Disneyland Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon

It was very surreal walking in the dark with hundreds of zombie-like runners making their way to the start of the race. In a matter of about 6 hours the area we had been walking through the previous evening had been transformed into a running course. The Staging/Start/Finish area is like a circus. Lots of folks are dressed as Disney charaacters and/or wearing crazy outfits. The place is lit up like it is already daytime and there are THOUSANDS of anxious runners milling about. We take the opportunity to hit the porta potties before we enter the corrals. Don’t really need to go, but mentally it always makes me feel better. I’m in corral “B” in the first wave. I place myself at the very front of the group. I had a VERY aggressive goal for this race, so I didn’t want to get stuck behind a bunch of slowpokes right out of the gate.

At 5:45, the pre-race announcements begin. We are told the race is starting under a “red-flag” heat advisory and there is a strong chance they could issue a “BLACK FLAG”. If it goes to a black flag, runners will be advised not to finish the race, all timing will be stopped and the event will be considered a “fun run.” Well, that certainly put a damper on things! There were grumblings from the first wave as no one wanted to run 13.1 miles fast and then be told it wouldn’t count. 62% of the runners are female - WOW! There are runners from other countries and every state except South Carolina. At 6 a.m. the countdown began, the fireworks started and the race was underway! It took 4 minutes to get to the timing mat to start my chip. Legs are feeling great and I’m passing people from the “A” corral like they are standing still.

Mile 1: uh-oh, I’m feeling good, but I’m already off my goal pace. Heart rate is pretty high too. OK, we’ll see what is going on at Mile 2. Well, things didn’t improve. I felt fine, but I just couldn’t do the pace I wanted and I couldn’t get my heart rate to go down. Ran through part of California Adventure and Disneyland which was a lot of fun. A high 5 to Pluto and Mickey and cannon salute from Captain Jack Sparrow and the rest of the Pirates of the Caribbean. After the parks, it was off to the streets of Anaheim. At about Mile 4 we are running into the rising sun. It is REALLY getting warm. There are bands, cheerleaders, mariachi bands/dancers, hula dancers, volunteers, spectators, business owners, Disney characters, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Camp Fire girls cheering for us along the route.

I quickly accept the fact that I’m not on pace to get my goal time, so I figure I’ll shoot for the secondary time goal. (1:50 or under). At the 10k mark I'm on track for a 1:51-52 finish. OK, so it won't be 1:50 but it will still be a 10+minute improvement and I may still make the top 20 in my age group.

After the Disney Parks, nothing too exciting until we run through Angel Stadium around Mile 10 and they announce our names as we are running through and we can see ourselves up on the Jumbotron. Now is where I start to lose it. I’m getting slower and slower and very hot. I’ve been out there almost an hour and a half and the heat is very oppressive and my heart rate has been averaging between 91-93% for the entire race. I’m now the one being passed. OK, at Mile 11, the goal is just to finish under 2:00. It’s going to be tight. We cut through California Adventure back to Downtown Disney then a right turn at the sorcerer’s hat and sprint to the finish. Final time – 1:57.02 (a new pr by 7 minutes!) I must look really bad because 4 volunteers ask me if I need help. Chip removed, medal around neck, grab as much water, Powerade and fruit as I can carry and head to the family reunion area to wait for my husband an son to finish. There is no place to sit other than the hot asphalt in a very tiny square of shade. Drink 1 bottle of water, 1 bottle of Powerade, eat 1 banana and a little cup of oranges. Feeling a bit lightheaded. HR goes down VERY slowly. I’m not a big sweater, but I’m sweating so much that my clothes are dripping and there is a puddle forming under me. It looks like someone poured a bucket of water over me.

I generally love racing in warm weather, but evidently I got way behind on my hydration and just couldn't race at the end.

Hydrate better! I made a rookie mistake. I thought I was getting enough liquids (PowerAde and water) at each of the aid stations, and carried my own water, but it wasn't enough.

Drank lots of liquids and tried to cool off.


Didn't hydrate properly during the race.


The race was a lot of fun and a great family vacation. It was the first half for my husband and son who are not runners or triathletes. They did very well considering they'd never done anything like this before. My son (a swimmer) almost beat me and he'd never done ANY running before February and was suffering with a horrible case of shin splints. My husband said this was going to be his first and last 1/2 marathon. Now, he's ready to sign us up for the race in 2008!

I'm disappointed because I had felt good leading up to the race and really thought I could make my goal time of 1:44.

I was hurting post race, which has impacted my training schedule this week. No injuries, just extreme body aches, fatigue, and little nausea. I've never been that dehydrated.

My heart rate monitor showed the temperature at 80F when the race started at 6:00. an avg. of 85F and a max of 92F (and I finished about 8:00 A.M.) It was over 95F when my husband finished around 9:00.