A Pink Pixie Princess...FINALLY! A 2017 Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend Trip Report!

[run.minnie.miles]

YAASSSS coffee

This is my life motto. Applies in every situation.

Kicking myself in my boring, plain white socks.

I love the minnie socks! And this made me laugh... sorry about your boring socks!

The mai tai one is WAY cuter

That skull would give me nightmares. Ahh! The mai tai IS cute!

I left the meet-up a bit after 4 and headed to Haagen-Dasz for...lunch, I guess!

Drooling.... (also, you must not have a sensitive running stomach like I do. I can't eat ice cream the day before running. boo.)

And the main mouse again...this is probably my favorite outfit he meets in, so anytime I saw him out in California Adventure, I couldn’t resist stopping (ditto to Flapper Minnie!).

I love this outfit! And flapper Minnie is my FAVORITE EVER!

 

[Ariel484]

I'm so glad the 10K was better! Yas, steak and eggs....breakfast food always for this gal! Dis meet how fun! Pictures are great. I love your InB style and those shades (which I always mean to compliment). Nothing better than good sleep! Looking forward to reading about the half! Woo hoo!

Breakfast food YES!! If I could, I would only eat breakfast food.

Especially if you've just run 10K And especially if you have steak!!

Good to know!! I did enjoy the fries more than the steak, if I'm being honest.

NIce! That is a really clever "policy", but I don't understand why they did it with one drink but not the other

I'm not totally sure either. With the first drink, I ordered it in the bar and took it out. With the second one, I ordered it while we were outside at our table - they brought it to me in that mug and then a minute or so later brought me the souvenir mug in its own box.

OMG! This is exactly what I did all through W&D race weekend.

Isn't it the BEST?? It's just so relaxing!!

I also really like the unique shape/design of the 10K medal...but hte 5K is hands down still my favourite...odd, best medal-worse race!!

I actually think the PDC medal is my favorite...which is saying something since I'm not a Tink fan!

Fries for breakfast is totally acceptable. Especially if they're garlic parmesean fries.

I am enjoying that all of you are telling me that fries for breakfast is a-ok.

Yay DIS-meet! Sounds like you had a really good crowd - I'm glad it was fun!

It was! Conversation was super easy...loved it!!

Lots of awesome medal pictures! It's always fun to get medal pictures with the classic characters.

Yes it is!! One of my favorite things about doing race weekends.

Almost time for the half ... yay! (Although I'm a little nervous about what your rude awakening was...)

It was...Ellie Goulding!

Catching up.
First the 10k: so happy this race was more of what everyone expected! Others have already said it, but you really looked like you were flying out there! As hook would say "Nice Form Jack!"

RUN HOME JACK! RUN HOME JACK!

The 10K was awesome, I would 100% do that race again!

That medal is so cool! I also bought that MU hat you are wearing for hubby cause I saw it everywhere around the parks.

I love that hat, it's so fun!

Second: I see myself in the meet up pic!!! Well, my shirt at least. Proof I was there!

roxymama was there everyone!! Yay!

Third: omg I'm so excited to read your half recap because I can compare our experiences. My goal is to do mine tonight while I watch the bachelorette premier...if my brain cells don't all die.

Yeah, you can see what it was like for someone 30-40 minutes slower than you were!!

Ps: omg Oreo shake...gimme that!

OMG right?? Soooo good!!

What great pictures!! Enjoying your report!

Thanks Chris!!

So glad the 10K was much better. runDisney learned their lesson from taking things away for now. Also awesome that you got to meet up with Gisele and Chris.

It was!! I'm starting to think runDisney 10Ks are the best races, between the courses and # of characters. I could see myself being a runDisney 10K specialist in the future.

The rest of your day sounds great with the Dis meet and pictures in the parks.

It was a pretty solid day!!

Glad your Dismeet went well! I just love Trader Sam's! Glad you had two fun drinks and what great souvenirs those are!

GAH me too. I want to collect all of the mugs now!

Fries are totally breakfast

Yesssssss

I find it funny that you think 8:45PM is early for bed on race weekends! My husband and I try to be in bed before 8PM, sometimes even 7! But having read your reports, you did go to bed a lot earlier than you usually do!

