Previous installments have looked at Sleeping Beauty as the runner who needs to take a few weeks off even if she doesn’t want to, and Alice in Wonderland as the newbie runner who has fallen down the running rabbit hole.
This week, we’re working hard with my favorite runDisney Princess and one who suits Disney’s Princess Half Marathon perfectly…Cinderella Read the rest of this entry →
The 2014 Disney Princess Half Marathon registration opens June 11. (Photo: runDisney)
Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend Registration
Runners, mark your calendars! Online registration for the runDisney 2014 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend from February 20-23 opens Tuesday, June 11 at noon EST. That includes registration for:
Plus, a lucky few runners will be able to register early for the 2014 Tinker Bell Half Marathon at Disneyland Resort in California with their Princess Half registration. Why would you want to do that? The new pink women’s focused Coast-to-Coast Race Challenge medal, of course. Online registration for the 2014 Tinker Bell Half Marathon officially opens on July 9.
Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend Changes
Minnie Mouse high-fives runners at the Disney Princess Half Marathon finish. (Photo: runDisney)
Create your own National Running Day badge at runningday.org.
National Running Day 2013 is Wednesday, June 5! Currently 279 group runs have been planned in more than 130 cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. It’s a nation wide running party to celebrate running as one of the simplest and most inexpensive ways to stay active and fit.
More than 50 million people run in the U.S. Of those, 28 million Americans say they run at least once a week, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association 2011 survey. It’s an increase of more than 7 percent over the last year and 48 percent over the last decade.
So why not get out there and celebrate that you’re one of them? To find a National Running Day 2013 event near you, visit RunningDay.org.
Runners cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at the start of the ING New York City marathon. (Photo: Fergal Carr, via Creative Commons)
Time is ticking to apply for the 2013 ING New York City Marathon lottery. Runners have until 11:59 p.m. EST on May 24 to apply for one of the 47,500 spots in the race on Sunday, November 3. Runners who have a guaranteed entry must also claim their spot by May 24.
New York Road Runners, the organization that puts on the event and one that I freelance for as host of On The Run, will choose participants from the lottery on May 29 through a random draw.
Last year, more than 140,000 people applied for approximately 47,000 starting spots on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, most of which were already allocated to runners who gained bibs through one of the ING NYC Marathon’s guaranteed entry programs: running for charity partners, international travel partners, meeting a qualifying standard, completing NYRR’s 9+1 program, being denied by the lottery the previous three consecutive years, or running the race more than 15 times. Just 15,000 runners gained entry through the lottery, up from 9,000 people in 2011. Read the rest of this entry →
The Walt Disney World Marathon (Photo: Marathon Foto)
Last week marked the sixth anniversary of my very first running race back in 2007. Last fall, I chronicled how I went from a person who loathed running to someone who loves it. How much do I love it? Over these last six years, I’ve run 53 running races with number 54, the UnitedHealthcare Providence Half Marathon, in one week and numbers 55, 56 and 57 already on the books.
Looking back at six years of racing, it occurred to me that certain races have a special place in my heart. Every runner has that race they look forward to every year, the race they’ve always dreamed of running, the race that moved them in unexpected ways. These are mine.
So without further ado, here are my “Races to Remember,” the running races that left the biggest impressions on me, culled from my six years out there on the road.
Desiree Davila (in black) poses with runners at the 2013 Walt Disney World Marathon Meet-Up. (Photo: runDisney)
Olympian and 2011 Boston Marathon runner-up Desiree Davila is no stranger to running Disney. I had a chance to catch up with the American running star at the 2013 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend in January. We chatted about her recovery from injury, goals for the future and, of course, running at Walt Disney World.
“This is the only place in the world where people go, ‘I’m just doing the marathon,’” Davila said with a laugh.
Indeed, runDisney unveiled for the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend the Dopey Challenge, an event that dares runners to complete four races on four consecutive days for a total of 48.6 miles: the Family Fun Run 5K on Thursday, a new Walt Disney World 10K on Friday, the Walt Disney World Half Marathon on Saturday, and the Walt Disney World Marathon on Sunday. The Dopey Challenge is already sold-out for 2014. But runners can still register for the Walt Disney World Marathon, Walt Disney World Half Marathon, and Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge, where runners complete both the marathon and half marathon.
Desiree Davila, 29, didn’t run this year’s Walt Disney World Marathon. She’d been in long-term recovery from a femoral stress fracture, the same injury that forced her to drop out of the 2012 Olympic Marathon in London before the 5K mark.
After taking 12 weeks of from running, Davila slowly built up mileage and time on her feet.
“I took an extended amount of time off, let that all heal up, and I’m heading in the right direction now, making sure I’m 100 percent and slowly building mileage,” Davila said. Read the rest of this entry →
Run, Karla, Run goes Dopey at the Walt Disney World Marathon (Photo: Marathon Foto)
The folks at runDisney are at it again. After rolling out the biggest Walt Disney World Marathon yet—complete with a new race course and new post-race party—for the race’s 20th anniversary in January 2013, runDisney seems intent to top themselves once more with the introduction of the Dopey Challenge for the 2014 event from January 8-12.
