My First Disney Half Marathon by GoofyJoe J- TPS Fan Contribution

On Sept. 4th 2011, I ran the Disneyland Half Marathon and I finished.

About 8 weeks before I started training, I took a bad spill and broke my elbow which put me in the hospital for 4 days. I was unable to run as much as I wanted. About a week before the marathon, my doctor released me to run. I was able to run for 2 training sessions. I was very upset that I was dealt this bad blow but I kept my spirits up and ran. I showed up at 5:20 AM to get into the corral for the run. The crowd was electrifying. I started out at a walking pace because there were just way too many people to run. As we went under the bridge, crossing Downtown Disney, my heart started pumping real fast with total excitement. After I rounded the first corner onto Katella Blvd. and started to pick up the pace, I ran fast and felt it by the first mile maker.....

Once we were on Harbor Blvd., I found my pace. We proceeded into Disney California Adventure and I saw the Programs out, so I stopped to take a picture. They kept the crowd at an upbeat tempo and everyone was very excited. We went through Hollywood Pictures Backlot to the transition of Paradise Pier and then to Golden State. At the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, I met Russell so I stopped to take a picture.

After we proceeded to Main St. in Disneyland, I again stopped to catch all the princesses, preceded to Tomorrowland to meet Darth Vader and a Storm Trooper, and ran around the Matterhorn where I met Mary Poppins, Bert and the Chimney Sweeps. We sang and danced and took more pictures. Then it was time for Fantasyland, ran from the back side of the castle to Main St., over to Frontierland, and out a back gate by the Splash Mountain exit. We were now on the back lot of Disneyland. This was awesome. I did not take pictures because we were asked not to. I walked the back lot so I could take it all in. I saw the Circle D Ranch and the back side of Toontown. We reentered Disneyland via Toontown to It’s a Small World and exit via the Small World gate back in to back lot. I met the trains and an engineer for a picture. The back lot is pretty exciting for someone like me who loves all things Disney. During this part, I was just too excited and had goose bumps the whole time. I exited Disneyland via a back gate onto Disneyland Way and then took a right heading towards Angels Stadium. This was the boring part of the run. Then the surprises, high school bands and cheerleaders were all over the course. These kids were cheering us on and yelling our names. I loved it. At mile 71, was pretty tired and pushed myself to mile 8. My shoes had a rock in them so I needed to stop and clear it out. Once I was back up to speed, we were close to the stadium. I am not a sports fan but the energy in Angels Stadium was awesome! We had so many cheerleaders, boy scouts, and high school bands cheering and making you not want to stop. As we exit Angels Stadium, it was the breaking point for several runners. I was helping them by cheering them on.

I caught up to the 3:00 hour guy and was able to pass and keep up my pace. This part of the course was very boring with not much to see but had to be done. Once past this point, it was back into Disney California Adventure. Many runners were falling apart with blisters and knee problems but kept pushing themselves. I was ready to quit myself but once I saw how close I was, I knew I needed to keep going. During the last mile, Mike and Lumiere were out cheering us on and I received a second wind.

As we proceeded behind the Paradise Pier Hotel, the finish line was in sight. The tears started to flow! I DID IT! Nothing in this world is quite like a Disney event!