If you ran in the Inaugural Star Wars Half Marathon, then you got a real treat in the 8th and 9th Miles. Members of the Cos Players and the 501st Legion (AKA Vader’s Fist) were out in force to create some truly magical moments on the race course. I included some of the pictures I took from the race in my Star Wars Half Marathon recap yesterday. However, I wanted to save the rest for one post that was dedicated to these awesome groups.
Before I get to the photos, I wanted to give y’all some information about 501st Legion. This is from their website….
What is the 501st Legion?
Since 1997, the costuming organization known as the 501st Legion has spread the magic of theStar Wars genre worldwide through its authentic-looking costumes, and has become the leading force in fan-based charity events. The 501st, also known as “Vader’s Fist,” is truly dedicated to brightening the lives of those less-fortunate.Where did the 501st name come from?
Legion Founder Albin Johnson (TK-210) chose the name in 1997 to represent our fictional unit of Imperial Stormtroopers. Author Timothy Zahn, with the approval of Lucasfilm, honored us by incorporating the name into his Star Wars novel Survivor’s Quest in 2004. Since then, the 501st name has continued to appear in official Star Wars material including books, toys and video games.
If you’re a fan of Star Wars, you owe it to yourself to check out their website. So much fun! Without further adieu, here are my pics from the Inaugural Star Wars Half Marathon.
The Cos Players were first up in the line-up of Star Wars awesomeness!
Master Obi-Wan Kenobi!
Anakin Skywalker
Not exactly the best Chewbacca.
Lando Calrissian
Han Solo!
I actually saw this guy on the Walt Disney Studio Lot last year around May 4th.
I loved this parent/child pairing!
The Cos Players were fun, however the best costuming definitely goes to the 501st Legion.
There was every kind of Storm Trooper imaginable.
He wasn’t too thrilled with my Rebel recruiting efforts.
This one will be my favorite picture from the entire Star Wars Half Marathon!
Glad I wasn’t one of the droids he was looking for!
Jawas!
Since I got a picture with Boba Fett, I had to stop for a pic with his dad…Jango Fett!
Tie Fighter Pilot!
It looks like Mace Windu, Padme Amadala (or is it her decoy?) and another Anakin Skywalker.
Some of my rebel peeps!
Rebel Selfie!
Chewbacca!
More Storm Troopers! They were everywhere!
C-3PO!
The end of the line! All of the Cos Players and the members of the 501st Legion were awesome and encouraging! For me, this is what made the Star Wars Half Marathon the best half marathon ever!
Why I runDisney 
Great recap of all of the costumes. They really are the best part of the whole race and never really have more than a few people in line (versus the 20-30 min that some of the characters can have in the park)
I agree. When I saw the lines for Darth Vader in both the 10K and the Half, I was kind of bummed. They were using the Star Tours queue line for Vader in the Half. I’m so glad I only had to wait a couple minutes to get my Vader picture.
I love the 501st Legion! The local chapter was at a geek convention I went to in Austin last summer. They do a lot of great charity work too, which is awesome
I read that on their web site. It’s awesome that they use their love of Star Was for the light side of the Force. They truly made this race special.
I was hoping they would be there, so I’m glad to see they were. I look forward to running the race next year
Best part of the race by far! Great photos too!
I completely agree! With Avengers and Star Wars, it’s nice to see runDisney adding things outside the parks to their half marathon courses. I wonder if this is going to be a new thing for them in the Disneyland races, or if it’s just for Avengers and Star Wars.
I don’t know, but I did notice Disney cast members (w name tags) monitoring the areas so I think they were legit and were monitoring the effects. Don’t you wish RunDisney sent out post-races surveys to the runners on what worked and didn’t? Guess they will just have to keep reading the blogs!
They really were fantastic!