Disney Star Wars Race Weekend
I'm not a great runner. Honestly, I still haven't found that thing about running that many people love. However, I do love Star Wars, and to an only slightly lesser degree I love Disney. So when they announced the inaugural race weekend in Disneyland, I didn't figure I'd have too much trouble convincing Dani to agree to sign up for it.
Both of us signed up for the newly announced Rebel Challenge (10k + Half marathon). But then Dani "fell on the 5k registration" as well. I was careful not to do the same.
Neither of us had ever been to the left coast Disney parks, so we were excited for that alone. Well that and escaping the sub-ten degree weather in Boston for the mid-seventies in SoCal.
The races were as much fun as you can make running be. The 10k wound through both parks and featured many familiar characters from the Star Wars universe. Unfortunately due to my slow pace (whoops I forgot to train, at all) I didn't feel I had time to stop and wait in the super long lines at the character stop. Hopefully next year I can get my Boba Fett picture.
The half marathon started with a trek through the parks and then out onto the streets on Anaheim for the bulk of it. Along the course was around eight of so high school groups and marching bands, as well as a stretch featuring an amazing group of cosplayers. I think they had a larger and more diverse group of characters than even Disney had. This was my first back to back race challenge, so I was pretty spent from the 10k and two days of walking around the parks, and was dragging ass half way through. But when I saw those ladies with the balloons indicating the back of the pack, I picked it up and pushed through the pain (again cursing myself for not training). I wasn't going to get swept! I had to get these beautiful medals!
Final Times:
10k - 1:34:38
Half - 3:33:06
Rebel Challenge - Completed
The parks at Disneyland are amazing! I discovered a couple of the duplicate attractions, like Space Mountain and Tower of Terror from Disneyworld were actually better out here. And the Cars Radiator Spings racers might be one of the best attractions at either location!
One of the great things about the Disneyland resort is how close everything is together. While in Disney World you have to find transportation between the parks and hotels, in DL, both parks and Downtown Disney are pretty much across from eah other with a small plaza inbetween. And our hotel was right around the corner.
It was a great, and exhausting, long weekend for us. And I really hope we can come back again next year! In the meanwhile, I have a month to get in slightly better running shape before Dani and I head to Disney World for the Glass Slipper challenge and our first Coast to Coast medals!
I took a ton of photos, maybe not as many as Dani, but still... Here's a sample of my favorites.
