Disneyland 10K Race Recap

Good morning, and happy Tuesday! Today I’m sharing my Disneyland 10K race recap, the first part of the Dumbo Double Dare. My first day at Disneyland and Day Two flew by, and before I knew it Saturday morning arrived with a bright and early 4:15am alarm. We got up, got dressed, and left our hotel around 4:40, making the 20-minute trek to the corrals along with lots of other runners staying in hotels along Harbor Boulevard in Anaheim. I really enjoyed being able to get up “later” at the California Disney races versus those in Florida – still being on East Coast time made it feel early, but not unreasonably so!

 

This year’s 10K theme was Villains, so lots of the characters along the course were Disney villains and the mile markers were too. I was in Corral B, so we started around 5:35am. The first two miles were on the streets of Anaheim and I just focused on easing into the run, trying to pace myself both for the morning’s 10K and the following day’s half marathon. Meaning I totally missed the first two mile markers, and was running into California Adventure before I knew it! The mile and a half or so in here was my favorite part of the race, the lights making it really magical.

 

 

 

The sun began rising around 6am and as I ran out of the park, I realized we had run almost all the lands, from Cars Land to Paradise Pier to Grizzly Peak and Hollywood Land. I appreciated that, considering that when I ran the Disney World Half Marathon I was a little disappointed that you only ran through small portions of the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. And when we got to Disneyland Park, we ran up Main Street and out a side entrance like in Florida, but then actually came around and back into the park before heading out through Downtown Disneyland to the finish.

 

 

 

I ended up finishing in 1:04:27, with a 10:21 pace. I was very happy considering I stopped for many photo ops (I asked cast members to take pictures with my phone and they were happy to, which was awesome, to avoid the Marathon Foto prices!) and one restroom break, as well as water. I wasn’t too tired which was a good thing, because after showering and eating a small breakfast at the hotel we headed out to Disneyland Park for a morning of fun before brunch! We got there right before opening and rode Space Mountain, the Storybook Land Canal Boats, Mad Tea Party cups, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – and explored Toontown and did Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin and the Gadget Go Coaster, all before an  11am reservation at Carnation Cafe. 

 

 

 

 

We were glad to have reservations at Carnation Cafe because they weren’t taking walk-ins. When we sat down we were both ravenous already! I knew I wanted the allergy-free Mickey waffles but was pleased to see the extensive menu. When the waffles arrived and I dug in, they were delicious, although different than the ones I had at the the Captain’s Grille in Florida. Slightly denser and crisper on the outside, perfect paired with maple syrup and whipped butter. And lots of water and decaf iced coffee.

 

 

 

After brunch, we headed to California Adventure and had lots of fun on the Silly Symphony Swings, a second round of screaming on California Screamin’, and another trip on Soarin’. I really loved the Grizzly Peak section of the park, with its wilderness theme and lovely California outdoorsy architecture. Anyway, by then it was after 1pm and we were exhausted, so we decided taking in a show and sitting for a bit might be a good idea. We chose the Aladdin musical and it was awesome – the songs were the classics and the actors put their own spin on it. I especially enjoyed the Genie, who made topical snarky remarks about politicians and actors and athletes throughout. Afterwards I realized I was rather dehydrated despite chugging water all day, so we headed back to the hotel for a couple hours’ rest and snacks before dinner.

 

 

 

 

Another early dinner happened, this time at the Storyteller’s Cafe in the Grand Californian hotel. I really liked the theming both of the lodge-style hotel and the restaurant, which we picked because it was reputed to have a great allergy-friendly menu. It lived up to the hype – my main dish was roast chicken, garlic smashed potatoes, and veggies in gluten free gravy, and beforehand I was brought a plate of gluten free rosemary flatbread that tasted wonderful with the fresh butter. I had to fight with the chicken a little to eat it (I always order fish in restaurants, or filleted poultry, so I’m not used to it) but it was great fuel for the half marathon the next morning.

 

 

 

 

Afterwards, we went back to Disneyland to pick up some more treats for dessert. I went for the ice cream cone shaped Krispy treat.

 

 

 

 

Next up, the Disneyland 10th Anniversary Half Marathon!

 

 

 

Ever run a Disney race? Or back to back races for a challenge?

What’s the best gluten free accommodation you’ve had at a restaurant?

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2015 Renaissance Runner Girl. All rights reserved.

Advertisement