The One Where We Are DFL: Disneyland 10k "Race" Recap

When runDisney announced the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge earlier this year, people LOST THEIR MINDS (myself included), and the challenge sold out within an hour. I figured it would sell out fast, but I was not prepared for the madness that ensued. Because I missed the super short registration window, I had to register through a travel operator - PS, I learned my lesson and registered for Tink Half the same day it opened.

Obviously, I planned on running with Becka, and this time L joined us! We planned our costumes MONTHS In advance.

Through the travel operator, we ended up staying the night before the races (10k and half!) at the Anabella Hotel - a luxurious 10-15 minute walk from Downtown Disney. {Note, if you ever stay there and park, for goodness sake, make sure you let the front desk know, or else you will get a snotty note on your car window}.

On Saturday, we decided to set the alarm to give us enough time to pick up a coffee at Haggen Dazs, then make our way to the corrals for our 6:30 start.

Except, turns out, the race starts at 6:15. Oops.

So while we're walking leisurely through Downtown Disney, trying to hunt down the corrals, the race is well underway.

alllllllllll those people at the end of the road were already starting the race. 

We managed to squeeze in somewhere towards the back of the crowd - I'm guessing around D corral? - and almost singed my poor tongue trying to finish my latte. Stressful!

The 10k course runs south of the parks, through the Convention Center, then into California Adventure and Disneyland Park, before finishing near Disneyland Hotel.

Richard Simmons?

There's one aid station around mile 1, and then not another until almost mile 4. Just something to note if you want to consider bringing your own water (it was a warm, humid morning).

Entering California Adventure...

Somewhere around mile 3, while we were in (a 10-15 minute) line for Monster's Inc pictures, we realized.... the crowd of runners was thinning out. And then we saw a bicycle pacer.

Me: "Hey, are we close to getting swept?"
Sweeper: "Well... you're a little behind pace."

What does that even mean?! He rode off before I could ask him.

We finished in the picture line, and made sure to pick up the pace a bit as we headed out of California Adventure and into Disneyland.

The second aid station is just inside the Disneyland Park entrance. Apparently they ran out of cups, and... well.

Take a bottle! Share with your friends!

We were still seeing the bike sweepers scuttling around, so we made sure to keep moving and only stopped for pictures we Really, Really Needed, like Queen of Hearts...

And, the photo that almost did us in.... the Tweedles. 

While we were in this line, with only 1 person in front of us, and one person in line behind us, we see... the sweeper carts. 

Dun dun DUN.

A sweeper came over, and DEMANDED that we make a choice. "PICTURE OR RACE! YOU HAVE TO KEEP MOVING!"

We promised to run really, really fast... after the picture. 

We were the last group through the castle before they closed the course.

Official time was 1:52:39, place 7559 out of 7828 finishers. Lols. 

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Overall thoughts....

• Obviously, I had a ton of fun. I love runDisney so much.
• I found the course FUN. Being a shorter race, it is obviously easy to have most of it in the parks. 
• The water station placement was weird - one at mile 1, one at mile 4ish, and one at 5.5. What.
• I was surprised that they did something like run out of cups at the second station. To be fair, we did start late, and took our sweet time getting there, but.... I expect better when I pay $100 for a 10k. I expect better from a runDisney event.
• I never found the course to be too congested, even being waaaaaaaaaaaay in the back. In fact, not even being LITERALLY the last person running. 
• The sweepers were disconcerting! 
• A lot of people think/say/advise others that you won't be swept as long as you're in the parks. THAT IS A FALLACY. I watched the sweepers. They were sweeping!
• Always always always double check race details. We were confused about the start time, AND the location of the start line. Overconfidence almost did us in!
• Even though I had a ton of fun, I likely will not be a legacy Dumbo runner (....and the H breathes a giant sigh of relief). It's too expensive for me to justify the cost, and there are other runDisney races I want to try - namely, Wine and Dine 2014.