This past weekend, the Disneyland Resort held the Inaugural Avengers Half Marathon weekend. Here people from all over took part in a variety of runDisney races. The weekend held the Avengers 5k, the Avengers Half Marathon and an assortment of kids races. As fun as the half marathon seemed, I took part in the Avengers 5k. Let’s be real, running and I don’t get along that well. But, if you throw Disney in the mix, it really amps my motivation to train and enjoy the run.
When runDisney first announced they would have an Avengers themed race weekend, I pretty much freaked out. I have a strong adoration for the characters as well as all the storylines. I signed up as soon as possible. I was a little bummed out that there was no option of a 10k. I feel like that race is more challenging, yet still fun.
So come race day, I arrived to the Mickey and Friends parking lot pretty nervous. I was nervous for many reasons. The first being that I knew this race would have a large amount of runners and second being that I had goal of meeting Hawkeye. If you know me, I worry about the smallest things so in reality, everything was ok. I made my way to the corrals and met up the with Hamilton family. We each dressed like an Avenger. We had a Thor, Captain America and I was the Hulk. The Avengers 5k then began and we were on our way.
What was great about this race is that it had a different route than the past runDisney races I have participated in. I enjoyed how all we ran through the backside of Disney California Adventure Park and ended up in Cars Land. Throughout the course there were a variety of characters out such as Tow Mater, Lighting McQueen, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and the Avengers. First Avenger meet and greet in sight was Black Widow. Her line was very long and it was sad that we didn’t end up meeting her. But oh boy, she looked fierce and ready for any mission that was to come her way.
About half way through the Disney California Adventure side, we finally saw the meet and greet area for Hawkeye. The line was very long but it did not matter. After we got in line, the character host closed the line due to time. Many runners were upset. If the line were to continue to stay open, I’m pretty sure no one would have even finished the race. I would say we waited for about 15-20 minutes. Once we finally met him, it was pretty cool. His bow and arrows were awesome. After a few brief words, we all did our ‘ready for action’ Avengers pose and took a photo.
The next leg of the race took part in Disneyland Park. Since we waited so long for photos with Hawkeye, there were about five other people running through Main Street. It was an awe experience running through that street so empty. As we ran past the Matterhorn, Thor was out. Sadly his line was closed due to time restraints. On the bright side, the characters from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ were out In Fantasyland, so we took a photo with them.
Running through Frontierland, we passed the 2 mile marker. In front of the Golden Horseshoe, Captain America’s meet and greet had already closed and cleared. So to make up for it, we all posed in front of his backdrop. Once we knew all the characters were done, it was a straight stretch for us to the end. We passed a water station backstage where all the volunteers and cast members were very supportive. So many were out cheering us all on. Their enthusiasm was very helpful and we all appreciated it.
As we turned the corner, it was a straight run through Downtown Disney. Running past Starbuck was very painful, I really wanted a coffee. In that general area, many people were cheering the runners on. Once we ran passed ESPN Zone, I turned on sprint mode and ran to the finish line. It was a magical feeling crossing that finish line.
This entire race was so much fun and I enjoyed the fact that it was a little different from other runDisney races that I have been a part of. Also, I liked seeing all the runners in their attire. There were so many super heroes and villains! I’m greatly looking forward to the Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend.
Murray the Bellhop also took part in the Avenger 5k. Check out his awesome video below. Enjoy!
