Run, Karla, Run!

Runners get their Tink on at the Tinker Bell Half Marathon. (runDisney)

You asked, runDisney answered. Disney’s running branch today announced the addition of the Pixie Dust Challenge to the 2015 Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend at Disneyland in Anaheim, California from May 7-10.

The inaugural Pixie Dust Challenge follows in the footsteps of other popular runDisney challenges like the Dumbo Double Dare at Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend and Glass Slipper Challenge at Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend. Runners who register for the challenge and complete both the Tinker Bell 10K on Saturday, May 9 and the Tinker Bell Half Marathon on Sunday, May 10 earn a fairy-themed medal in addition to a medal for each race.

The start of the Tinker Bell 10K. (runDisney)

The Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend, Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend at Disneyland and Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World were the only runDisney half-marathon weekends without multi-day running challenges, along with the shorter distance The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend and Expedition Everest Challenge.

The Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend has the Dopey Challenge and Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge. The Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend has the Rebel Challenge. Dumbo Double Dare at Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend and Glass Slipper Challenge at Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend round out the challenges.

Yet, race challenges have proven especially popular among runDisney fans, often selling out first among each weekend’s events. The 2015 Glass Slipper Challenge filled up first in 1 hour and 45 minutes despite technical difficulties when registration opened for the Disney Princess Half Marathon and the 2015 Rebel Challenge reached capacity in just 25 minutes before any other Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend event. Read the rest of this entry →

Minnie, Daisy, Chip and Dale greet runners at the Tinker Bell Half Marathon. (Photo: runDisney)

Registration is now open for the 2014 Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend, including the new Tinker Bell 10K, from January 16-19, at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. Runners can register for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon, Tinker Bell 10K and Never Land Family Fun Run 5K at runDisney.com.

To help get you excited about the race, here’s a slideshow from Tinker Bell Half Marathons of yore–including when I ran the first Tinker Bell Half Marathon and Never Land Family Fun Run 5K in 2012, along with the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Meet-Up. Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry →

The Tinker Bell Half Marathon at Disneyland is getting a new Tinker Bell 10K. (Photo: runDisney)

The folks at runDisney officially have 10K fever. Disney Sports just announced that the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend is getting a new fairy friend: the Tinker Bell 10K. The race will take place on Saturday, January 18, 2014 at Disneyland in California, the day before the Tinker Bell Half Marathon.

It’s no wonder. The Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend and Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend all got new 10K races that proved to be wildly popular with runDisney fans. All of the 10Ks sold-out before the longer, title races of the weekend. 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.

Princess Half Glass Slipper Challenge

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 →

Sean Astin Talk Tinker Bell Half Marathon

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 →

(Photo: runDisney)

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.

So here is my homage to Disney running and the Walt Disney World Marathon, which my true love and I will be tackling on January 13, 2013. I tried to incorporate as many elements and runDisney events as I could—including the brand new Dumbo Double Dare at the Disneyland Half Marathon and bonus verses in homage to half-marathons. If you prefer, I’ve created a very silly video version here. Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry →

Runners cross the starting line of the Tinker Bell Half Marathon. Photo courtesy of runDisney.

With a little bit of faith, trust and pixie dust, the inaugural Tinker Bell Half Marathon got off to a flying start on Sunday, Jan. 29 at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. More than 10,200 runners finished the debut event aimed at celebrating women and fitness.

Tinker Bell Half Marathon

The race marked my first trip to Disneyland, unless you count the time my mother says I went as a 4-month-old. So I decided to do it right. I willed my 5-foot-8-inch frame into a child’s XL Tinker Bell costume, wings and all, and lined up in the all-women’s corral A for the 5:45 a.m. start.

As I shivered in the 50-degree air waiting for the race to begin, I noticed I wasn’t the only one doing as the Romans do. A sea of fairies, princesses and tutus surrounded me. I saw runners dressed as Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Alice, Tiger Lily, Peter Pan, and, of course, Tinker Bell. It’s safe to say that half the runners wore something other than regular running gear, be it fairy wings, a sparkle skirt, or a full-fledged costume. Read the rest of this entry →

Kellie Nickerson of Albuquerque, N.M., won the inaugural Tinker Bell Half Marathon in 1:27:52. Photo courtesy runDisney.

The half-marathon is the fastest growing distance in the U.S. It’s also runners’ favorite distance to race according to Running USA’s National Runner Survey. Who is driving this phenomenon? Women.

It’s no wonder that when runDisney decided to add another flagship race to their series, they opted for a women-focused half-marathon. The Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend enjoyed its inaugural run at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 29. More 17,000 runners participated in three major running events over the course of the weekend: 12,000 runners tackled the Tinker Bell Half Marathon, 4,000 jogged the Never Land Family Fun Run 5K, and 1,300 tykes tried the runDisney Kid’s Races.

Women-only or women-focused races are a growing segment of the running industry, fuelled largely by an influx of women into the sport. And while races welcome men as well—920 men lined up at the start of the Tinker Bell Half along with 11,080 women—race directors are luring women with extra perks like preferred placement at the start, ladies cut race T-shirts, and expanded awards for women only. Read the rest of this entry →