YEP, exactly - for me, it IS early. I have been dumb about race weekend bedtimes in the past - that s*** won't fly anymore. I'm getting too old for that!

Who is Judy Hopps?

Frmo Zootopia! She's a bad@$$!

I need to get an MU cap... I've picked it up so many times and not bought it but I still think about it which means I need to get it right??!

FIRST OF ALL...you are still in London, yes? I know Manchester is far away but I hope you are okay!! Stay safe!

You do!! I really liked it because (TMI?) my scalp gets sunburned sometimes unless I am smart and remember to put sunscreen on my head (seriously...so weird). So I liked having the hat because I felt like it was still cute and I didn't have to mess with sunscreen.

Mickey looks so dapper! I love it!

Isn't he so cute?? I love his suspenders!

I will be SO ANNOYED if they change the theme of the Tower of Terror in WDW or DLP... This is NOT a good change...

I agree!!

Sounds like you had a nice evening in the parks... how do you find exploring by yourself? I was surprised at how much I like it in Paris, I felt so relaxed and I wasn't fussed about getting on rides and stuff just enjoyed the atmosphere.

I did! I was actually really nervous for it...the first day of the trip I woke up at home and wondered if I even wanted to go because I'd be by myself the entire time, but I actually really enjoyed it. I just soaked it all in, did what I wanted to do on my schedule...it was quite nice.

OMG I NEED THIS IS MY LIFE!!!! HOW?? WHEN??? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

The D23 expo! I found a shopper on Facebook that is getting that for me and the Epcot coin purse (items #22 and #27)!!
http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/05/photo...-celebrating-epcot-center-star-tours-pirates/

The 5K sounds so poor! The coral situation is so badly organised and it's horrible having to deal with running traffic right from the start, imagine the backlog that caused further done the line!

ARG, it was. I was thinking about it this morning, and unless I decide to do Dopey again (unlikely), I think I am done with runDisney 5Ks. The character lines are always SO long or, in this case, there are no characters! Notable exception will be if I ever get out to Paris, since you met like 2458734985798 characters during the Paris 5K.

What where they thinking with so few stops! We had the same issue in Paris with the 'selfie only' for some photos, it doesn't even make the line go any quicker!!! But at least in Paris there were so many character stops so I didn't stay mad for long.

Seriously - runDisney: PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO TAKE SELFIES!!

I am totally with you on not knowing how to pose for pictures, it's a bit easier when there is more than one of you we would try and pose the same for some photos which made it a bit less awkward...

Good call!!

Worth the wait! It's so lovely

Isn't it?? I love it!

They handled your complaint so badly and I think it's so odd that they thought removing characters wouldn't cause a massive backlash??

Yeah, I don't get it either. It's right on their website - Disney Characters on the course! What did they expect we'd think??

You got some great character pictures around the parks though!

Yes, Disneyland always has great characters hanging around!

Your 10k looks like a lot more fun! Those on course photos are great!

AND CHARACTERS!!!! lol
Donald looks adorable! Chip and Dale too!
Aw you look so happy in all the photos

I WAS!! I was so happy that they had classic characters themed to the race, it was great!

THOSE SOCKS!!

Right? NEED.

The meet up sounds great, I always feel nervous with these sorts of things that nobody will come!

I was too!!

Even more character pics too... guessing the wait was short??

Yep, or I knew where they were coming out so I'd line up a few minutes early.

Also as I'm writing this I can see your lovely face down the bottom with the adverts! So funny!

View attachment 238871

HAHAHA oh no yikes!!

Finally getting a chance to get caught up!

I was really interested to read your take on the whole 5K debacle. I was following the whole thing on facebook and just couldn't believe it. I have since read quite a bit about what happened, and the reasons they happened, and I'm still just shaking my head at how a company like Disney can mess something up so badly. It sounds like it was the end result of many things, including changing from volunteers (who get some nice swag for helping) to using outside companies to pay people to work the race. And of course their lack of character meets was just the nail in the 5K coffin. That whole thing really made me worry that some major changes were happening with rD and not in a good way.

YES. I so agree - after the 5K I wondered if this was just how things were going to be from now on, and I was texting my husband saying I was totally done with runDisney after that race. I was so disappointed!

