I am not a runner. I’ve always been one of those people who says “If you see me running, you better run, too, because there is something scary coming up behind me!”. I had a brief running career in, let’s say eighth grade, that ended abruptly upon the tearing of something important in my knee in the ninth grade. I have plantar fasciitis. I have arthritis. I am in my forties. I am not a runner.
But, I run Disney.
I bring this up because I am preparing for my third round of runDisney races (in less than a year) at the end of the month in the form of the Glass Slipper Challenge. To the uninitiated, this means that I have gotten the fool idea in my head that I will, on Saturday, participate in a 10k, then, on Sunday, participate in a half marathon.
Why? For the love of Mickey, why?!
The short answer: because it’s Disney, and I love Disney. The longer answer: we’re hooked. My husband and I signed up for the Star Wars Dark Side Inaugural races in April of last year after he saw how cool the medals were going to be. As the biggest of Star Wars fans, but not runners, we opted for the 10k, thinking we could certainly do it. Fast forward a couple of months to my husband realizing that if he ran the 10k and the half marathon, he would get three medals (one for the 10k, one for the half, and one for completing the Dark Side Challenge).
The races themselves are actually a lot of fun. During the Star Wars 10k, I didn’t do much of what you would call running. I walked, I laughed, I posed for pictures with characters along the way, and enjoyed the music and movie clips throughout the course. I did run across the finish line. The following day, as I tracked my husband’s progress, I grew increasingly excited and increasingly proud of what he was about to accomplish. By the time he was finished, I got the crazy thought in my head, “If he can do it, I can do it!”
The runDisney events are held on both coasts, in Walt Disney World and in Disneyland, as well as at Disneyland Paris. If you participate in a half marathon or longer on both coasts, you get an extra medal for the “Coast to Coast” challenge. What? More bling? Fast forward again, and you guessed it, we were flying to California to run in the Avengers Super Hero Weekend races in November. This time we took our boys to the 5k, then my husband did the 10k and the half. The races were a ton of fun, but if you’ve never been to the Disneyland Resort, plan for a longer visit because you will be exhausted from the races and getting up early to get to the starting line.
All of the runDisney events go through at least one of the Disney theme parks. It’s an amazing way to see the parks in the early morning hours and experience an unusual sense of comradery. Many runners dress in thematic costumes in the spirit of the event. Part of the fun is to see the creative and, sometimes, over-the-top, ensembles that the folks around you have put together for the occasion. Me, I have been known to sport a headband or earrings that mark the day, but I find that running in a costume gets uncomfortable.
When you come to the end of the race, you’ll receive your medal and a bottle of water or Powerade®, plus a snack box. This is the time to refuel a little, snap your selfies, and start planning your next race. Yes, there will be a next race. There’s always a next race! For many runners, and runDisney-ers, a runDisney event is the perfect excuse to plan a trip back to see The Mouse. The events are held during times of the year when the weather is generally pleasant (can’t host marathons in Florida when the weather is too hot!), so it makes for a great time to extend the trip and plan a vacation.
If you have questions about a runDisney event or would like to plan a vacation to go with an event you plan to register for, please contact me or your personal Magic Vacations Planner. We’ll be happy to help you plan a magical vacation that doesn’t give a thought to the balloon ladies*.
-Suzie Altpeter
www.facebook.com/magicvacationstravel
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