Disneyland Half Marathon 2024

[Surferboy567]

They released the last corral all at once (I think we were E or F?) for the 2023 marathon because of heat concerns. My friends who were tracking and cheering for me saw that I started about 30 seconds ahead of the balloon ladies and thought I had a last minute bathroom run and moved to the back. Nope! Just one massive corral release lol. It was slightly terrifying but seeing those buses under the first overpass sure was motivating.

During the “half half” portion of my dopey challenge this year. I was toward the front of corral E. I overheard the race official say “once these guys go we are dropping this barricade”. The barricade was holding Corral F once they did everything became impossible to run due to congestion. I did have a bit of a lead but the hills made quick work of that.

I just got a notification that mine and my daughters are coming UPS today. They shipped out the the 12th.

UPS also just sent me a notification as well. I’m still getting over whatever I got from marathon weekend. So won’t open them till I actually run them but it will be nice to have them in.

 

[StarGirl11]

I was stunned about how much RSR was down. Seemed like even Rise was more reliable.

Pretty sure RSR was weather related. But could be wrong.

Got home this morning after travel issues (flight delayed over an hour and then had to walk through the entire dang terminal to get to the taxi line to take a cab that took the longest possible route to my house), which is about par for the course with this trip. I'm calling it our disaster trip. I didn't get to ride two of my favorite rides (Radiatior Springs Racers and Space Mountain) because of a combination of long lines and the rides being down. It kinda seemed like almost every ride was down for at least part of the trip, which was not fun.

The 5K wasn't everything I wanted it to be, but it was okay. I had some complaints (most of which have already come up here), and we actually shared those complaints with a CM who said she was going to put our feedback in the system. I'm hopeful that things will get better and thinking of an eventual C2C but still gotta figure out timing.

Space is always a bit temperamental but not because of Disney. It’s because if people don’t get out fast enough it causes the ride to go down. Also why I don’t go to the general queue for that.

 

[AJruns]

My only regret is not getting to see the fireworks, but I was soooo tired and COLD When the sun went down I was a shivering mess even with three layers, my Florida “winter jacket”, gloves, ear warmer and hand warmers.

If it makes you feel better I don’t think there were fireworks. At least when when I sat down to wait CMs we’re coming by telling everyone that there were no projections or fireworks at the castle, that to see projections we needed to go to Small World or river-something. I didn’t know what any of that meant, except I was there to see fireworks at the castle, so I took the opportunity to hustle to Rise of the Resistance when I saw it had a 30 minute wait then.

I was also *freezing* in the evening and had on every layer on I would wear in 30 at home and was still unhappy

 

[fatmanatee]

So since the restart, I've done the 2022 MW, 2023 Springtime Surprise, and DL 2024. Totally unintentional but seems like I've created a nice little once a year habit for myself. The big question is what to do going forward, and I'd like to go back to MW, but the timing isn't ideal for the job I've gotten since the last time and it'll be two months after NYC. Might have some questions for anyone who has experience with doing two marathons in that short a timeframe.

As for DL, I can see myself going back to do this one every so often, maybe WDW MW one year, DL the other. Again, depends on work, but I do appreciate DL moving back to the end of the month, think that’s a really good move for everyone involved. DL gets more traffic on a non-holiday weekend, RD has more time to prep after MW, I don’t have to worry about year-end work as much.

 

[disneyrunnergrl]

Made it through marathon weekend without getting sick but came home from Disneyland with the covid souvenir

 

[iheartglaciers]

I didn't get to ride two of my favorite rides (Radiatior Springs Racers and Space Mountain) because of a combination of long lines and the rides being down. It kinda seemed like almost every ride was down for at least part of the trip, which was not fun.

I couldn’t believe how many rides were down at various points during the day while we were there!

 

[marty3d]

I couldn’t believe how many rides were down at various points during the day while we were there!

Same here - on Friday we seemed to be the issue as the closings were following us around - at one point or another, Jungle Cruise, HM, Mr Toad, Matterhorn, and Monsters Inc went down on us either while we were in line, before our Lightning Lane time, or while on the rise. We spent a good 5 minutes in the dining room scene of HM...

 

[jodeja]

I am going to butcher the name spelling. Sajodj? Japanese woman who lived in Hawaii for 20 years and worked previously as a fitness lead at Aulani. She was really lovely and way too upbeat for 6 am!

I did the Power Walking through DCA with her a couple years ago and she was fantastic! Unbelievably positive & upbeat for 6am!!

