Yesterday morning, I joined more than 12,000 other athletes for the inaugural Tinker Bell Half Marathon here at the Disneyland Resort. Featuring an all-new course and a seriously shiny new medal (see above), the race is the latest in the runDisney line-up.
At 5:45 am, fireworks lit up the sky and the race was on! We took off on our way to Disneyland park, where pixie wings and green tutus fluttered all over the course.
Disney characters greeted participants throughout the park, including an appearance by the Lost Boys who seemed to have taken over King Arthur Carrousel!
As the sun rose over the Disneyland Resort, we made our way through the Downtown Disney District where we were cheered on by a sea of red hats. The lovely ladies from the Red Hat Society had set up a huge cheering section in front of the Disneyland Hotel.
From there, we left the Disneyland Resort and headed for downtown Anaheim – a new destination for a runDisney race. Marching bands and cheer squads from local schools were waiting to welcome the race participants.
After leaving downtown Anaheim, the race headed back to the Disneyland Resort and through Disney California Adventure park. With about a mile to go, we headed through “a bug’s land” toward the finish line.
Did you participate in the Tinker Bell Half Marathon yesterday? Tell us about your experience in the comments!
Comments
tinker bell was my very first half marathon, and i can’t imagine a better race to run in than a disney one! had the best time ever, and i’ve already registered for the disneyland half. will totally do the tinker bell again next year.
It was my first as well and it was amazing! So much fun. I have registered for the Disneyland Half in September too 🙂 All the extra touches – the characters, the bands, the cheering sections, etc. – really made it such a memorable experience. Thanks Disney for such a great event!
Awesome! I would loooove to see some photos of the Lost Boys!
I loved it! Definitely my favorite Disney race now. It was great to see all of the costumes, the characters and other distractions, the cheering by spectators and castmembers, and the new and much improved course compared to the Disneyland Half made the experience wonderful.
Kind of sad it is so close to WDW Marathon Weekend next year…having a week to recover from the Goofy is going to be rough. Hopefully medical tents will be placed earlier in the course next year or the date is moved. One can hope!
Great race report!
My first half marathon as well…loved every minute! Disneyland feels like a second home to me, so it was comforting to be somewhere familiar while my nerves and brain were going wild. Looking forward to many more races with Run Disney!!!
This was my second half marathon and first RunDisney race. It was a BLAST!!! Running through Disneyland and seeing so many characters can only be described as magical!
It was so fun to take in the sights and sounds throughout the race, I forgot to turn on my iPod for most of the race!
From an event planning standpoint, I was beyond impressed with the organization of the race. From registration to race day, everything went off without a hitch! I’ll be attending as many future RunDisney events as I can!
Not my first half, but it is now my favorite! Run Disney really knows how to put on a race. Amazing course support, well organized packet pick up and expo. I will be doing this event again next year. Good Show Run Disney!!
Loved the course and all the miles in both parks!! Already planning to run again next year.
I second the request for a photo of the Lost Boys! That’s so great that they took over the carousel!
Not my first half, or RunDisney event, but I think it’s now my favorite! The “girl power” theme/feeling was awesome and the course was beautiful. Disney never fails with the attention to detail. Definitely will plan to run next year!
PS…only bummer was the super fast sell out of Dooney and Burke purses 🙁
That was a super fun event! I walked a lot due to injury and got to see all of the fun along the way : ) I participated in support of Special Olympics Southern California which was awesome.
Hi- Does anyone know where I can get a Tinkerbell souvenir? I bought a mug at the race expo but it got ruined and I would like to get another one. I’m so sad- this was my first half and I wanted something to use everyday to remember it. Thanks for your help!
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