Is the magic still there for runDisney races?
For me, the answer is a definitive “YES!”
Especially if you are a woman who loves to run, loves Disney and loves Tinker Bell. It’s a trifecta of girly goodness! runDisney’s Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend is definitely geared toward women. From the colors Disney uses for the racing shirts, to the New Balance shoes they debuted at the Expo, this is a girl’s weekend.
runDisney debuted a new racing Challenge for 2015, the Pixie Dust Challenge: Run the Tinker Bell 10k on Saturday, May 9th, and then the Tinker Bell Half Marathon on Sunday, May 10th and receive not only the Medals for both of those races, but a special Pixie Dust Challenge Medal. I don’t know about you, but I’m in it for the bling, and I signed up immediately!
Posted by Run Disney on Sunday, May 10, 2015
Now for the racing costumes. My favorite part about runDisney races is running in costume, and I try to do something different every year. I’ve been Tinker Bell, Rapunzel and R2-D2. I am known in the cosplay world for my JediTink costume. My Twitter handle and Instagram are @JediTink, it’s my thing. But as it’s made of real leather and suede, I can’t run in it. So I decided to finally make a JediTink running costume to debut at the Half Marathon. Luckily for me, runDisney obliged and created the perfect shoes to go with the outfit!
runDisney’s Tinker Bell 10K
We are going to start on Saturday, May 9, 2015 with the Tinker Bell 10k. It was a typical day in Southern California, an absolutely gorgeous, overcast, slightly windy morning, around 50-60 degrees. PERFECT for running. And, it turns out, perfect for pictures! For this race I donned my Skywalking Through Neverland shirt and green sparkle skirt, as well as the wings I wanted to wear the next day. This race was a trial run for tomorrow’s Half Marathon. I was excited to run in my NEW Tinker Bell New Balance shoes (also to see if they would hold up for a half marathon)!
The 10k course was perfect. The first 1.5 miles of the course take place on the streets of Anaheim, and it’s a good warm-up before you enter the Parks. The course then bobs and weaves it’s way from backstage Disneyland to Disneyland itself, then backstage Disney California Adventure to DCA itself. Along the way there are character stops. For this race, all the Disney Fairies made an appearance…except Tinker Bell! Apparently she overslept…
Running down Main Street of Disneyland, always an inspiring view.
The chipmunks are my favorite!
Rosetta is Mile Marker 2.
The race curves to the left into Frontierland, but I noticed a group of girls taking photos in front of the castle and no one was in front of it! So I ran up to them to discover that they were taking photos in Burst Mode on their iPhones and jumping. Well, sounded like a fantastic idea to me!
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…the money shot!
This photo is worth the price of the entire race!
The 10K course continued through DCA with fairies Rosetta, Iridessa, Silvermist and Vidia along the way.
I love running through Carsland - another inspiring site!
Running backstage, here’s a look at the “Diamondizing” of the Mad T Party, soon to debut for Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary celebration.
My friend Monique and I agreed that this was the most enjoyable runDisney race we’ve ever run, from the course to the weather to the theming. Simply perfect. And now, time for Starbucks…
runDisney Tinker Bell Half Marathon
Sunday, May 9, 2015. Time to debut running JediTink, and grab the coveted Pixie Dust Challenge Medal!
Now this Half Marathon course was a little different than previous runDisney Half Marathons, in that we ran through Disney California Adventure first, then Disneyland. I was very pleased that almost half of the 13.1 miles were run throughout the Parks, and not on the streets of Anaheim. Since it’s May, the sky was starting to get light even before the raced started at 5:30 AM. I noticed clear skies, which meant it was going to be quite sunny later. By the time we entered the first Park, DCA, it was already very light.
Once I discovered Burst Mode on the iPhone, well, I kept doing it. Quite fun, but nothing turned out as good as that very first photo.
Finally…Tinker Bell! Her line was the longest, but Cast members are very good about taking pictures quickly and moving the line along. Overall I think I waited only 15 minutes. She LOVED my outfit.
Costumes were so cute, including this WALL-E:
Once outside of the Disney Parks, I don’t take many photos, but here’s a look at the Mile Marker signs for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon.
Fast forward a couple hours and here is that bling!
The Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend is four years old and, in my opinion, keeps getting better and better. Now when is runDisney going to add a Medal for doing all 4 Disneyland races in one year?? THAT is the real question.
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