 

[Kender]

If it makes you feel better I don’t think there were fireworks. At least when when I sat down to wait CMs we’re coming by telling everyone that there were no projections or fireworks at the castle, that to see projections we needed to go to Small World or river-something. I didn’t know what any of that meant, except I was there to see fireworks at the castle, so I took the opportunity to hustle to Rise of the Resistance when I saw it had a 30 minute wait then.

I was also *freezing* in the evening and had on every layer on I would wear in 30 at home and was still unhappy

They did happen Sunday night and Monday night for sure .

But I took my friend over to watch them at IASW on Sunday because it's the better spot to watch them and the projections. Fairly sure projections happened at the castle? Although a friend's friend said they didn't see anything but colors moving. Not the scenes. But they also were in a bad spot to view due to trees.

Fireworks would have been visible from the castle, though.

 

[dis_or_dat]

I wasn't sure if I should make this post and I tend to ramble, but here it goes:

WDW MW and DL was pretty amazing, mostly because of the people I met. You guys are honestly the best - so kind and welcoming. It *almost* makes me want to attempt Dopey one day.

I only did the WDW Half (of a Half). I know so many people were disappointed and I applaud everyone who ran the extra 6 miles, but I was seriously relieved due to my injuries. The on course characters were amazing and I took pictures with just about each one. Transportation (rideshare) wasn't as smooth as I had hoped and ended up getting stuck waiting in the rain for a long time.

I did DL Dumbo Dare and am so thankful for all the kind members who helped me (@The Expert , @Naomeri , and @RunWI1265 ). It was so awesome to finally make it to a meet up and see everyone, especially @DopeyBadger (and his lovely family) who has been coaching me all these years.

When it comes the races, I cringe to see the complaints. I knew this one would have a lot of issues because it's the first one back since 2017 and WDW is a well oiled machine. I've only done 2 other runDisney events (Tinkerbell 2016 and Rebel Challenge 2017). I didn't stop for any pictures at Tinkerbell, but think there were only 3-4 character stops for the 10k and half for the Light Side? They also had some cool pre and post race picture opportunities plus 501st legion at the half. Spectator support in Anaheim has been sparse since they stopped giving out tickets but loved the Up house as well as the Star Wars cosplayers along the course (I remembered them from the Light Side!).

Running near the Anaheim Ducks and Angels stadiums and seeing the mascot and cars was fun, but would have been cool to run through the stadium. The switchbacks along the river were rough, but I remember lots of complaints about how boring running through the suburbs were. Hope rD can find a better solution eventually. Special shout out to @RunWI1265 who made the Anaheim miles fly by. Can't believe how strong she was after running Dopey!

I was disappointed there were so many repeat characters from WDW at the DL 10k, but bummed I missed Darkwing Duck thinking it was just Launchpad (a repeat). Agree the lines were pretty long for WDW Half and DL races, but maybe it was because of my slower paces?

This weekend was actually supposed to be pretty low key. But lots of family and friends ended up coming last minute and my schedule became packed, which made it super fun and heartwarming but a little stressful trying to see everyone. Also I had a truly amazing sprinkle of Pixie dust and an absolute bonkers dream came true for me. I never thought I'd experience this and still can't believe it!

 

[Bree]

If it makes you feel better I don’t think there were fireworks. At least when when I sat down to wait CMs we’re coming by telling everyone that there were no projections or fireworks at the castle, that to see projections we needed to go to Small World or river-something. I didn’t know what any of that meant, except I was there to see fireworks at the castle, so I took the opportunity to hustle to Rise of the Resistance when I saw it had a 30 minute wait then.

I was also *freezing* in the evening and had on every layer on I would wear in 30 at home and was still unhappy

They had them over the weekend. During the week it was just the projections. I could see a tiny bit and hear them from my room at Courtyard Anaheim.

 

[jodeja]

1/2 medal pins are already sold out according to FB

Disney needs to actually make merch race number only. I’m sorry for anyone who wants to drag friends your going to have to deal with the fact the eBay resellers ruin it for everyone this is ridiculous. The expo isn’t even open to everyone yet

I agree! I entered the Virtual Queue just a couple minutes after 7am and my wait time was over 400 minutes. By the time I was called at 4pm some stuff was already sold out.

 

[jodeja]

i got one of the unicorn food boxes!!!! - double scooping utensils: chips and pretzels

View attachment 825453

I got that same box for both the 5k and the 10k.
(skipped the half - zero regrets)

 

[jodeja]

I would absolutely try, since it was their mistake. I'd call or email now, and try again in person if that doesn't work.

We talked to Guest Services at the hotel and they worked it out! Moved us from the Premium View room (which did have a perfect view of the pool) to a Standard and refunded the difference!
She said they've been having issues with Walt Disney Travel Company not being accurate in information and reservations.

