Amongst the great things about the shirt, it glows in the dark (after being exposed to light).
Race day, we parked in the Mickey and Friends structure for $ 16 and I was so relieved they have an actual restroom on the ground floor of the structure. I guess I never noticed it before. We got to our corral right in time as they were the next wave of runners.
I loved running through California Adventure and Disneyland that early in the a.m. with all the pretty lights. We stopped a number of times for photos including one with Wendy and Peter Pan and then the Lost Boys. There were other characters throughout the park of which some had longer lines.
I appreciated all the school bands and the cheerleaders. I couldn’t help but smile when I heard them play Macklemore’s ‘Can’t Hold Us’. After mile 6, the course heads out of the park to the neighboring streets. There were unofficial water stops by generous people and somebody handing out orange slices.
I really love the medal with the turning Tink. The post-​run refreshments weren’t bad and neither was the entertainment provided by a band of service men and women in uniform. Behind the band displayed a live feed of the runners coming in towards the finish line.
It’s fun running with a bunch of fairies and to see the other costumed runners, especially one good-​looking Peter Pan in green tights. I even came across somebody dressed as Anna the Snow Queen from Disney’s latest movie ‘Frozen’. I wish I could do this run every year but alas, it costs a pretty penny.

I love this race. I’ve run it every year since it started in 2012. Sure it’s on the expensive end of the spectrum for a half marathon, but it’s full of Disney magic that no other race can duplicate!
As expected, the expo was heavily geared towards women. As a guy, there wasn’t much for you to do or buy at the expo unless you’re shopping for a female. So for each year, I’ve only gone to the expo to pick up my race packet and race shirts. Parking at Downtown Disney has been chaotic and almost a nightmare when you go during peak hours for attending the expo (i.e. lunch or right after work). They really need to address the parking issue.
As a male runner and a big Disney fan, I’m glad that they’ve allowed guys to run in this race. But because it was a women’s race, no men can actually win the race. So for the first two years, regardless of your race pace, the fastest men were put into no further than corral C to guarantee a female crossing the finish first. That was dangerous for everybody as the men were running about 2 – 3 minutes faster per mile than the females in the same corral. They finally put us in corral B this year (2014) which made it much more tolerable.
I love this race course more than the Disneyland half marathon course on Labor Day weekend. It is fast and pretty much pancake flat. There were plenty of photo opportunities with characters inside the parks if that’s your thing to do during a race.
I was able to set a half marathon personal best at this year’s race.
One thing to note: they will be moving this race to Mother’s Day weekend starting in 2015.

Expo — I came around 8:30am on the Saturday for the expo. It was easy in and out. Even with the end of the 10k runners coming in. I came early to register for the Limited Edition New Balance Shoes. Basically, you have to set up an appointment (first come, first serve) for these shoes. They text you when it’s your turn, as well as updating with inventory. I was able to get those nifty Cinderella and Minnie Mouse shoes. I can’t wait to start training in those.
Plenty of vendors to check out — Btw, the expos are open to the public and racers.
I ended up having so much time to kill, I was able to get the KT tape put on my knees and ankles. They are fantastic support for aches, injuries, and so forth. I can’t wait to be able to use it again!
Grrrrr… people have little to no running/​race etiquette. Come on, you can’t be about 4 people deep in a narrow part of the race. I know you want to walk by your team, your near and dear, but seriously, there are people trying to pass you up. AND don’t give them dirty looks if they say excuse me, or to your (right/​left). It’s just etiquette. If there are four of you, it’s not going to hurt you to walk in twos. ok /​rant
The medal is pretty effing awesome. It’s everything you want — huge, shiny, heavy, and a spinning Tinkerbell!!!
I’m not sure if I would do this again — this race costs a few doubloons that I have to pillage. It’s going to be in May 2015 (next year’s Tinkerbell Race). It’s a possibility, because never say never. :)
To all the volunteers, Cast members, Custodians, Cleaning Crews, YOU ARE WHAT MAKES THIS RACE AWESOME! Just having a cheering section at all places of Disneyland… made this race totally memorable and awesome!
FYI, if you park at downtown Disney — it’s 3 hours free + 2 hours (extra) if you get a validation from the AMC or sit down restaurants. I used it during the expo.

