Disneyland 1/2 Marathon Weekend, 2010 - Review

It will be my 1st attempt at completing 2 - 1/2 marathons on back to back days.

1st Half:  Disneyland 1/2 Marathon, September 5, 2010
2nd Half:  lululemon Vasona Lake Run 1/2 Marathon, September 6, 2010

Originally, I was signed up for the Disneyland 1/2.  But, when the lululemon Vasona Lake Run 1/2 in Los Gatos, CA opened up and offered a lululemon tech T to all their registrants, I decided to take the plunge.


Disneyland 1/2 Marathon Expo

Disneyland 1/2 Health and Fitness Expo

 Bib pickup is outside and down the ramp:

Welcome!

After picking up my bib, I went up the ramp and into the Expo to pickup my tech T and goodie bag.

The 5k Cotton T.  (I didn't do the 5k.)

The 1/2 Marathon tech T.  (The lighting made the blue color look darker than it is.)

The 5th Anniversary bling.

The 5th Disneyland 1/2 Marathon display.  Folks were posing for pics with it all day.

Seminars.
The audience was delighted that Jeff Galloway, former Olympian, and renowned running coach was signed on as a training consultant for Disney events.  He gave seminars on both days at the Expo and also signed books at the Disney booth.

Jeff Galloway, training consultant for Disney events, speaks at the seminars.
 

Disneyland.
I got to enjoy Disneyland for 1 day on Saturday, compliments of Disney.

Earlier this year, I volunteered in the "Give a Day, Get a Day" program.for Project Open Hand.  I helped to prepare meals for the sick, the elderly and/or those less fortunate.  In return, I received a voucher for a "1 Day, 1 Park" Disney ticket.

Disney gave me a "Honorary VoluntEAR!" button along with my park pass.

My favorite ride:  Pirates of the Caribbean.

The Haunted Mansion was under refurbishment for the upcoming Halloween season and was closed.  sniff... sniff...

It's a Small World!

It got pretty toasty around 12 Noon, so I sought refuge back at the Expo, before coming back out to play for a couple of hours later in the day.

Race Morning.
I slept well, which was unusual.  Perhaps, it was because I did this event last year and knew what to expect.

My goal:  Have fun and don't get injured to run another 1/2 the next day.


The Race.
Waiting for the event to start.  Oh...the anticipation!!!

The Start.

From Corral C.  I felt like we were packed in like sardines.

The race started and off we went.  California Adventure was the 1st park we ran thru.

The World of Colors at California Adventure.

I stopped for some bears along the way.

We exited California Adventures and went in thru the front of Disneyland.

Then, I stopped for the Princess and the Frog.

I snapped a couple of more pics as we headed towards the iconic Cinderella's Castle.

Cinderella's Castle.

For a few seconds, it felt like I was running in a horror-themed, or Halloween- themed, event instead.

A witch was on a balcony at Cinderella's Castle.

We eventually excited the parks and proceeded to take a tour of Anaheim, CA on foot.

The Honda Center, aka The Pond

A big highlight for myself is the Angels Stadium.  Depending the Angels' schedule on certain years, runners may or may not be able to run thru the baseball stadium.  I was fortunate that last year and this year, the Angels were away on Labor Day Weekend, and we were able to run thru it.

The excitement builds as we head towards Angels Stadium.

The big "A" in the Angels parking lot.

The scoreboard inside Angels Stadium.

As we head back to the Disney theme parks, the feeling that the The Finish is not that far off.

Heading back to the Disney parks.

I eventually finished.

Chip:  2:54:11


So, that makes 1 - 1/2 marathon down, and 1 - 1/2 marathon to go the next day.

When I realized I finished at 2:54:11, I was concerned that I might not have been too conservative this time out for tomorrow's 1/2.

Personally, I always have enjoyed Disney events because they are fun.  But, because they are very pricey, I wouldn't be doing them annually.

Pros:

1. Fun.
2. Characters along the way.

Cons:

1. Crowded.
2. Pricey.

I'll put up the lululemon Vasona Lake Run 1/2 report the next day.