Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend Meet-Up — I’M IN!

So, I have some MAJOR and very exciting runDisney news related to my upcoming trip to Disneyland. (By the way, I still can’t believe that exactly two weeks from today, I’ll be seeing this castle in person for the first time!)

disneylandcastle

Photo credit: disneyland.disney.go.com

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be selected to participate in the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend Meet-Up!

The meet-ups are highly-coveted exclusive events that include a 2-mile run through the parks — at 6am! — with the likes of Jeff Galloway and other training experts and special runDisney participants, along with speeches, giveaways, breakfast, and all sorts of other runDisney fun. I missed my chance to participate in the Princess Half meet-up, so I made sure to try to do everything I could to be selected this time around.

disneylandhalfmeetup

Photo credit: disneyparks.disney.go.com

Honestly, I couldn’t have done it without the help of Krissy at Outrunning the Monorail and Shiawase Life and her awesome tips to help increase you chances of getting in. Definitely check it out! :-D

I was out on a 5-mile run around 3pm yesterday, and kept stopping incessantly to check my phone for the BIG tweet from runDisney asking for RSVPs for the meet-up. They had been teasing us all week with updates about the meet-up, and for some reason, I just had a feeling that yesterday was the day!

Right around the 3.5-mile mark, as my iPod was between songs, I heard my phone vibrate in my Spibelt and saw that, alas, the tweet had been posted. It was TIME! I had my RSVP e-mail ready to go, and I sent it within a minute or two of the announcement. (I thought it was incredibly appropriate to receive the update while I was out running, by the way!)

And then I waited (impatiently) for a few hours to see if I would receive an invitation to attend…and as luck would have it, this was waiting for me in my inbox by 5pm.

disneylandhalfmeetup

I am so excited to be invited to participate in this event, and to see my name included on the official list of attendees. I know it’s no secret that I have developed just a bit of an obsession with runDisney ever since running the Princess Half this February, and now that I’m signed up for every race that’s coming up this year and early next (with the exception of Tower of Terror 10-Miler and the Tinkerbell Half Marathon), it’s beyond thrilling to be able to share in my excitement with fellow runDisney aficionados at the meet-up!

I know there’s been lots of talk via various social media outlets regarding the fairness of the RSVP system and how participants are selected, so I just want to say that I was utterly SHOCKED to get in and I am in no way bragging or being arrogant, because I know a lot of people are disappointed (as I was back in February)! I still don’t know exactly how it works, and it’s not something I was expecting in any way, shape, or form…but I am honored and excited to be included!

I know my fixation with these races seems silly/borderline crazy to most people, but to me, runDisney events have been a way for me to, of course, combine my passions for both running and Disney (and give me an excuse to visit the parks more than once per year!). There is NOTHING like running through a Disney park (or a castle!), and I think the energy and excitement and atmosphere and the FUN of these races really do help make even the newest of runners — even someone who has struggled with a lifetime of self-doubt and insecurity, like me — feel as though anything is possible. And THAT is why I runDisney! :)

princesshalfmarathon

I’m planning on taking full advantage of this opportunity, and hope to meet a lot of blogger friends and fellow runDisney fanatics. I’ll be tweeting all weekend here, or you can find me on Facebook here. You can also “like” The Final Forty for updates on Facebook here!

Who else is IN for the meet-up?!

Have you ever attended a runDisney meet-up, or any kind of event for media or bloggers prior to a race?

Why do YOU runDisney? :)

Comments

  1. Congratulations!!! I am SO excited for you!! I get to see that castle at tink next year for the first time too! I ccan’t wait for your recap of the meetup it is going to be so fun!!!

    • Thanks so much, Ashley! I know the entire weekend is going to be a blast, and I can’t wait to share recaps with you guys! :-D

  2. Congratulations! You must be thrilled. It’s like a dream come true for you! I expect a full re-cap immediately afterwards :)

    • YES! You could say that! And I will definitely be keeping you guys posted on the goings-on that weekend, don’t you worry! ;) Haha. Can’t wait! :-D

  3. Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Can’t wait to see all the fun!

    • THANK YOU! I’m really excited, I know it will be a blast. Sorry I’m going to miss you at this meet-up, maybe next time! :-D

  4. Yeah! Congrats on getting into the meet up! They are a lot of fun, I’ve been lucky enough to go twice, can’t wait to hear about it!

  5. AWESOME!!! Huge CONGRATS!! I have never participated in a meet-up before but I really would love to!! Can’t wait to hear all about it!

  6. Hey! :D Thanks for the shout out!!

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