I am SO relieved that they got their *stuff* together in time for the 10K! And kudos to you for registering your complaints with a rD person - it is too easy to just go on social media and rant.

Yeah, I felt like it would be silly of me to just complain here and not actually complain to someone would could pass it along, ya know?

The 10K looked like fun! That is always the best course of the weekend in any race, and thank goodness for characters. I love your reaction to seeing Donald!

And I meant ever word!

The Dis meet sounds fun! I would be pretty anxious meeting new people but it looks like it was a good time! I love the classic characters in their Hollywood outfits - you look stunning in the lotus top with those mermaid capris! Great pics.

Thanks!!

Can't believe we are already to half marathon day! Wondering what woke you up in the middle of the night??

It was...runDisney (with an assist from Ellie Goulding!).

This is my life motto. Applies in every situation.

It really does.

I love the minnie socks! And this made me laugh... sorry about your boring socks!

They're on my to-buy list for next trip!

That skull would give me nightmares. Ahh! The mai tai IS cute!

Yeah, he's just staring down at us from the shelf in our kitchen like a total creep...

Drooling.... (also, you must not have a sensitive running stomach like I do. I can't eat ice cream the day before running. boo.)

Haha...that probably wasn't the wisest thing to eat? Somehow I was okay after having that milkshake!

I love this outfit! And flapper Minnie is my FAVORITE EVER!

MINE TOO! OMG I just love her.

 

[roxymama]

I just have to add this note RE selfies....I do not have a pronounced chin....I tend to hold my head weird when trying to shove my face into the frame to get myself and whatever is in the background and then I look at my pics later and somehow I've developed double or even triple chins. I swear I gain 15 lbs every single time I take a selfie. I'd rather look cute and pretend I have a chin while photopass people help me out with pictures.

I just had to vent and this seemed like an appropriate moment

I'll take your "I don't know what to do with my arms" and add in my "I don't know what to do with my face"

 

[Ariel484]

I just have to add this note RE selfies....I do not have a pronounced chin....I tend to hold my head weird when trying to shove my face into the frame to get myself and whatever is in the background and then I look at my pics later and somehow I've developed double or even triple chins. I swear I gain 15 lbs every single time I take a selfie. I'd rather look cute and pretend I have a chin while photopass people help me out with pictures.

I just had to vent and this seemed like an appropriate moment

One of my BFFs takes the most amazing selfies - it sounds weird but she always looks *perfect.* I have had her try to "coach" me and it still doesn't help. So I feel your pain.

I'll take your "I don't know what to do with my arms" and add in my "I don't know what to do with my face"

"I don't know what to do with my body" - that should cover it, right?

 

[ZellyB]

The breakfast at Steakhouse 55 looks delicious! We really enjoyed our dinner there.

Thanks again for organizing the meetup. We had a great time and it was so fun to talk with everyone. The drinks weren't bad either.

I love the Mickey and Minnie costumes at DCA. We just never had good luck getting pictures with the characters in DCA. We also tried to catch Judy Hopps and kept missing her.

 

[Ariel484]

Day 4: Sunday, May 14, 2017

2017 Tinker Bell Half Marathon! Part 1

Alright! The main event!

One thing that is pretty different at Disneyland races compared to WDW races is that, for the longer races, the park miles happen right in the beginning, which you can see on the map above. I find that to be pretty challenging! But I was still excited about this course (which I had heard from others was their favorite half marathon course at Disneyland). I especially liked how it looked like we’d head to Disneyland first, then to California Adventure, and then BACK into Disneyland before tackling the streets of Anaheim.

But first...a rude awakening.

“GOOD MORNING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS, AND WELCOME TO THE 6TH ANNUAL TINKER BELL HALF MARATHON!”

“CHECK 1, 2, 3...CHECK 7...CHECK 8…”

“CUZ WE GOT THE FIRE FIRE FIRE,
YEAH WE GOT THE FIRE FIRE FIRE…
AND WE GONNA LET IT BURN BURN BURN BURN”

All of this...SUPER loud, over a speaker...at 3:30 in the morning. What the actual F-bomb!!!

That’s right, apparently runDisney decided that they needed to do a thorough test of the speaker system that morning (they hadn’t done this the day before...or if they did, I’d slept through it). They played the full race announcement, checked the microphones, and played that entire Ellie Goulding song PLUS another full song. In total, this went on for maybe 7-10 minutes.