2014 — Half Marathon
I LOVE Run Disney and the Tinker Bell Half was no exception! Our experience at the expo was flawless! We were in and out under an hour and that includes parking! We went to the expo around 10:30/11:00 on Friday and found the merchandise to be a decently good selection. And no, I didn’t bother with the shoes.
The race itself was a blast! I stayed back in the B corral instead of A, so I could start with the husband and thought the morning logistics were smooth as could be. Plenty of port-​o-​potties with little wait and I didn’t notice any corral jumpers around us.
The race itself was AWESOME from the start until mile 6 or so. I do wish there would have been more entertainment from miles 6 — 13, but there was nothing. Luckily, being from the Midwest I find palm trees fascinating and exotic, so I was able to deal.
The finish line was great and upbeat and I love the ChEAR Squad! They also pronounced my name correctly! Win!
When we did the Disney Marathon in 2013, there were characters inside the finish line festival that we could take pictures with. I was really looking forward to this since I don’t run with the husband and was hoping we could have had some cute shots together. Oh, well. Luckily we were visiting the parks anyway during our trip. Additionally, it was also a little confusing trying to find him afterwards because there wasn’t really a true runner reunite area and the place was just mobbed with families.
However, my race went great and I got some great shots with the characters in the park. The only thing I would change is on behalf of my husband. He is a speed demon and starting him in the B corral (along with all the other guys) is just kinda dangerous. I get that they want a female to win the race (so they should have an elite wave first for the girls), but he spent up until mile 8 dodging around people who were walking even in the A corral. With the tight spaces, it is dangerous to the other runners to put faster people in the back (he is 1:25 runner and he was lumped in B with 2:10 and slower runners) and I hope they figure out a way to rearrange it differently.
Logistics: We stayed at the Best Western Anaheim Inn and had a GREAT stay. I wrote a separate review for the actual hotel, but it was SO convenient to stay so close to the start line. Not dealing with parking or waking up even earlier was so worth the value and BW was way cheaper than the on-​site Disney Resorts.
As for the merchandise and those gd Run Disney shoes… I can’t freaking stand people complaining about stuff being sold out. They are collectors items. of course they sell out. The races also sell out in mere days/​hours as well… When stuff is popular (i.e. Beanie Babies, Tickle Me Elmo, Air Jordans) it sells out fast, so if it is something you want. get in line early or STFU. Run Disney doesn’t owe you crap when it comes to merchandise and if your entire race was ruined because you didn’t get a t-​shirt then you have issues. «But we pay so much for these races». huh? What does that have to do with anything? Are you paying Run Disney for the rights to buy merchandise? You are welcome then because sold out merchandise = you saving money. BAH.

