Inaugural Disneyland Half Marathon To Take Thousands of Runners on Magical 13.1-Mile

[Darkbeer]

Disney Parks Press Release

Inaugural Disneyland Half Marathon To Take Thousands of Runners on Magical 13.1-Mile Experience Through Disneyland Resort and Streets of Anaheim


ANAHEIM, Calif. (Sept. 14, 2006) More than 15,000 participants are gearing up for the inaugural Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, Sept. 15-17, in Anaheim, an event affectionately dubbed The Happiest Race on Earth.

The event, hosted by the Disneyland Resort and the City of Anaheim, and presented by Kaiser Permanente, is poised for a successful debut. Race registration reached capacity nearly six months ago, attracting participants from 49 states, plus 15 countries. Nearly 12,000 runners will be participating in the Half Marathon and 3,000 participants will be competing in various races, including the Family Fun Run 5K and the Kids' Races on Sept. 16.

In three and a half hours or less, participants will run, jog or walk a course unlike any other half-marathon on the West Coast. The 13.1-mile route takes runners through the two Disneyland Resort theme parks Disneyland and Disneys California Adventure and past Anaheim landmarks such as Arrowhead Pond and Angel Stadium of Anaheim, while colorful Disney characters and festive music inspire them along the way.

We are so excited to deliver this first Disneyland Half-Marathon Marathon Weekend here in Anaheim, noted Claire Bilby, senior vice president of sales and distribution marketing for the Disneyland Resort. There's no place in the world where you can run past the Matterhorn, in front of Pirates of the Caribbean and actually through Sleeping Beauty Castle -- this underscores the very unique nature of this event.

"The flood of entrants and excitement surrounding the debut of this event has been extraordinary, and gives us reason to be tremendously optimistic about the future of this race within the Southern California sports landscape,' said Reggie Williams, Vice President of Disney Sports Attractions. "Utilizing our years of experience and expertise in developing the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend into a first-class event, we similarly expect to build on the initial momentum of the Disneyland Half-Marathon Weekend to produce a successful inaugural event.

The Half Marathon Weekend begins on Friday, Sept. 15, with the opening of the Disneyland Health and Fitness Expo, a two-day celebration of health and fitness that involves celebrity runner appearances and seminars on training, racing and nutrition, along with the opportunity to experience the latest in running and fitness equipment. Expo hours on Sept. 15 are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and 9 a.m. -7 p.m. on Sept. 16. There is no charge for parking or admission to the expo or seminars at the Disneyland Hotel Convention Center.

The Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend builds off the successful 13-year history of Walt Disney World Marathon Weekends that are operated by Disneys Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. More than 145,000 runners, joggers and wheelchair athletes have successfully completed the previous Walt Disney World Marathons, including 13 marathons and nine half marathons.

[stan4d_steph]

Wish I could be there for this. Anyone who's participating, please share your bib number in this thread so we can cheer you on!

[Darkbeer]

Here is a link that shows the course on Sunday, and the road closures.

http://www.ocregister.com/newsimages...nevents_gp.gif

Also, don't forget, Disneyland will not open until 10 AM on both Saturday and Sunday due to the events.

[Karin]

I have a co-worker who is running this. I was thinking of coming out to cheer him on at the finish line (I just can't see myself getting there in time for the start, 7 a.m., ugh!)

My questions are:

1) would this be a worthwhile thing to do, or is the finish line/DTD going to be just packed and I'll wish I'd stayed home

and 2) where exactly in DTD is the finish line going to be?

Thanks!

[TeaCupper]

Hi there!

My bib #11760 I'll be the short chubby one in the back trying to walk off my left over baby weight! Oh, and I'll have a Train to End Stroke Singlet on!

Sooooooooooo can't wait for Sunday!

Luna
aka Tortuga

[Mommy2NicknMax]

I'll be there Saturday and Sunday, volunteering. I can't wait!

[my2lalas]

"The Happiest Race on Earth"---I hope I can say that about mile 9!
Too bad the whole course can't be in the park, going through Angeles Stadium sounds cool. Speaking of cool, the high on Sunday is suppose to be 90! Ugh, maybe it'll change.
Good Luck to all! Remember to smile

[Darkbeer]

where exactly in DTD is the finish line going to be?

Thanks!

I am pretty sure the finish line is going to be in the Valet Parking Drive-thru of Downtown Disney, near the ESPN Zone.

If you are coming, plan to take Southbound 5 to the Disneyland Drive exit, and then take the overpass over Ball directly into the Parking Structure to avoid most of the traffic mess, then walk over to the Finish Line.

FYI, the race starts at 6 AM, and the first finshers are expected to cross the line shortly after 7 AM.

[blewellen]

I'll be there Saturday and Sunday, volunteering. I can't wait!

I will be there volunteering too!

[notabrady]

I'll be running this event as well, and my goal is just to finish the first four miles of the race!

After that, the 16-and a-half minute van sweeper can pick me up somewhere on the course....

You think that's early in the morning, the runners are suppose to be in the starting gate area by 4:30 in the morning!!! I guess it's just as well, since It's suppose to be in the high 80's/low 90's on Sunday.

[olegc]

Here is a link that shows the course on Sunday, and the road closures.

http://www.ocregister.com/newsimages...nevents_gp.gif

Also, don't forget, Disneyland will not open until 10 AM on both Saturday and Sunday due to the events.

weird - at first it looked like the race would have overlapped - but I had my direction wrong and i forgot about the bridge. a race map is here
http://adisneyworldsports.disney.go....arathonMap.pdf

EDIT - BUT - if you look at that map - it does overlap in DCA - and some of those turns (on katella and the Christmas Tree location in DCA) are definitely NOT runner-pace friendly...