!!!

Looking back, I'm not sure how I didn't get totally freaked out hearing the race announcement - how did I not think I'd overslept? I was just annoyed!

There was no going back to sleep after that...so I lost about 30 minutes. Which wasn’t terrible, but MAN - how livid would you be if you were in a room in Paradise Pier or the Grand Californian facing Disneyland drive, and you WEREN’T running the race?? I don’t know what they were thinking…

Anyway.

Since I was up a little earlier than planned, I hung out in my room for a bit drinking my coffee. Once I decided I was ready, I headed downstairs to the same checkpoint I had used the previous day. Except today, the line was easily 3-4 times as long as it had been for the 10K, and moving just as slow.

There was a security CM trying to encourage people to head to bag check at Downtown Disney...after a few minutes I stepped out of line and took his advice. SO much faster - showed my SPIbelt, went through the metal detectors. I got held up at a choke point where the sidewalk narrowed, but overall it was very quick.

I was looking for the same porta-potties I had used the morning before - there had been a line of them right after the Paradise Pier checkpoint, but today they were gone. There were a few outside of each corral, but they all had pretty long lines...I’d used the bathroom in my room but would have liked to go again. Oh well.

To Corral B again! I creeped up to the front and texted “Happy Mother’s Day!” to my mom - whew, glad I didn’t forget!

I started looking around for any DIS-ers. I saw that @roxymama posted a picture in Corral B on Instagram and sort of figured out where she was from that...like a creep. I turned around and there she was!

I headed back to force her to hang out with me and we chatted, noting how there were a lot of really fast-looking men in our corral (men are not allowed in Corral A for the Tink races - LAME!). It was super helpful for me to have someone to chat with, as it distracted me from worrying that my back would blow out during the race (sidenote about my back - this was a concern for me heading into this weekend since my back had been crapping out on me all year. Thankfully, I was good about keeping up my PT during this trip and my back never bothered me at all...except for when I was standing in the corrals waiting for the races to start, and it would tighten up on me. Running actually helped it feel MUCH better. Hooray!).

So yeah...thanks for the disctraction, roxymama!

A full Disneyland Drive:

We were instructed to turn the lights on, on our phones at one point so the race announcer could get a pic. Roxymama was like “so my battery can drain?” No thanks!

 

[Ariel484]

2017 Tinker Bell Half Marathon! Part 2

5:30 came and went...it became clear that the race announcers were stalling and we weren’t going to start on time. It was notable to me because normally runDisney is REALLY good about starting on time, but later I found out that the lines at security had become enormous and backed up...so they were waiting to start the race to try to get people in (for much more on that, and the weekend in general, see this thread).

Corral A started 8-10 minutes late, and we in B were walked up to the starting line soon after.

A few minutes later, it was our turn! 3-2-1-GOOOOO!!!

roxymama and I said goodbye to one another and she took off...because she’s speedyfast.

Right at the beginning of the race, I was running behind a guy WITH NO SHOES ON. What?? Look, I know it’s Disneyland, which is very clean and magical and all that...but wear some freaking shoes, man!

It wasn’t long before we were in Disneyland Park and I spotted the first character stop in Toon Town!

No, not the fairies...the DIS-ers!! (picture credit to @Chris-Mo!)

I guess the fairies were cool too.

Fantasyland!

And time to run through the castle!

Let’s play “spot the DIS-ers!”

Wheee! Look how calm the lady near me looks!

And another angle...clearly way more PhotoPass people out in the parks today/yesterday vs. during the 5K.

But no PhotoPass in front of the castle...a nice runner helped me out!

I saw roxymama getting her picture in front of the castle just before I did...I knew she had really wanted that and was happy she got it!

Around the hub to Main Street!

Chip & Dale were out in their pirate gear again...initially I jumped in line (roxymama was a few ahead of me) but hopped out after a minute since I’d gotten that picture yesterday!

Another picture of both feet off the ground!

“I’m so fly...I Never Land!”

Speaking of Never Land…

Peter and Wendy waved to us as we left DIsneyland and headed across the esplanade. Back to California Adventure!

