Once you get to Katella Avenue, it’s time to let the excitement build all the way to the finish! You’re almost there!

Running up Katella will feel very familiar to those of you who have run the Disneyland Half Marathon. We run the opposite way at the Star Wars Half Marathon. You’ll pass by the Anaheim Convention Center.

You’ll even have the Disneyland Resort to your right! I know that it’s not the same to be running outside the parks vs. running inside them. However, it’s still fun. I think the view as we run up Katella at the end will be better than the view the Disneyland Half Marathon provides…

Okay, this is the view up the path we usually finish the Disneyland Half Marathon running down. I like the idea of the palm trees at the finish.

We take Katella Avenue to West Street/Disneyland Drive and turn to the right. Quickly, we’ll turn into the parking lot next to the Paradise Pier Hotel.

Again, I love this view for the finishing area.

We’ll turn into this parking lot. If it’s like the Disneyland Half Marathon and Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon, there will be a lot of people cheering us on from this point all the way to the finish!

This is what it will look like on race day.

Marching band and crowd support.

We go all the way around the Paradise Pier Hotel and on to Downtown Disney/Disneyland Hotel.

Getting closer!

Almost to the mile 13 marker…

The mile 13 marker is right across from the big hat

From there, it’s a quick sprint to the finish!

See the finish line? Go get your medal!

For the Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon, Hawk, Black Widow, Thor, and Captain America were there to cheer us on. I wonder if they will do something similar at the Star Wars Half Marathon.

Or, there could be some of the Disney Characters in their Star Wars gear? If there are, spot your favorite as soon as you can. Don’t be rude and bolt over to them at the very last moment. I set up this picture with Mickey from about 0.5 miles from the finish line.

Another thing to consider. Look how far away from the finish line I am before I took this selfie to mark the end of the Dumbo Double Dare. Don’t stop right after you finish the race to take a picture or for any other reason than you physically have to stop. Make your way to where the finishers chute curves. You can still get a great picture to mark your finish with the finish line in the background. Remember that everyone finishing wants that great finish photo. Don’t be the person who ruins their moment.

By the way…want a fun photo at the finish? Try taking a selfie of you getting your medal. I love how this came out from the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend! If you’re running with a friend, they can take the same photo. However, make sure you remember this. The race will be over and you may have a whole rush of emotions happening. They hand out the medals relatively quickly once you finish. So, have a plan and try to remember it.

Are you running the Star Wars Rebel Challenge? Pictures with all your medals can be really cool at the Family Reunion Area. I hope that these past three posts have helped out with your preparations for this fun-filled weekend. It’s hard to believe that one week from today, I will be at the Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend Expo…fighting the crowds for merchandise and enjoying the entire event. I can’t wait to get these medals!

Star Wars 10K!

Star Wars Half Marathon!

Star Wars Rebel Challenge!

Final Thoughts

This course is going to be the flattest and fastest runDisney course at the Disneyland Resort. I was told by Rudy Novotny that this race will be one that you won’t want to race for time because LucasFilm is getting involved with the staging of the race. So, as a runner, you’ll have a choice to make…run for a great finish time? or take in all that this race will have to offer? I’m planning on taking this race for the fun it will be instead of worrying about finish time. Of course, if I find that Rudy oversold it, I may switch gears mid race and see what time I can get. Obviously, I don’t have the answers as to what LucasFilm and runDisney have in mind. But, I think it’s going to be an amazing race.

Some people will certainly complain that there isn’t enough time in the theme parks. That’s a legitimate gripe. The Tinker Bell Half Marathon seems to offer the most time in the theme parks. So, if you’re one of those people who craves that, you might not be as jazzed about this course as I am. I love that there are no overpasses on the course and that it’s flat. The fact that it’s being run in January with cooler temps will also help this race out. The only thing I will miss is not being able to run through Angel Stadium and that there are no major land marks outside the theme parks on the route. So, it will be up to runDisney to provide the kind of entertainment on the route to make up for the lack of land marks. I seriously can’t wait to see what they do for this race! May the force be with us all who are attempting the Inaugural Star Wars Half Marathon!