Tinkerbell Half Marathon was my fourth Half Marathon and by far the one I’ve been most excited to participate in. I’m a huge Disney fan and love anything Disney, but to be honest, this race fell a little short for me. I was debating giving it 3 stars, but decided on 4 stars simply because I had so much fun during this race, despite the flaws it had.
Pre Race Expo:
The Expo is open 10am-​7pm Thursday-​Saturday. I came around 3pm on the Friday before the race. It was SO CROWDED with people at the expo at that time that I was going a bit crazy. It took me about 30 minutes to get all I needed for the race (bib, shirt, etc), and then spent about an hour looking at all the vendors. There were a lot of good vendors there and I enjoyed looking at all the race gear — it got my psyched for race day! Overall, expo was decent, just be prepared for it to be crowded since it is for the 5k, 10k and Half Marathon.
Race Day:
The race starts at 5am sharp. I got to Disney about 4:30am, and the line to get into the parking structure was LONG. By the time I finally got in and parked, it was 4:50am. Surprisingly, I wasn’t anxious or nervous about it being so close to the start time since I knew my corral (corral E) wouldn’t start until at least 5:30am. Plus, there was a TON of other people in the same boat as myself, and I even noticed cars were still streaming into the structure at 4:50am. I was still walking to my corral at 5am, but I saw the race start with fireworks and all. After I finally got to my corral, I waited, and waited, and waited. My corral didn’t officially start until about 5:40am, which is a LONG time to wait to cross the start time! But, I was psyched about the race, and the time didn’t seem to bother me.
I’m going to divide the race into two parts: miles 1 – 6, then 7 – 13.1, because they were so drastically different and I felt like I was running two totally different races and courses.
Miles 1 – 6 goes through California Adventure, Disneyland and Downtown Disney and it is so incredibly fun. It is like I’m not even running a Half Marathon and just enjoying a day at the parks instead! There are Disney Characters out, some rides are up and running with lights on, and everyone is happy and giddy going through this portion. My complaint? There are way too many people going through this part of the race at the same time. Because of this, I was forced to come to an almost complete stop during parts of the route since they are so very narrow. Also, I noticed that some people don’t have «race etiquette» and some the walkers were walking in the middle of the course (instead of on the outside, which is what they usually do at the other races I’ve participated in the past), sometimes 5+ people across, making it nearly impossible to pass them, and forcing faster runners/​walkers to do a zig zag around them. I was getting very frustrated at this point and was at the point of either screaming or punching a wall since it made me slow my pace, which at the end made me finish minutes slower then anticipated.
Miles 7 – 13.1 went through «historic Anaheim», which isn’t that great or even seems that historic. I didn’t really pay much attention to the sights around this part of the course, I was just focused on finishing the race. The great part of this leg of the race was that the course opened way up, making it easier to maneuver around the slower walkers/​runners and not slow down if you didn’t want to. I caught up with one of the Pace Groups during this part of the course, and was able to get back on track with the time I wanted to finish in, and in the end I finished about two minutes faster then my Pace Group I was following (I took off about .2 miles before the finish).
The last .1 of a mile of the race was THE BEST. You’re going through a mob of people, all cheering for you to finish and you feel like a rock star. I loved it, and my name was even announced while I was going through this shoot of people, even though I was in a mob of at least 40 or so people running along this part at the same time.
The medals you get when you finish are big and amazing, and I loved everything about my medal. You also get the normal swag when you are finished: water, power aide, bananas, and other random food items. It was pretty great.
On another note, this race is $ 175 plus $ 16 to park on race day (you can use an Annual Pass to park as well). The race was completely sold out less then 48 hours after opening for registration, so prepare to register as soon as it opens. This was also the first race I was able to sign up for the Race Tracker, which will notify the people who are waiting for you (parents, significant other, friends, etc) when you cross the start line, the 5k and 10k mark so they will know when about you’ll finish so they can be there to cheer you on.
Overall, fun race, and I’d highly consider doing another Disney Race if I don’t want to PR and don’t mind the hassle of running with mass amounts of people.
Cheers!

I’ve done several runs by different organizations before but I have to say that Disney knows how to keep the fun in their races. 5k family fun run on Friday, 10k on Saturday and half marathon on Sunday. Their medals are nicer and bigger than what other races give. Did a 5k and the Inaugural 10k and was pleased with accomplishing these physical feats of hard work.
The health & fitness expo is a must! Although there were more Disney merchandise made for the race than actual running gear. It’s okay it’s a Disney run so it is expected. What was unique about this expo was the New Balance shoes designed for Disney. A friend of mine stood in line for hours and waited 2 days just to get us each a pair. The price wasn’t too bad $ 129 for a pair of the Cinderella color/​style. I paid more for my Nike air so it didn’t hurt my pocket so much. I bought compression socks for the run & got a 10% discount.
5k: 3.1 miles of fun run. Lined up on Main St Disneyland park with fireworks around the castle as an opener. If you’ve never done a Disney run before, this would def get you started. I believe there were 1500 runners (adult & children) who signed up for the 5k. Anyone can dress up in costumes. The course took us from Main St, backlot (you don’t see this when you’re visiting the park), through some parts of California adventure park, and finish at Paradise Pier. There were Disney characters along the way and if you’re on track and not lagging behind, you can do photo opps. With 4 stops we finished in 50 mins.
Don’t get misled by the term «fun run». You are still required to run/​walk at a pace of 16 min/​mile. You can still get swept or picked up if you’re lagging behind pace. You can still get a PR run if you can figure out how to sprint between the slow runners & walkers… With lack of training I finished 10 minutes longer than my usual PR. Stopped 2x for a photo opp and got slowed down by a pack of walkers several times.
10k: I was in Corral D and all the corrals lined up along the streets outside Paradise Pier hotel. Tents for bag check and porta potties were at the Simba parking lot. Corral A started off at 6:00 am but Corral D started a little after 6:19. The clock at Mile 1 was reading 34 minutes and I realized it did not reset for us who started later. So I kept running. There were more Disney characters along this course & long lines for each… the view of the parks at dark with all the holiday lights were still on and I just want to run & live in the moment.
It was crowded going through the parks. Walkers were everywhere & didn’t seem to observe any race etiquette whatsoever. I tried moving to the right when it was time to walk but even there, runners were crowding up the space. After mile 3, we left the parks & ran through the streets of Garden Grove and turned around the corner before Howard Johnson (street name ?). It was then that the sun met us in full daylight. We were along the interstate. Most runners started walking at this point. After mile 5 there was a water stop. Photographers started taking shots at this point. By mile 6, I started feeling my adrenaline rush as I heard the crowds cheering and the runners sprinting to the finish line. Mickey Mouse was there of course but didn’t see Tinkerbell at all. After receiving my sweet bling I was happy! Gatorade, water, Mylar blankets (for warming up) and snacks were given out after.
There were rumors that ppl were assigned to their corrals not by their previous PRs but by first come first serve basis. I thought that was unfair… The farther the corral you’re in, the more chances of getting swept and picked up. There were a total of 30,000 runners & 400 got swept & some picked up.
I’m not a big fan of visiting Disney but I’d def come back to do the races. Running races are fun for me and I’d like to live in the moment vs get the thrill of rides and do more Disney stuff. There are more worlds to explore outside Disney (Disney world marathons are in my bucket list although I’ve seen all their parks before).
Registration for these races are a bit much but ppl still manage to come here & spend the weekend. I’d encourage anybody to do any sort of race for fun & fitness. Some won’t do it but if you say it is in Disneyland, there is a higher chance they’d go.
It truly is a happy place on earth but your wallet pays a price for that happiness :-)