Time for a character stop!

[

You know I’m not going to pass up a Pluto picture!

We briefly headed backstage before coming back into the park via Cars Land. Mater and McQueen were out again today - I skipped them due to yesterday’s picture.

We headed through Bugs Land, down Sunset and then to Hollywood Blvd. Time to head back to Disneyland!

 

[Ariel484]

2017 Tinker Bell Half Marathon! Part 3

“To all who come to this happy place, welcome!”

3 down! We quickly went backstage.

We were back in the park via Tomorrowland. Hook & Smee were out (can’t remember exactly where), as well as Tink in Pixie Hollow. I skipped Hook & Smee, and Tink’s line was HUGE, so I skipped her too. Went past the Matterhorn and Small World, and out of the park...and that was it for the parks portion of the race. Time to tackle the mean streets of Anaheim!

Mile Marker 4 was just outside of the parks...here I remember seeing the lead wheelchair racer go by! 12 miles in about an hour...crazy!

I made my one and only bathroom stop sometime during this mile, at a small bank of porta-potties outside of California Adventure. There was no line, thankfully, so it was a short stop.

Not a lot of pictures for the rest of this recap...there just wasn’t much going on.

People definitely adhered to this sign...everyone was very quiet.

This is what most of the race was like - through these neighborhoods, very quiet and relaxed. It was actually quite pleasant.

And there was a good amount of spectators (I got a small bottle of water from a church group and a red vine from a podcast group - suddenly it becomes totally okay to take food from strangers if it’s during a race!)...but I couldn’t help but notice that there was essentially zero “official” on-course entertainment. Just one cover band and one high school band. Since I was having such a nice run, I wasn’t super bothered by it...but at the same time, I sort of was. This was nothing compared to the other half marathon I had done at Disneyland (the 2015 Disneyland Half, which featured classic cars, high school bands, cheerleading squads, dance groups, etc.).

That’s my one big complaint about this race - there were plenty of water/Powerade stops as usual, so the on-course support was stellar, but it was like runDisney decided not to set up any entertainment once we left the parks. I was fine because I was feeling AWESOME, and enjoying looking at the surrounding neighborhoods...and I think all of the twists and turns in the course made it seem shorter (compared to the WDW half marathons where you do a lot of straightaways down highways that seem to never end) - there was always something new to look at. But if I had really been struggling it would have been tough not to have that energy of dancers, bands, etc. to feed off of. And I guess I was annoyed because it did seem like there were cutbacks to this race.

Through a little shopping center...this is where I got a red vine!

Boy was it sunny today! I tried my best to run in the shade wherever possible...I was so happy I had brought a visor and sunglasses, and had remembered to put on sunscreen. It was still cool and not as humid this morning.

I was texting Mr. Ariel484 updates - at one point a spectator asked me if I was calling a cab! I thought that was funny.

Just a 5K left!

Yep, another mile marker. This is just how this race went for me - the miles ticked by quickly and there just wasn’t a lot going on!

This is how I do my runs at home - through neighborhoods, by myself, with no music. So I guess I was sort of used to this. (Granted, I don’t pay $$$ to do this at home…)

I spy a no-longer-ToT!

Back in the bubble!

Mile Marker 13 was in Downtown Disney!

And suddenly, PhotoPass photographers appeared again - they were in the parks/on Disney property only. No PP in Anaheim.

Just like that, it was over!

This race, if you’ll pardon the pun, *flew* by.

My second-fastest Disney half marathon.

I’m not really sure what to think of this race. I had a great, great run - almost zero pain the entire time (!!!), which never happened with any of my long runs while training for this race. So it was a big turning point for me, and I enjoyed the entire thing. But it still nags at me that they couldn’t put together any sort of entertainment beyond the cover band and one high school band for the entire last 9 miles. The first 3-4 miles were perfection, basically exactly what I would expect from a Disney race...but the rest of it was like any local race I do here in Ohio. Except with more water stops.

Ah well. They did give me 4 medals at the end...that was pretty sweet. Pink C2C achieved!

Up next - eating and bling pics!

 

[ZellyB]

What the heck with the announcements? Are they nutso?? Yeah, if I were staying at one of those hotels and paying the premium prices Disney charges I would have been pissed. Good for you for staying mellow about the whole thing.

