Disneyland Half Marathon a racecation in the making

I can't wait to run right into the movie! runDisney FB photo

I really tried to resist! I was not going to go to Disneyland for the half. I am already committed to Wine & Dine and WDW Marathon Weekend. I was trying to be good...fiscally good.

Well that all went out the window this week! I got an email that set me wishing, planning and hoping all over again. Could I really go?

The possibility of this trip came up about a month ago when I "called out" to my Fairy Godmother on my FB page and to my surprise and delight "she" answered! I put the idea to rest at that point, but the events of this week put it all back into motion and the details are falling into place!

So I had a more than reasonable way to get there and a place to stay. I next turned toward the races. There are plenty of folks out there who find that for one reason or another they will not be able to runDisney as the event weekend approaches. Everyone knows that bibs are not transferable between runners. You can transfer them to another runDisney race or defer them to another year, but only until these options expire as well. After that point if you can't use them they are just a souvenir, that is if you can get someone to pick them up for you. Disney does not mail bibs, shirts or collectibles.

I needed to find a legitimate bib and boy was I lucky! Melissa from Team Muscle Makers had one bib left for the Disneyland Half. A teammate was not going to be able to run and runDisney was willing to transfer the bib for her despite the fact that it was beyond the date for charities to transfer bibs. Unlike individuals, charities are permitted to switch out runners if need be. I made a donation to one of Melissa's teammates fundraising efforts in exchange for the bib. Miguel was truly appreciative of the donation and wrote me a lovely thank you. We were all glad that we could help each other out in what really is a win-win situation! What they say about checking for charity entries really is true after the race sells out!

I don't know if this would work out quite so well a second time, but Team Muscle Makers was listed on Active.com for this race as were other charities. I happened to already know Melissa through FB and her incredible runDisney fundraising efforts. I did however also look into all of the travel companies listed on runDisney.com just to see if any of them had remaining bibs or last minute cancellations and I would have gone to other charities to inquire if I had too. It is the "leave no stone unturned" approach to life.

So now we are just days away for race weekend. I am flying out on Thursday, but I am not 100% sure what time. My cheap ticket is standby. Most of the weekend is going to be spent talking to other runners. At least that is my hope! If you see me, stop and chat! I will be posting like crazy! This is very much a social media event. I know it will fly by. I just hope I get to take it all in and see as many of you as possible!

Although I do not necessarily recommend waiting until 2 weeks before a runDisney race to decide to go for it...it is a rather exciting way of going about it!