Disney races are the BEST! Yes, you pay a pretty penny, but it is beyond worth it for the experience. They are well organized, motivating, and FUN!
First stop is the expo prior to the race. You’ll pick up your bib and amazing goodie bag. There are tons of booths to browse and the opportunity for photo ops. There are seminars and tips/​tricks galore!
Race day starts EARLY, as the race begins about 5am. Yes, you heard me — it STARTS at 5am. It is early so you have the ability to run through both parks prior to their normal openings to the public. Get there early to find your starting corral and mentally prep. There are tons of port-​o-​potties for *those* types of needs as well.
As for the race itself, it is just plain magical. You get to run through both Disneyland and California Adventure. They light up the rides, bring out parade floats, etc! They also bring out tons of characters and you can get your photo taken with them if you’d like (many people just continue to run on).
In between the parks, you run through the streets of Anaheim. It can get a bit monotonous, but there are lots of people out on the streets cheering you on! Amazing that people will get up so early just to cheer on strangers — it’s very uplifting! There are also cheerleaders, school bands, etc! All entertaining you and urging you on towards the finish.
And when you do finish, they hand you the most glorious medal of all time — it must weigh several pounds — that you will wear with pride during the rest of your Disney visit. From there, they snap your finisher photo and herd you off to all the amazing post-​race snacks.
This race is a must-​do for Disney lovers and HM racers alike. It’s just so darn fun!
Advice: Stay ON or NEAR Disney property. With so many roads closed prior to the race, parking and traffic will be horrendous. If you have to drive, leave EARLY!!!
After this HM, I did decided that I don’t think I have the time or desire to train for another HM. It’s so much work! Luckily, this year they added a 10K to their arsenal and I will be running in that in less than two weeks!

This is the second marathon I have ran in my life and I would have to say this is the most memorable.
Check-​In and Expo:
I took the day off and decided to check-​in and register on the first day of the expo to avoid the crowds. Parked in Downtown Disney, I made my way down to the hotel. It was simple and easy. Volunt-​ears where already present and they cheer you on as you activate the built-​in chip on your number.
Completely appreciative of those volunteers as their cheers pumps you up.
The Expo itself was cool with workshops and demos. Lots of Disney themed and women running equipment. Some spots have cool deals so it’s beneficial to buy your equipment there than online or on at retail stores.
The day of the race:
One Tip: ARRIVE EARLY. I left at 330 from LA to get there at 410am just to deal with parking. then walking from the parking lot to the starting line. Give yourself ample time.
The course takes you out to the commercial streets, in Disney California, in Disneyland, the back lots, residential area, back to commercial streets and back to Downtown Disney.
Because you start at 500am, seeing the parks light up and the characters out cheering you on was extremely awesome. I felt like a kid again and it was enough visuals to distract me from the pain. lol!
Fellow runners are dressed up in their favorite fairy outfits (or any Disney character for that matter.) If any thing, the comradery, positive energy and excitement was motivating.
Another thing that was beautiful to see is people of different ages and shapes running this race. 13.1 miles is not an easy feat and the allure of Disney certainly squashes that fear that people may have in running a half marathon. Bravo, Disneyland for having these events.
Now if only they can give us a better discount or free entry to the park!