Chris and I spied you and Roxy up ahead of us in the corral but were a bit too far back to be obnoxious and yell at you. I even tried to look close to see if I could see us in your flashlight pic, but I don't. I'm glad you and Roxy found each other though!

 

[Ariel484]

The breakfast at Steakhouse 55 looks delicious! We really enjoyed our dinner there.

I think Steakhouse 55 is my favorite restaurant at Disneyland after this trip. It's so good!

Thanks again for organizing the meetup. We had a great time and it was so fun to talk with everyone. The drinks weren't bad either.

no they were not!

I love the Mickey and Minnie costumes at DCA. We just never had good luck getting pictures with the characters in DCA. We also tried to catch Judy Hopps and kept missing her.

Sneaky Judy! Whyyyyy.

 

[Ariel484]

What the heck with the announcements? Are they nutso?? Yeah, if I were staying at one of those hotels and paying the premium prices Disney charges I would have been pissed. Good for you for staying mellow about the whole thing.

OMG, if I weren't about to get up for the race I would have been too! I'm imagining families with little kids/babies and they unexpectedly get woken up at 3:30...what a disaster!

Chris and I spied you and Roxy up ahead of us in the corral but were a bit too far back to be obnoxious and yell at you. I even tried to look close to see if I could see us in your flashlight pic, but I don't. I'm glad you and Roxy found each other though!

Aw man! At least we found eachother on the course!!

 

[ZellyB]

Speedy half-marathon report when there aren't a lot of picture stops, right? But, we felt much like you. It was a really great race, just lacking in much entertainment. You got some more great pictures though and, of course, I love the one of you, me and Roxy in line for the fairies. That was just awesome.

I'm so glad you had a good run and that your back felt good. It's been a long journey for you, so it's really perfect that you could conclude it with a strong half-marathon and LOTS OF BLING!!! Proud of your perseverance through all of this.

 

[rteetz]

I would not have been happy if I was staying there and not running. Love that picture of you, Roxymama, and ZellyB!

The whole course entertainment thing is just weird.

Congrats on the race and those awesome medals! So jealous of the 10th anniversary C2C.

 

[Ariel484]

Speedy half-marathon report when there aren't a lot of picture stops, right? But, we felt much like you. It was a really great race, just lacking in much entertainment. You got some more great pictures though and, of course, I love the one of you, me and Roxy in line for the fairies. That was just awesome.

Yep! I was looking through my pictures like, "wow...I really just have pictures of the mile markers and nothing else. What a boring recap this will be!"

LOVED getting that picture with you and roxymama!!

I'm so glad you had a good run and that your back felt good. It's been a long journey for you, so it's really perfect that you could conclude it with a strong half-marathon and LOTS OF BLING!!! Proud of your perseverance through all of this.

Thanks friend!!

I thought doing the marathon in January would be a big thing for me, and it was, but this one made me feel more like I was back to my old self.

I would not have been happy if I was staying there and not running.

Ah I know!! That was so stupid of them to do that! I couldn't believe how loud it was.

Love that picture of you, Roxymama, and ZellyB!

The best character stop on the course!!

The whole course entertainment thing is just weird.

I agree - that MousePlanet article was so crazy!! I really had no idea all of those people were just in it for the free tickets.....

Congrats on the race and those awesome medals! So jealous of the 10th anniversary C2C.

That medal is amazing!! I thought the normal one was amazing but they *plussed* it just a bit and it's so awesome.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

Yay for another great Disney race (and recap of it) for you!! So glad you felt good and were pain free! I think I would have also been a little disappointed about the lack of entertainment off-property- for such an expensive race, I would expect more.

Your photo pass pictures are great!

 

[Ariel484]

Yay for another great Disney race (and recap of it) for you!! So glad you felt good and were pain free! I think I would have also been a little disappointed about the lack of entertainment off-property- for such an expensive race, I would expect more.

Thanks! Despite the lack of entertainment, it really was such a great race for me. The neighborhoods we went through were so pretty!

Your photo pass pictures are great!

Thanks! I think PhotoPass does such a nice job with the pictures. I am SO glad runDisney uses them and not MarathonFoto!

