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.

I was worried exiting the freeway at 7:00 am, the parking lot looked crowded and the exit ramp had…read morea long line. I still had to pick up my race bib for the 8:00 start. No worries though. Nice race t-shirts, lots of people. Fun race I did better than I expected, I wasn't able to train the last couple of weeks. The course goes through a bubble zone and inside the stadium concourse then onto the field! Water and fruit are at the finish line and lots of game booths! Very nice race!

2021 was the 2nd time to do this one for me. I think they…read morejust held it virtually last year due to covid. The participation was smaller than in the past, and so it was easy to distance ourselves during the run. It was around the time when things just started opening up again. We did it with a group of 4, with one of the group having finished chemo so we just walked it. After running dozens of 5ks to marathons and always with an eye on my personal time, I wasn't so sure about walking it but of course it had special meaning. Walking it is fine as the participants range from serious to walkers. This year, instead of finishing around the warning track in the outfield, we ran right by the dugouts so it was great. All the volunteers were friendly and it was nice going into the entrance of Angels stadium to use the restrooms and check out the team store before and after the run. The tech shirts were nice this year. We'll be back!

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 place deserves more than 5 stars. I thought this was going to be an interactive video game…read moretype of thing but it was way more than that. I will 100% be back again and I will be telling all my friends about this. A truly unique experience. You really feel the true race car experience and I think you need to wear workout clothes cause I felt the sweat from trying to concentrate and control the car. The cost is so worth the 1 or 2 hour time slot. I'm sold and will be looking into a membership cause I'm addicted.

First time trying sim racing and I'm glad I chose the 2-hour Nordschleife experience - absolutely…read moreworth the $82! Even though I didn't use the full session (it's more physically demanding than expected - seriously, LOL), the experience was fantastic from start to finish. Shoutout to Jason on staff - super professional and welcoming. He guided me through check-in, helped set everything up, and even offered a bottle of water before giving me some helpful tips on handling the cars. Small touches like that really elevated the visit. For those curious, here's the YouTube link to my run - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzysPtCC5gE. I clocked in around 8 minutes from the pit, which I think is pretty decent for a first-timer!

Inaugural Star Wars Half Marathon!…read more My first Disney race and I had a lot of fun. Yes the race fee costs an arm and a leg but it's very well organized. They had a lot of volunteers and water stations never ran out of water or Powerade. We ran inside Disneyland and California Adventure and lots of characters and employees were out to cheer on the runners. There was a lot of entertainment outside of the parks as well. Loved all the local high school bands and students cheering us on as well. Lots of port-a-potties and only once did I see a long line. Unfortunately this was my first and maybe my last Disney race. Only because the fees are so expensive!

It's getting closer to the second annual runDisney Star Wars event at Disneyland so thought I outta…read morefinish up this review I started shortly after the first event. How awesome to have been a part of this inaugural event celebrating such an epic franchise. It's really expensive but it sure was a lot of fun. Initially I was planning to take the Rebel Challenge (10k+half marathon) up until I saw it was $330 (without processing fees). I was in shock that this challenge was an extra $21 if you take the price of the 10k plus half marathon. I guess that's the price to pay for an extra shirt and medal. By the time I thought "eff it, it's only one time", the challenge had sold out so I just signed up for the half. At the expo, the bib pickup is underground then you walk back up to ground level to get your shirt and then on to the vendors. I parked at the hotel parking and they give you 30 minutes free but they aren't strict about it. Come race day, there were many runners with cool and creative costumes. Inside the park, the photo op line for Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker was efficient but they didn't use the same process for Chewbacca. I was bummed that I didn't get to take a photo with him because the 16-minute pacer was already passing. (If you fall behind her, you may get picked up.) Had to do my research on who this group of people were outside of the Disney grounds, 501st Legion, in full costume, ready for photo ops. I was so happy to see them, my spirits were lifted and made up for the missed photo ops with the characters in the park. Their costumes were amazing! For those driving in on race day, you're subjected to the $17 parking fee at the Mickey & Friends structure. If you so happen to be interested in any of the Disney runs, you must know that they tend to sell out on the first day of registration. I am a sucker and will be running the half a second time hoping that the 501st Legion will be there again.

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.

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!

The Rancho 5K, having now concluded its 3rd annual race, is a great way to get some of my students…read moreinto the running game. This year the course, instead of at Rancho Alamitos, was at Bolsa Grande, another one of our district's amazing high schools. The proceeds benefit Rancho's Track & Field team, and I am in complete support of that. In fact, it was not only nice to see some of my former students running, but many of them were volunteering as well, encouraging runners along the route and handing out medals at the finish. In either case, their being involved (and getting up extra early on a Saturday) was much appreciated and worthy of applause. Whether running or walking--students, family members, and teachers alike--came out pumped up and ready to run. An event that promises continued growth and popularity, the Rancho 5K is one race that I am always happy to attend. Go Vaqueros!

Well run event for a great cause. The first 2 were held at the high school, however due to…read moremodernization construction they have moved the venue. Last year it was at the Bolsa HS Track and this year it will be held at mile square park at the Forrest structure. Sign ups are up and early registration like in the past means discounts. This year Tom will be adding on an additional aspect utilizing Crowdrise to sign up and raise money for the kids. I'll be running again this year hope you will to. https://www.crowdrise.com/RanchoTrack5k

I have mixed feelings about this race. I mean, I felt they cut back this year because:…read more1) You don't really see any characters along the race 2) Fees for the race are high as usual 3) Goody box and goodie bag is nothing beyond ordinary. That said, it's still Disney and they do a good job controlling the crowds. The medal for the 10K and the Half and of course the Pixie challenge is pretty awesome, just not $300+ awesome. You get a two tech tees and a bright yellow shirt if you do all three. The route is okay, you get about little over 2 miles of Disney and enough of the outside area. As for volunteers this year, Disney hired people from temp agencies because volunteers were no shows on previous years and spectrum sports (SS) were running the race. So I would focus your attention with SS in terms of race related issues (if you have one) rather than Disney. This race really should be cheaper for So. Cal Residents, just my two cents.

Of all the Disney races I've done, this one was just ok. It's well organized for sure. The…read moreRunDisney 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.

Great place to get your vegan vibe on…read more Things here are NOT cheap so prepare to spend some money. Dumplings run up to $25 just for 3 pieces... which is pretty absurd... Lots of tents/booths selling fan fare, t shirts, candles, soaps etc. Definitely come thru and check it out at least once, especially if you're already in the area!

Arrived around 4 pm, and man was it hard to find parking, and make your way through a crowd. This…read morewas worse than Disneyland in peak season, seriously! Lol kids running wildly, I'm thinking their parents dropped them off and left. Also if you should know it was, Shoulder to shoulder rubbing with strangers. Long long long lines around and hour in. Curious if the crowd died down later in the night ? Since it was 4-10pm The free music was fun, and set the mood. I love that healthy junk promotes wellness for all. What a fun market faire type of event! A lot of vendors from previous years and photos were NOT here. Since this was my first year attending I was specifically looking for a few that looks delicious with hopes let down. Supposedly some of them come from Nor Cal and other places. I do really appreciate all of the vendors being pretty friendly, and most of all vegan. Prices were okay, the dip dots soy icecream was very overpriced. Pizza slices were also up the wazoo. Ended up eating inside of healthy junk per usual. Thought they'd have more than brauts outside, was hoping for some creative dishes... Overall; worth it if you're okay with crowds, little seating a lot of standing. Hot sun, but plenty of options to cool down with drinks or indoor places to eat at instead on the downtown area. This was a fun way to try new places though, and just a very cool event !