Disneyland medals. (Photo: Matt Stroshane/runDisney)
Today runDisney unveiled the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend collection of medals.
More than 25,000 runners are registered to run at the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend over Labor Day, touring Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and the streets of Anaheim, Calif., on foot.
Seeing the finisher medals for the Disneyland Half Marathon, Disneyland Family Fun Run 5K and the new Disneyland 10K and Dumbo Double Dare makes me wish I was running them all. Guess I’ll just have to add the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend to my bucket list. Without further ado, here are the medals in all their Disney glory! Read the rest of this entry →
Disney’s Princess Half Marathon is getting a new 10K and a Glass Slipper Challenge. (Photo: runDisney)
Big news from runDisney! Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend from February 20-23, 2014 at Walt Disney World in Florida is getting the royal treatment with a new Disney Princess Enchanted 10K and a new two-race challenge in the Disney Glass Slipper Challenge. Based on the name alone, I like it already.
The Glass Slipper Challenge follows in the footsteps of the Dumbo Double Dare at Disneyland: runners complete both the new Disney Princess Enchanted 10K on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday for a total of 19.3 miles. Best of all for Disney bling lovers, runners earn the inaugural Disney Glass Slipper Challenge Medal in addition to the medals from each event, including a new yet-to-be-announced medal for the 10K. Read the rest of this entry →
The 2013 Disneyland Half Marathon sold out in record time. (Photo: runDisney)
We all knew that Disney races were popular, but this is a new record. The Disneyland Half Marathon, Disneyland 10K and Dumbo Double Dare sold out in 26 hours.
It’s the fastest any runDisney race has sold out. In 2012, it took a month for the Disneyland Half Marathon to reach capacity. But in 2013, the new 10K and Dumbo Dare sold out in less than a day, with the half-marathon closing just a few hours later.
The Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend from August 30 to September 1, 2013 at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., has now joined events like the Marine Corps Marathon and Boston Marathon, which reach capacity within hours, instead of days or months. Even the 2012 Chicago Marathon took a full six days to fill up.
Sean Astin has run the Tinker Bell Half Marathon two years in a row. He set a personal best time at the inaugural Tinker Bell Half Marathon in 2012, finishing in 1:59:07.
But this year, the actor took it easier and stopped for photos along the way, finishing in 2:26:51. Read the rest of this entry →
There was plenty of faith, trust and Pixie dust on hand at the Tinker Bell Half Marathon on Sunday, January 20, 2013 at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. The second annual running of the women-focused even saw a new course record, celebrity runners, and nearly 12,000 participants flying across the finish line of the women-focused event.
Angela Escay from Carmichael, Calif., won the 2013 Tinker Bell Half Marathon in a course record time of 1:24:30, besting the 1:27:52 that reigning champ Kellie Nickerson posted in 2012. It was Escay’s first race in three years after undergoing ankle surgery Read the rest of this entry →
Drew Carey promotes healthy living through running. (Photo: runDisney)
Celebrities: “They’re just like us,” as Us Weekly’s recurring feature constantly tells us through pictures and silly captions.
“They go camping!”
“They get caught in the rain!”
“They scream for ice cream!”
We can add, “They run marathons!”
Since celebrities are merely people who happen to be famous, it makes sense that some of them would happen to be runners with marathoners among them. Oprah Winfrey, Ryan Reynolds, Will Farrell, Drew Carey, the list of famous folks who have tackled 26.2 or even 13.1 miles is plentiful and includes actors, singers, models, politicians, chefs, writers and other notable folk.
But it seems that regular runners can’t get enough of celebrity runners. Spotting a celebrity on the street or at a restaurant is enough to thrill many fans for a lifetime. But running with them? It takes celeb spotting to a whole new level. And races increasingly advertise the celebrities they have on their roster to entice and inspire runners.
Take the upcoming 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna, which includes a half-marathon on Saturday, January 12 and marathon on Sunday, January 13 near Orlando, Florida. The race’s organizer, runDisney, brought comedian and The Price Is Right host Drew Carey and singer and Dancing With The Stars vet Joey Fatone out to greet fans this morning at the Walt Disney World Marathon Meet Up event for about 100 runDisney Twitter followers. Read the rest of this entry →
The “12 Days of Christmas” was one of my favorite carols growing up.
In honor of the child that lives not-so-deep within me, I’ve crafted the “13.1 Days of Disney Running Christmas.” I love that Disney celebrates the child in all of us, and that Disney running does it while putting one foot in front of the other.
A 10K will join Disneyland Half Marathon. (Photo: runDisney)
Disney runners, are you ready for a double dare? Today runDisney announced the addition of the Disneyland 10K to the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend in California from August 30 to September 1, 2013. In addition, Disney is challenging runners to the Dumbo Double Dare, a feat that involves completing both the Disneyland 10K on Saturday and Disneyland Half Marathon on Sunday. Read the rest of this entry →
The start of the 2012 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon. (Photo: runDisney)
Nearly 14,000 runners stormed Walt Disney World Saturday night for the third annual Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon. The half marathon is unique for it’s 10 p.m. start and a private after-party at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival that lasts until 4 a.m.