 

[Sailormoon2]

how did I not think I'd overslept?

TOTALLY!! I would have been having a complete anxiety attack!!

I hung out in my room for a bit drinking my coffee

Well that would have been calming, and actually not a bad way to wake up.

Except today, the line was easily 3-4 times as long as it had been for the 10K, and moving just as slow.

Because they woke everyone up at 3am with their announcements!! LOL!

To Corral B again!

YES! Congrats!

No, not the fairies...the DIS-ers!!

Even better!! @roxymama and @ZellyB all you ladies look amazing!! Love the outfits!

“I’m so fly...I Never Land!”

YOu are some kine of photopass rockstar!! I can't believe how many "air" shots you get

People definitely adhered to this sign...everyone was very quiet.

OH! That is so nice. And I am kind of impressed they took the time to do this.

I had a great, great run - almost zero pain the entire time

Sooo Happy for You!!!

All in all it seemed like a fantastic race...just not really a Disney one, whihc honestly is really too bad, because it is all the extras we are paying for, not just the park time!

 

[Ariel484]

TOTALLY!! I would have been having a complete anxiety attack!!

I seriously don't know how my mind didn't go there - I was more focused on "*** ARE THEY DOING" than "OMG I'M MISSING THE RACE!!"

Well that would have been calming, and actually not a bad way to wake up.

It really wasn't - it was pretty great to know that the corrals were literally right downstairs. Much calmer morning than at a WDW race!

Because they woke everyone up at 3am with their announcements!! LOL!

Ugh, right??

YES! Congrats!

Thanks!

Even better!! @roxymama and @ZellyB all you ladies look amazing!! Love the outfits!

Love that picture!!

YOu are some kine of photopass rockstar!! I can't believe how many "air" shots you get

I think PhotoPass is magical, because I don't know how they get to many of me like that!

OH! That is so nice. And I am kind of impressed they took the time to do this.

Yeah...they couldn't have put one of those out in front of Paradise Pier at 3:30AM??? I kid, I kid. But I did think that it was nice that they did that!

Sooo Happy for You!!!

Thank yoooouuuu!!!

All in all it seemed like a fantastic race...just not really a Disney one, whihc honestly is really too bad, because it is all the extras we are paying for, not just the park time!

What I bolded in your response is EXACTLY what I thought when I was done, and I think sums it up well - it was like a really well-done local race. Except that I flew to California for it and the registration cost almost $200.

 

[FredtheDuck]

OK, definitely catching up here, so sorry for the "way back in the thread" references.

Last year I had gotten a nice PhotoPass picture in front of the Death Wheel, but there was no photographer there this time - I was disappointed by that. Another runner took a picture for me.

I LOVE this picture, though. If you're going to get an "empty park" shot of DCA, this is the one to get!!

But first...my girl. There was no one around to take a picture for me so we took...a selfie.

This pic is adorable. You guys look like old friends.

The first time I came away thinking it was pretty plain, and I thought the same thing this time.

Trattoria isn't my favorite, either. BUT, they have a little wine patio off to the side on the top floor. @MoanasPapa and I used to stop there every time we were at DCA for a glass of wine and a break from the parks. Still one of my favorite spots.

Runners uniting to beat the system! It’s a beautiful thing.

YESSSSSSSSSS. Although, could they have found a more mundane spot to stick them? Yikers.

I just have to add this note RE selfies....I do not have a pronounced chin....I tend to hold my head weird when trying to shove my face into the frame to get myself and whatever is in the background and then I look at my pics later and somehow I've developed double or even triple chins

SAME. Which is why my pic here is Moana, not me doing a run. Although, now that my husband has joined as @MoanasPapa (our daughter LOVES Moana), I suppose I'll have to change it to lower the creepy factor. That just occurred to me.

Looking back, I'm not sure how I didn't get totally freaked out hearing the race announcement - how did I not think I'd overslept?

Not gonna lie, when I got to that part of your recap, that's where I thought you were going and I was SO nervous for you. *whew*

almost zero pain the entire time (!!!), which never happened with any of my long runs while training for this race. So it was a big turning point for me, and I enjoyed the entire thing.

HOORAY!!!!

 

[Anisum]

LOVE THAT PLUTO PIC FOR THE HALF!!