We know our updates from Disneyland are few and far between, but this week we're totally making up for it with two amazing updates from the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend (today and Friday) and an unbelievable update from the Walt Disney Family Museum on Thursday. We hope you enjoy Disney week (with a bit of Universal Studios Hollywood sprinkled in on Wednesday). =) Written by Renée Girard and Andrew Cunningham (Click on any of the pictures below to see a larger version) We are spending the weekend at Disneyland for the runDisney half marathon! I guess we won't be riding "classic" Tower one last time. It's a gorgeous day here at Disneyland! Having breakfast at Rancho del Zocalo, while watching Big Thunder Mountain trains roll by. It's the wildest ride in the wilderness! Not a whole lot going on behind the walls for Star Wars land yet. The band aboard King Arthur Carousel While Fantasyland is already busy, Roger Rabbit will be packed later but has no wait now. Love the fun Disneyland 60 photo ops still in the parks. Disneyland crowds are picking up. Time to stop by Disney's California Adventure! You can meet Nick and Judy from Zootopia at DCA. At WDW, they only appear in the parade. Are these the lights from Stranger Things? The sign lied, Tower is open! Radiator Springs Racers is currently down at Cars Land in DCA. There are a ton of popcorn flavors available in Cars Land! We'll have to check out the new version of this attraction, Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters. Hold on like ya mean it! Ready to take off on one of my favorite coasters, California Screamin'! Here's a tree, in memory of the Maliboomer. I love this view! I love this view too! I love this view most of all. The Cove Bar at DCA is always a popular spot. Lines start early! Gonna check out Soarin' Around the World later to see the west coast version. Racers is back open! 45 minutes standby and 5 minutes singles! Old school fast pass for Hyperspace Mountain tonight. We booked the Paint the Night on the go dining package tonight, since it ends in a few days. The food for the Paint the Night on the go package is really good, and discounts are also accepted. Time to make a stop at the Disneyland Hotel to pick up our runDisney goodies for the weekend. Ready to run the Disneyland 10k and half marathon! If pre-gaming is your thing, you can get a rum runner specialty drink before your race. The people at Raw Threads always have the best shirts, and they're super comfy too! Disney always does a terrific job at designing the medals and the Disneyland Half weekend is no exception Super jealous of those running the inaugural Disneyland Paris half marathon and castle to chateau challenge! Going for a ride on Hyperspace Mountain! Can't wait! Jammin' on the Backlot is the nighttime entertainment in Hollywood at DCA. We wouldn't mind if ElecTRONica came back Saw our first and final viewing of Paint the Night parade tonight The technology in Paint the Night is amazing! Several of the Disney princesses make an appearance in Paint the Night. And Olaf. The Toy Story friends on Slinky in Paint the Night. The final float in Paint the Night with sorcerer Mickey is exceptional. I hope this parade returns one day! Caught the Disneyland Forever fireworks after the parade, which we viewed at It's a Small World rather than Main St. The projections and fireworks from Disney films looked great on the building. The Lion King segment was one of my favorites. It wouldn't be a Disney show without "Let It Go" from Frozen. A fantastic finale for Disneyland Forever, another show that we're sad to see go. Goodnight, we'll be back tomorrow! Related Updates: Today we have an update from another great RunDisney event in Florida, this time Renée takes us on a run with her at the Star Wars Half Marathon: The Dark Side and the Dark Side Challenge. Be sure to check out all the fun through the parks in the early morning hours and of course the awesome bling!! Written by Renée Girard Getting ready for another RunDisney weekend! Thousands ran in the Star Wars 5k already, and we stopped by the expo. All set with my race bib, might as well begin carb loading with a beer. Storm Troopers patrolled the crowd at the expo. The theming all around the event has been great so far Star Wars Half The designs for these medals might be my favorite of all the RunDisney races! Congrats to those who ran the Star Wars 5k and good luck at the Star Wars 10k, Star Wars Half and Dark Side Challenge! Early start to the day at Epcot for the Star Wars 10k The Star Wars 10k has begun! Starting at Epcot, it goes through the Epcot resort area, DHS & the finish at ESPN Final stretch of the Star Wars 10k towards ESPN. A good warmup for the Dark Side Challenge tomorrow. Character lines before, during & after Star Wars 10k were looong. Didn't stop for photos but still enjoyed SW theming Liked the Star Wars 10k course but not the fact that the start/finish locations were different. Traffic was a mess. As always, RunDisney doesn't disappoint with the finisher medals for the Star Wars 10k. Another early morning at Epcot for the Star Wars Half. Photo ops still going on even after the race started! Packed into the corrals once again, fireworks, and we're off! The Star Wars Half began through some backstage areas at Epcot and under Test Track. Mile markers throughout the Star Wars Half course were very cool. R2-D2 was the first character we encountered in the Star Wars Half, but as usual, the line was super long. With a 5am start, it was nice to see the World Showcase at Epcot all lit up. After Epcot, we were on our way to Hollywood Studios, through a tunnel of fog. Kylo Ren was out on the stage in the center of Hollywood Studios. With limited space due to construction, we didn't spend much time running in Hollywood Studios Some members of the 501st Legion were cheering us on by Fantasmic. They always look awesome! Sunrise was starting by the time we got over to Disney's Animal Kingdom After a long loop through the parking lot, Storm Troopers greeted us as we entered Animal Kingdom At Animal Kingdom, we trekked through Asia and Discovery Island. The folks at Disney's PhotoPass, who took over the photography for RunDisney events, did a great job! More of the 501st Legion sent us on our way as we exited Animal Kingdom for the final stretch of the Star Wars Half After the finish at ESPN, we noticed a much better transportation system than yesterday. This guy pretty much sums up how I felt after running 19.3 miles over the past 2 days. Trio of medals for completing the Dark Side Challenge. There were a few flaws, but overall a great RunDisney event! And am I the only one who sees "WTF" instead of "THE" next to Dark Side? ;) Thanks again to Renée for braving the early mornings and crowds to bring us another great RunDisney update. It's sure going to be interesting what they do with the Star Wars races once Star Wars Land opens. Looking forward to it!! If you ran over the weekend be sure to share your celebratory pictures in the comments below or on our social media. A few weeks ago Renée ran the Princess Half Marathon at Walt Disney World. Be sure to check out her great report from this great run weekend. Getting photos with characters at a @runDisney race has become hugely popular & it shows by the lines! #PrincessHalf Frozen's Anna, Elsa & Kristoff were at Cinderella's castle, where you could take a selfie, minus stick #PrincessHalf Running through the castle is a big deal but getting engaged before that, like this couple, is magical #PrincessHalf With perfect weather, the @runDisney WDW Princess Half Marathon Weekend was a success! Congrats to all!#PrincessHalf One pet peeve for @runDisney races: pictured is the swag received for a $200+ event. #PrincessHalf Thanks again to Renée for this great report. Be sure to check out our "Please Run Through the Theme Park at All Times" article for all the latest info on RunDisney races and other theme park races that don't break the bank quite as much. |
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