I did it :D my first half marathon, and I couldn't have picked a more magical way to do it than…read moreRunDisney's Halloween weekend at Disneyland Most of my training happened on the treadmill, which honestly taught me a lot about consistency and mental endurance. I followed the official RunDisney training program from their website and trusted the process--even when life was busy and motivation was low. Race morning was early (very early), but the energy, costumes, music, and Disney magic made every mile worth it. Running through Disneyland in the dark, then heading outside the parks with rolling hills, the heat that I did not prepare for was challenging--but unforgettable. These are the things that really helped me: 1. Enlist a buddy to do it with you. I somehow managed to persuade my oldest son to come with his mama. My son who is in his prime, who at the time just came back from officer training school (boot camp). He was jumping, singing, running circles around me during the race, yelling out motivational pep talks. It was kinda annoying and motivating at the same time. 2. Use the free pacers There are multiple pacing groups, and sticking with one helps you stay calm, consistent, and confident. It really helped to see a whole group pushing through. Being next them reminded me about Dory..."Just keep swimming... Just keep running!" 3. Arrive early + move up in your corral We arrived around 4:15 AM, which gave us time to settle in and get closer to the front of the corral--huge stress reducer. 4. Stay close to the start line if possible We stayed at a hotel near the start, walked over, and later met my hubby near the mall. Less logistics = less stress. 5. Go to the Expo on Day 1 Exclusive merch sells out fast (RIP glow-in-the-dark shoes). The expo is free, fun, and has lots of freebies. Pro tip: go again on the last day for sales. 6. Practice in your costume This is non-negotiable. What feels cute for 10 minutes may not feel cute at mile 9. I practiced in my Ursula costume a handful of times. I saw people ditching parts of their costumes. 7. Hydration is covered Water and electrolytes are provided on course. I didn't need to carry water, but some people prefer to--do what works for you. 8, Know the course You start inside Disneyland, then head outside the parks where the hills show up. Save your energy for those miles. 9. Pictures Make sure your number is visible. Photos come free with it. There a a good number of photo opp in the parks. Unfortunately we couldn't stop since we were the last coral. So we did "passing" video shots. You should practice doing this. 10. Volunteers The volunteers outside of Disney were awesome! Seeing the signs, hearing the encouragement, and grabbing the sweets helped a ton. Soak it in and it will keep you motivated I discovered that I hate running long distance. At the same time I also realized I like doing it at Disney and after the race I told my son lets do the Dopey Challenge next. Where you run the 5k, 10 k and half marathon all in the same weekend. Of course my sweet son replied, "sure thing mom as long as your paying." This race reminded me that you don't have to be perfect--you just have to..... "just keep running, just keep running, running....running". If you're thinking about doing a RunDisney race, especially your first half marathon, do it. Train smart, trust the plan, and soak in every magical mile.

Just when we were in the swing of having them back, they're gone again. With the upcoming…read moreconstruction, it was announced there were not going to be anymore races for the foreseeable future here on the West Coast. This was the last race on Feb1 as the 5k and 10k took place the prior days. From what I gather from others, this can take many years to come back. I believe this was a new half marathon course at least new to me since the Star Wars Half days. This course was very refreshing, the stretch of it on Anaheim Blvd, running past the Packing District and the Ducks ice rink. The good thing about the "out and back" parts is seeing if you can spot the "balloon ladies" if it's a concern or maybe friends who run at a different pace or checking out their fits. I appreciated the DJ's and bands out there. They brought the energy! Everything was just so cute with the "It's a Small World Theme" but maybe I'm biased because I happen to love the color purple as in the bib, medal, and long sleeve tech t-shirt. It delighted me to see several runners dressed in this theme because I'm not creative enough to assemble my own costumes. PhotoPass photo opportunities were inside the park and some at the reunion area. These digital photos are included in registration and show up in the app same day. I must say the finish line replica photo op in the reunion area was a time consumer in the hot sun. Powerade was the electrolytes on course. I was wondering how they were able to get the taste and concentration consistent to realize they were being poured from the plastic bottles. Not too much to sample or any freebies at the expo if you compare that with other major race expos. The post-run snacks are not much nor memorable unless you count that nacho-like cheese from the box. IYKYK Yes, you pay a pretty penny just to participate but only you put a value on this experience. I would say if you're a Disney fan and have the means, to just do it one time for the experience but that dream has run out luck on this coast for now.

