I’m excited to be taking part in the Virtual Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend Blog Hop hosted by DisTherapy!  A bunch of Disney bloggers who run Disney are tackling many topics related to the Star Wars Half Marathon weekend, so be sure to check them out too!  I got assigned to write about running in Anaheim and I’m excited to share my thoughts and experiences with you.
Signs posted on the streets of Anaheim
This past September I had the opportunity to run my very first race at Disneyland. Â I completed the Disneyland Half Marathon. Â I’d done a number of Disney World races, but they have a different feel to them for one major reason – a good portion of the Disneyland races run through the city of Anaheim itself.
Disney World owns a ton of property so the entirety of their races, even the full marathon, never have to leave property. Â Disneyland is much more limited in space, which means a majority of their half marathon course goes through the city. Â This will also be the case for the upcoming Star Wars half marathon on January 17th.
The course for the Star Wars half – the majority of it goes through Anaheim
There are, of course, both pros and cons to having a race set up in this way. Â Here I share some of these with you:
Pros:
- Lots of locals come out to cheer you on!
- There’s plenty of non-Disney entertainment – during the Disneyland half marathon I saw lots of dance groups, cheerleaders, lines of antique cars, and got to run through Angels Stadium.
- Apparently last year the 501st Legion had characters out in Anaheim during the Star Wars half so you could get non-Disney character photos (with shorter wait times!).
- The city of Anaheim is pretty flat so it will be an easier half marathon.
- Everything is close together so if you’re staying in Anaheim you can often walk to the starting line in Disneyland, rather than dealing with all of the transportation like at Disney World.
One of the dance groups performing on the streets of Anaheim during the race.
Cons:
- Official Disney entertainment (like characters) can only be on Disney property, so they’re crammed into the first few miles of the race. Â If you’re used to Disney World running you’re more used to seeing a character stop every mile or so.
- You’re running through a city, so you’re passing by McDonald’s and Starbucks rather than “Disney Magic.”
- If you’re driving to the race a lot of the roads in Anaheim close for the race, so just make sure you know what will be closed and where you’re going.
You’re sure to enjoy some of the signs that spectators come up with!
All in all, did I enjoy running through Anaheim? Â Yes! Â It’s a different experience from Disney World to be certain, but it has lots of good things going for it. Â The only real downside is not being physically in Disney the whole time – but if you’re doing the Rebel Challenge the 10k spends basically the whole race in the parks! Â Seeing all of the people of Anaheim come out to support you was amazing and I’m sure the Star Wars half marathon will be just as good this year!
Check out the other topics in the blog hop here:
How cool! I loved reading about this!
Thank you Nichole!
I love hearing about different races. What a great link up idea. Eventually I’ll get back into racing!
Thanks! All of the different race opportunities is one of the only things that keeps me running!
I ran my first half marathon this past year and I hope to run Disney one day! Looks like fun! I probably will run Disney World before I run Disney Land though after reading your post! I need some Disney magic is I am going to travel to run at Disney!
That’s fantastic, congrats on your first half marathon! I love running through Disney World, it is truly magical and makes the half feel a bit shorter!
One of these days I will do a Disney 5k! I love the idea of running in Anaheim.
Yes you should! Maybe you’ll be able to do one while you’re down there 🙂
I’ve never been to Anaheim but I always hear great things (of course)! Thanks for sharing. Maybe one day I’ll make it out there!
Thanks, I hope you get the chance to visit one day!
One of these days I want to do a Disney run. It sounds pretty magical. But I’m from Seattle and haven’t run in real heat. Does it get quite warm?
It’s usually not too bad because Disney starts their races early in the morning at 5:30 so they can be done before the parks open. At that point it’s still cooler. It’s probably a little warmer than what you’re used to but not unbearable 🙂
Never run Disney and never been to Cali. I think the 10K might be doable in my life. You do make it look like fun. I think FL might be better for me to start with as it is closer to home. I would miss the characters the whole route if running in Anaheim.
I love the 10k distance – and it’s a really amazing experience in Disney! In Florida the 10k goes through the World Showcase in Epcot and around the Boardwalk area so that’s pretty neat.
I love the idea of themed marathons. I imagine they offer a bit of distraction!
They absolutely do! There is so much to look at, take in, and take pictures of that it makes the miles go by a little faster!
Hehehe I am soooo no a runner, but the Disney races always look so fun! I might have to walk one someday hehehe
There are a lot of people that walk them too! Definitely worth doing a 5k or 10k walking for the experience of it!
The locals are a big pro. The ones that dressed up as characters and the ones who hand out red vines, pretzels, mints and ice chips. Con star wars we didn’t run through Angel stadium unlike Disney land. Wonderful read!
I agree, the locals are great! It’s too bad Star Wars doesn’t go through Angels Stadium, that was a pretty cool moment.
Becky, I was so pleasantly shocked by the warmth and enthusiasm of the residents of Anaheim and Orange Grove during my first Disneyland Half Marathon! Twizzlers on the course? Yes, please! That “enthusiasm” went into outer space with the addition of cosplayers crowding the Avengers and Star wars courses. Add in that FLAT terrain, and I’m sold. Thanks so much for your terrific post!
It really is amazing, especially considering how early they have to get up to support us! I can only imagine how cool the Avengers and Star Wars races are with all the cosplayers. Would love to get out there for one of those soon!