Star Wars Half Marathon: The Dark Side at WDW

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!! 

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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. 

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