If you think Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge, where runners tackle both the Walt Disney World Half Marathon and Walt Disney World Marathon on consecutive days, was a lot of running then think again. The Dopey Challenge dares runners to conquer four races on four successive days: the Family Fun Run 5K on Thursday, a new Walt Disney World 10K on Friday, the Walt Disney World Half Marathon on Saturday and the Walt Disney World Marathon on Sunday. Runners who complete the challenge will earn a whopping six medals—one for each race, one for Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge and one for the Dopey Challenge for running a total of 48.6 miles in four days. Read the rest of this entry →
The Official 26.2 Mile Inca Trail Marathon and Mini Marathon takes running travel to a whole new level — literally. The second annual edition of the mountain-high race takes off on August 15, 2013 as part of a nine-day Peruvian adventure organized by Erik’s Adventures, an adventure travel company run by avid marathoners and personal friends of mine, Erik and Myra Rasmussen.
The race traverses the footpath the ancient Incas used to commute between Cusco, Peru and the world famous citadel of Machu Picchu. The professionally measured 26.2-mile course reaches an elevation of 13,800 feet and usually takes the typical hiker three days to complete. Last year’s men’s winner, Ryan Maxwell, finished in 7:44:05, and women’s winner, Megan Murray, finished in 9:57:59. Runners have just 12 hours to complete the course and could face temperature swings from as low as 32 degrees to as high as 80 degrees. But the payoff is worth it: a photo finish in front of Machu Picchu. Read the rest of this entry →
The LA Marathon is getting a makeover as ASICS swoops in to become the title sponsor. The race, which takes runners from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles to the beach in Santa Monica, will now be known as the ASICS LA Marathon through 2015. Read the rest of this entry →
The LA Marathon is a race that’s on my to-do list. A start at Dodger Stadium and a net-downhill finish on the beach in Santa Monica? Yes, please.
Unfortunately, I’ve had a race-day scheduling conflict every year that it’s been on my radar. But it can’t stop me from dreaming.
If you’re one of the lucky folks heading to Southern California for the LA Marathon on March 17, check out this hotel package from the Shore Hotel. It isn’t cheap, but it sure is convenient.
The hotel is just four blocks (or a half-mile) from the race’s finish on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica.
Photo stop in front of Cinderella Castle (Photo: Marathon Foto)
Hot dog! It’s one of Mickey Mouse’s favorite phrases and it couldn’t have been more appropriate for the 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon on January 13, 2013. The mercury climbed to unseasonably warm temps, with a high of 81 degrees and humidity to match.
But the heat didn’t stop the 20,000 finishers—myself included. Dressed as Cinderella in Rags with Jacques the Mouse by my side (played with gusto by my husband), I soaked in the sun as I ran around the world—Walt Disney World, that is.
It was a magical run punctuated by an army of Disney characters, spectators, and volunteers who helped make it a fairy tale run to remember. 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 →
In just a few days, I’ll be staring at the starting line of the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 13, 2013. It will be my sixth marathon and the first I’m not running for a personal best. This one is just for fun, and I don’t care how long it takes me. I’m going to wear a costume, take pictures with Disney characters and enjoy a course that runs through four theme parks, a race track and a baseball diamond.
To honor the occasion, I thought I’d take a look back at my second marathon, which was the exact opposite. At the 2008 ING New York City Marathon, I set out to shatter my one and only marathon time—clocked on the same course just a year before—by an hour.
This race report was first published on TheSportsBank.net in November 2008, but I thought I’d finally put it up here at RunKarlaRun.com too. After all, it was my first true marathon PR.
I also happen to be in an ’80s cover band called The Fades. This month marks the 5th anniversary of our first show. We’re all—save one—marathoners. In fact, I’m the slowest of the bunch. This post was inspired by them. Rock on, Fades!
Marathon Redux, ’80s Music Edition
I did it. I ran the ING New York City Marathon. Again. And by ran, I mean ran. The whole blessed thing. Who knew all it would take was zealous devotion to a few ‘80s songs? Read the rest of this entry →
Running toward New Year’s resoultions (Photo: Phil Hospod)
2012 was a notable year in running. The pros dazzled at the London Olympics, the New York City Marathon was canceled for the first time in its history, and a vice-presidential candidate’s not-quite-true claims of marathon glory brought running into the national conversation.
On a personal level, it was a meaningful year for me too. I married my Prince Charming, who proposed after a half-marathon; I ran for my cousin Laura, who died from cancer in June; and I started hosting a web series about running. I also knocked out four personal records in the marathon, half-marathon and triathlon, and ran 10 races total to reach a personal milestone of over 50 “career” races.
Running Goals for 2012
Every year, I like to look back at the goals I made the year before and see how I did. 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!