Came here second time and found the most pleasant and knowledgeable sales person, Matthew…read more Will definitely recommend this little great store.

Mt. San Antonio College, for its 2nd annual run, added a 10K this year!…read more This time dedicating their race to the City of Hope, the Mt. SAC Run does it again! Just as fun-filled and action-packed as last year's race, this course begins atop Grand Ave. as an easy downhill, embarks upon the twisting trails of Mt. SAC's Cross Country Course at Snow Creek, and finishes at the Mt. SAC Stadium as part of the "Day of Champions" during the world-famous Mt. SAC Relays! Yes, you'll receive an awesome Run Mt. SAC tech shirt, as you would expect; but your race registration also includes, by the way, free admission to the Relays, arguably the largest Track and Field Competition in the World! Over 13,500 competitors compete for over three weekends at Mt. SAC's Stadium, a place where 20 World Records and hundreds of National Records have been set. This stadium's also been the site of three U.S. Olympic Trials! It's got clout! And get this: Upon finishing your 5K or 10K run, you'll receive an actual Mt. SAC Relays medal, the same as the Relay's competitors are awarded! And to make your run complete, the stadium's Olympic Torch burns bright, awaiting any and all who wish to snap a few shots!

I saw a post on a social media about the Brea Fest happening 8/11/23…read more This was a free family event for the Brea residents and guests. Brea Fest admission and entertainment was free. There charge $4 per ticket that can be used for food and/or beverages. There was a children area: art and craft, bouncers, face painting, story book reading area, variety entertainment, arcade free interactive video games. Children received free popcorn, snow cone, cotton candy, balloons and light stick. All of this was sponsored by North Hills Church. There were 2 live band stage show. There were plenty of food booth, vendor and bar. The exhibitions at the Brea Art Gallery was free. The display of arts were very nice and unique. We also got a chance to see live theater piano performances at the Curtis Theater. It was beautifully played. Overall, we enjoyed our walkthrough the Brea Fest Event.

This is an annual fundraiser with entertainment and food. I had some food and several desserts from…read morelots of local restaurants. Everything was so good. A favorite was a chocolate Nothing Bundt Cake. There were all kinds of food, many choices with something for everyone. Sandwiches, pizza, pasta, ice cream, cake, fish, smoothies, soda and water, beer and wine, A wristband for alcohol was $2, plus the drinks. Presale tickets were 7 for $20, $4 each at the event. I had too many tickets, and I had to use them all that night, so I ate more than I usually do. There were 3 entertainment stages. We sat at a table by the Jimmy's Buffet tribute band. They did 3 sets. Music was fun. Didn't sound like Jimmy, but it was fun to watch. The band was from San Diego and they decorated the stage. We had a fun time.

My son did the diaper dash last year and the 1k this year. He really enjoys it and it's a fun local…read moreyearly event. The race costs $15 and he got a free t-shirt, a finishers medal, and a pedometer watch.

I lived in La Habra for a few years and never did this race until I moved out of the city. It's not…read morepromoted a ton (I've only read of this race from the Brea 8k), so it stays a medium-small sized meet. It was fun watching the 1k and diaper dash--the whole community was clapping for the finishers so that was really cute. 4 stars for keeping this professional for the size--it's Chipped timed with fast results. 3 stars for the course-- I felt like there were way too many rolling hills for the average runner (which seems to be what this meet draws the majority of the population of), You really don't catch many breaks with the hills, but luckily they aren't extreme inclines, just annoying and points out how out of shape you are. From the handful of people that ran this, they would not want to do the 10k--doing the same course twice means that much more hills! **Oh one more thing, there's no mile mark so you have no idea how far you've gone--something that can easily be changed hopefully! 5 stars for having this local race! and the support the local enforcement contributed to it as well. 4 stars for medals--they give medals to top 5 M&F runners in age divisions, so you have a decent chance of getting one if you ran pretty hard. Overall not too bad.

5 stars for accessibility to the public…read more I am always on the search for public tracks and have been meaning to stop by. When I used to work closer to LA, this was out of the way, but now that work is closer, I had to just stop by to check it out. Parking - located on both streets (pay attention to no parking signs) Surface- asphalt, second best to rubber tracks. (Slight negative: didn't really like the random rocks that magically slip into your shoes but that is probably a me thing, and not a you thing.) Restrooms- close by/ convenient Overall, would definitely come back again.