It’s also a race that holds a special place in my heart. It’s the one that started my tumble down the Disney running rabbit hole. Read the rest of this entry →
Rachel Booth wins the 2011 Disneyland Half Marathon. (Photo: runDisney)
The Disneyland Half Marathon on Sunday, Sept. 2 will put more than 17,000 runners to the test on the streets of Anaheim, Calif., as they charge through Angels Stadium, Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure theme park in an attempt to run Disney. Among those runners will be a mix of Disney fans, celebrities like Sean Astin, and former Olympians like Suzy Favor-Hamilton and Jeff Galloway.
But when it comes to winning Disney races, no one knows better than Rachel Booth. She won the 2010 and 2011 Disneyland Half Marathon and 2012 Disney Princess Half Marathon in February, becoming the first woman to win events at both Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida. Her fastest time on a runDisney half-marathon course? 1:15:19.
Like many Disney runners, Booth juggles raising two children, a part-time job and training. Read the rest of this entry →
Runners charge past Cinderella Castle at the Walt Disney World Marathon. (Photo: runDisney)
It’s a marathon match made in running heaven. Runner’s World magazine and runDisney announced Monday that the 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend will become part of the Runner’s World Challenge series.
The event will run from Jan. 12-13, 2013 and includes the Walt Disney World Marathon, Walt Disney World Half Marathon and Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge, where participants run both the half marathon on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday. Read the rest of this entry →
Forget three: 20 is the magic number. Especially when you’re talking about Disney magic.
Registration for the 20th anniversary edition of the Walt Disney World Marathon, the original Disney running event that started them all, opened last week. In honor of the race’s 20th anniversary, ‘20’ is the watchword for the weekend. The event will feature a special 20th anniversary Mickey Mouse medal, special entertainment at the 20-mile marker and a new post-race party at Downtown Disney. Race organizer runDisney expects the marathon to sell out with a field of—you guessed it—20,000 runners for their biggest race yet. Read the rest of this entry →
Disney’s Princess Half Marathon was a fairy tale race.
If you keep on believing, the dreams that you wish will come true. Cinderella sang those words and I took them to heart. At Disney’s Princess Half Marathon in Walt Disney World in Florida, I channeled my inner Cinderella and believed that I could break my half-marathon personal record (PR). Disney races aren’t for PR’s many people say. Just have fun, they tell you. But on Sunday, Feb. 26, I learned that it’s possible to PR and have fun too.
Running in Costume: Cinderella and Prince Charming
For starters, I feel compelled to confess: I ran in costume. Not just that, I cajoled my fiancé, Phil, to run in costume with me—as Cinderella and Prince Charming. Cinderella has long been my favorite princess, ever since I saw clips of the film on my Fisher Price Movie Viewer Theater back in the early 1980s. I even named my dog Cinderella. What better character to summon for a half-marathon than a gal who knows how to put her head down and work hard?
I found that once you put on a costume and give in to the Disney spirit, it’s inevitable that you’re going to have a good time, no matter how painful the running itself may be. Read the rest of this entry →
Letting kids race teaches them that fitness is fun. (Photo: runDisney)
When Disney puts on a race, they don’t just plan one running event. As the world’s largest media empire—Disney sits at No. 1 on the Fortune 500 list of entertainment companies—they orchestrate an entire weekend of festivities that everyone in the family can enjoy, from first-time runners to marathon masters, kids to adults, and even spectators. That’s one of the best parts of Disney race weekends: there is something for everyone.
At Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend from Feb. 24-26, my family is putting the Disney races to the test. At least one family member will be participating in every race distance offered during the weekend, including the Princess Half Marathon, Tangled Royal Family 5K and Disney Royal Family Kids’ Races. We’ll also hit the Pasta in the Park Party at Epcot and Disney’s Fit for a Princess Expo. This is my third Disney race weekend, but the first with my nephew and niece. It makes me happy to pass along my love of running to another generation. But more than that, I think it’s important to include kids in fitness events from an early age. Read the rest of this entry →
As runDisney’s training consutlant, Jeff Galloway designed a series of training programs for runners tackling Disney races. (Photo: runDisney)
Jeff Galloway knows running. He’s been an Olympian, a U.S. record holder, a coach and a running innovator. Galloway developed the RUN-WALK-RUN method to help runners train injury-free. He has coached more than 250,000 runners, and his books on running have sold over 1 million copies. As runDisney’s official training consultant, Galloway designed a series of training programs, videos and tips for runners tackling Disney races like the upcoming Disney Princess Half Marathon on Feb. 26. Galloway has a long history with Disney—he’s run the Walt Disney World Marathon every year since its inception in 1994.
“Run, Karla, Run!” caught up with Galloway at the Tinker Bell Half Marathon social media meet-up on Jan. 28, where he led a group of 45 runners on a two-mile morning jaunt though Disneyland and California Adventure parks. Participants were chosen through Disney’s social media channels like the Disney Parks Blog, Disney Sports’ Twitter handle and the runDisney Facebook page. Having a chance to run with Galloway is a once in a lifetime opportunity for most runners. Getting him to tackle your burning running questions? Even better. After the run, Galloway sat down with the meet-up to answer the group’s training questions. Here are the highlights from all of the runners’ questions: Read the rest of this entry →
I’m not the fastest runner and I’m not the slowest, but I am a running nerd. A journalist by trade, I love to research, read, learn and cogitate. So stick with me. Like all good nerds, I’ll do the homework and share it. But the running is up to you!