 

[karenc15]

Got home this morning after travel issues (flight delayed over an hour and then had to walk through the entire dang terminal to get to the taxi line to take a cab that took the longest possible route to my house), which is about par for the course with this trip. I'm calling it our disaster trip. I didn't get to ride two of my favorite rides (Radiatior Springs Racers and Space Mountain) because of a combination of long lines and the rides being down. It kinda seemed like almost every ride was down for at least part of the trip, which was not fun.

It looks like you're more of a DW runner than me, and this is probably info that we should relay as DL frequenters, but never go to the standby line at RSR. I was convinced to give it a shot on Friday because it said 50 minutes, but it really took us 2.5 hours. Because RSR has the paid ILL, after the ride goes down, they prioritize ILL over everyone else. So you could be 10 parties from the front, but because ILL is backed up, that could take you an hour. If you're really interested in experiencing the ride and don't want to shell out the $$$, single rider is your best option. FWIW, I ended up riding with my DH and DD in the same row on Sunday even though we were all in the SR line.

Space also has single rider that you can get to by the exit. It's a bit hidden and only accesible after 11am I think, but it will also save you a ton of time.

Sorry, I still have PTSD from my Friday experience (obvi) and RSR is my favorite ride across both parks (especially when it's dark).

 

[AJruns]

They had them over the weekend. During the week it was just the projections. I could see a tiny bit and hear them from my room at Courtyard Anaheim.

I heard them from my room Friday and Saturday night, but on Sunday night the CMs basically shooed us away from the castle saying they wouldn’t be there, so I left the area. I would be bummed if that wasn’t true and I missed them, but I’m glad I got to ride Rise (for the first time) with almost no wait.

 

[SarahDisney]

It looks like you're more of a DW runner than me, and this is probably info that we should relay as DL frequenters, but never go to the standby line at RSR. I was convinced to give it a shot on Friday because it said 50 minutes, but it really took us 2.5 hours. Because RSR has the paid ILL, after the ride goes down, they prioritize ILL over everyone else. So you could be 10 parties from the front, but because ILL is backed up, that could take you an hour. If you're really interested in experiencing the ride and don't want to shell out the $$$, single rider is your best option. FWIW, I ended up riding with my DH and DD in the same row on Sunday even though we were all in the SR line.

This is a good tip, thanks! We've done standby before and it's a long line but we usually get through. But past trips I guess it hasn't been as busy or it hasn't been down as much (or in the case of our 2012 trip ... ILL was not a thing yet). In hindsight I probably should have bought the ILL but once I thought about that it was already sold out for the day.

Space also has single rider that you can get to by the exit. It's a bit hidden and only accesible after 11am I think, but it will also save you a ton of time.

We tried but single rider was closed. I was super bummed about that, I've never seen it closed before.

 

[Naomeri]

If it makes you feel better I don’t think there were fireworks. At least when when I sat down to wait CMs we’re coming by telling everyone that there were no projections or fireworks at the castle, that to see projections we needed to go to Small World or river-something. I didn’t know what any of that meant, except I was there to see fireworks at the castle, so I took the opportunity to hustle to Rise of the Resistance when I saw it had a 30 minute wait then.

I was also *freezing* in the evening and had on every layer on I would wear in 30 at home and was still unhappy

There were fireworks on Sunday—my grandma and I lucked into them perfectly—we did Pinocchio and Snow White, and then it was 9:28, and we got a spot on the half wall by the carousel, so we had a totally unimpeded view of the fireworks (couldn’t see the castle, but I’m there for the fireworks anyway)

 

[AZMermaid]

We lucked into a show on the Rivers of America around 8:00 Sunday when we were eating ice cream at the tables by Stage Door Cafe. All of a sudden the lights dimmed and there was a New Orleans Jazz themed cartoon on the water like a mini world of color. It was only about 5 min long but fun!

 

[Nessats]

This weekend was actually supposed to be pretty low key. But lots of family and friends ended up coming last minute and my schedule became packed, which made it super fun and heartwarming but a little stressful trying to see everyone. Also I had a truly amazing sprinkle of Pixie dust and an absolute bonkers dream came true for me. I never thought I'd experience this and still can't believe it!

I noticed on Instagram that quite a few runners (and Carissa and her husband) got into Club 33 this weekend. I used to live in Tustin, not far from Anaheim, for a few years and the CFO of my husband's company is a member of the club. He was gracious enough to invite us to Club 33 a half dozen times over the years, and each time was just amazing. I had one of the best salads I've ever had there. I hope you were able to get yourself a souvenir from their little gift shop!