A year later and I am still on these tracks couple times a week! I really appreciate that they…read moreleave it open to the public. I will say parking can get quite busy (the only parking I know is the street parking), but the tracks are never too crowded. I see many runners practicing track workouts, as well as casual walkers enjoying a nice stroll. And everyone seems very pleasant. Plenty of room for all to get their workout in, whatever that may be for their day.

Rocking it at Irvine Regional Park continues Rock It Racing's awesome trail racing challenge: The…read moreRock It Fall/Winter Series! Concentrating my efforts more on upon the trail this year and less upon the asphalt, I lace up--even if it means shortening my distances, even if it means muddying up a pair of Brooks, and even if it means trudging through uneven stretches of trees and bush with sometimes no other runners in sight. However, that's the beauty: getting away from the city streets and getting back to nature. Rock It Racing offers four very cool trail runs: Caspers 5k/12K, Whiting Ranch 5K/12K, Irvine Regional Park 15K/5-Miler, and El Moro Canyon 6K/10-Miler. Running at least 3 of the 4, qualifies you for the special Rocky Series Award, plus a stylish ​Rock It Racing trucker hat! I'm down! (While I've finished the Series and already snagged my very cool Rocky Series Award and trucker cap, I'll be sure to complete all four runs anyway, ending at El Moro Canyon next month.) Mostly flat, without the inclines you'd come upon at Caspers and Wilding, Irvine Park was my third Rock It race (I ran the 5-mile) and it was a blast! Like the other races, there were times when the trail narrows to single lanes, but that's part of the intrigue, part of the beauty. Navigating through groves of heritage Oak and Sycamore trees, you'll find the course a little challenging at times; however, the variety of landscape--Irvine Regional truly is beautiful!--serves, if anything else, as an enhancement to your run. I love it here.

This is my second year participating in the Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend. Last Year,…read moreI did the half marathon, this year, I did the 5k! Disneyland's Halloween Half Marathon was from September 4-7 at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim California. This is the second year for the Halloween themed runDisney event. Next year though, the runDisney event will not occur due to the planned construction at Disneyland Resort There are a few different events that are hosted. 5K - (Friday) - Theme was Ursula the Sea Witch 10K - (Saturday) - Theme was Cruella de Vil Half Marathon - (Sunday) - Theme was Maleficient If you complete both the 10K and the Half Marathon, you received the special Pain & Panic Challenge medal! There is also the kids races and the yoga session! Each distance does receive it's own themed medal! Bib pick-up was at the Health and Fitness Expo at the Disneyland Hotel. You could pick up the bib, pre purchased merchandise, and shop at the expo hall between September 4-6. I ended up buying [2] pairs of Disneyland Halloween themed brook shoes and several Halloween runDisney shirts/pins! Logistics: On the race day for the 5k, I arrived around 4:15 at the Mickey & Friends parking structure. From there, I went through the security check. The 5k started inside Disneyland. There are a variety of different corals for the races. I started in the last corral, but luckily, I was able to get two different character pictures in the race! The weather was perfect too! It was around 65 for race morning. The race started at 5:00 A.M, but by the time I started at my corral, I didn't pass the start line until 5:25 A.M. The 5k went through both Disneyland and California Adventure theme park. The race ended towards Goofy's Fly school in DCA. The race was amazing. It was all decorated for Halloween. Before you started the race, there was a pre-show, lights, and some fireworks! It was such a amazing time!

This was the 1st RunDisney 5k I have done in 15 years (usually it is the 10kHalf Challenge) and it…read moreodd not disappoint. So much fun the 3.2 miles just flew by! Loved that we started inside Disneyland on Main Street and ended over in DCA by Ariel's Under the Sea Adventure. Nice and easy and a the weather was a bit humid (even at 5am) but was tolerable. Not too crowded and met so many wonderful people! The staff is amazing as usual. Love at RunDisney and their events here in CA!!!

"The Happiest Race on Earth"…read more Years ago, I had friends that would drive all the way to Disneyland to do the Tinker Bell runs every single year. They would tell me how they would get dressed up and run through the park. I would look at their photos and it looked fun. But back then, running wasn't as big of a deal to me. Disney held their first marathon at Walt Disney World in 1994. Disneyland started theirs the following year. Over the years, runDisney became a half marathon and added 5K and 10K runs. Each half marathon weekend has a different theme to it. These races allow you to run through the theme parks with live entertainment and Disney characters sightings along the way. The runs include a finisher's medal, all sorts of swag and timed results. As I was doing some reading up on these races, I started to realize how big of deal and popular they are. Majority of the runDisney races take place at Disney World in Florida. Disneyland had canceled their runs in 2018 when they were building Star Wars Galaxy's Edge and also because of the pandemic. In 2024, they decided to bring back their half marathon weekend after a seven year hiatus. These days I am big into running and do about ten competitive races a year. I also come from a family of Disney fanatics. I mentioned to my sister that the half marathon weekends were coming back to Disneyland and that we should try and do one of them. Registering was a chore for us as you have to sit on the computer for hours in a queue to see if you were one of the lucky ones to get in. They aren't cheap either! On race weekend, you have to attend the Disney Expo the day before to pick up your bib and shirt. They have an official merchandise area that you can pick up addition stuff for the run. I signed up for the 5K run and was a little disappointed to find out that it is considered a "fun run" and not timed. After dropping a couple hundred dollars on additional merchandise, we crashed early to get ready for the run. Race time is early (5am) because they have to clear everything out before the park opens. Despite being how early and cold it was, I had a fun time. For the 5K, majority of the runners were more about taking photos with characters than actually running. I am pretty competitive and ran almost the whole time despite all the walkers that I had to dodge. I did enjoy seeing all the costumes that people were wearing. We started off in front of the Sleeping Beaty castle in Disneyland and ended up in California Adventure to finish the run. The medals that they give you are pretty cool and you are given snacks and drinks after the run. If I do one of these again, I will probably do one of the longer runs that are timed. But overall, I enjoyed being able to partake in Disneyland's first runDisney event in years.

This is a beautiful sports complex with so much potential in a nice area. I have seen it go down…read moreafter a couple visits. Over the weekend we did walk in a dugout with a transient occupying it. I wish it could have been checked beforehand. The turf is pretty rough looking along with the mounds. No playground but stairs that provides a fun workout. Restroom are available but definitely carry your own tp and soap! Parking can be hard but Im not to judge on it during tournament or friendlies. Definitely take advantage of a snack bar opportunity. They have a building I never seen used! But a set up outside is worth it.

Love waking up and coming here to take my morning stroll listening to my music and watching all of…read morenature here birds, lizards, squirrels, butterflies rabbits and other joggers passing by

Spent way too long trying different options to get the cyber Monday deal to work. Frustrating…read more Emailed them 3 days ago about and no response. God forbid you buy and have issues. No cs.

I was a DIRTY DIRTY girl today! I also learned what a Dirty Sanchez is (thanks to the large team…read morename in front of our group), then I proceeded to strip down to my birthday suit in the parking lot and get my ass rinsed out - so all in all today was quite an interesting day to say the least. Spring Break at the Lake was crazy! My first and I think I went about it as well as a virgin mud runner could, being the prissy beeotch that I am on occasion - I was a bit scared to totally trash my legs crawling on my knees over the rocks so I did my best to not come out bruised and bleeding - I wore shorts and the scrapes are very minimal but I can see how you can really get severely wrecked on the course and obstacles if you are going balls to the wall out there. I wore a bikini under my shorts and tank and my vibrams which proved to be a pretty solid choice. The mud pits were insane fun but nerve wrecking to me at the same time - having never experienced a mud run I am SO lucky Rich J. was there to hold my hand through almost every single pit - with drop offs in the pits, I was terrified each time we were in one (I guess I didn't want to encounter any injury that would prevent me from my real running and workouts) but at the same time it was an unforgettable fun experience. The polar plunge was crazy freezing - this way out did any ice bath I've ever taken in life - holy shit!!!!! I can't wait to see the pictures as there was no way in hell I was able to get any - I'm pretty sure the Go Pro cams hold up well out here but we didn't have ours with us today and everything else was checked in with bag check (which was well organized) - thank god! We had been there since 9A since the group packets I had paid to be mailed to us never arrived and we had to deal with same day pick up. Timed Teams in the 10A wave seemed to take forever to start - we were 10-30 which didn't start until after 11A. I'm not sure if the goal was to start in waves each minute of the hour but it didn't go off that smoothly and everyone was pushed back a bunch. The finisher medals are pretty sweet! Parking was $10 cash Customer service ended up proving to be completely useless and downright rude in the end when I reached out to them Tuesday before the race to ask why we had never received the shipment I paid to be mailed to our group. Not cool! I wouldn't necessarily recommend this exact mud run due to some of the organizational issues but I'm pretty certain I'd be up for another mud run in the future.