Race Recap: Tinker Bell 10K 2015

Since I am having some serious FOMO about missing the Disneyland Half weekend this year, what better time to think about the last time I was in Disneyland and finish my Tink weekend recaps! 

Tinker Bell 10K
May 9, 2015

This recap is long overdue and a lot has gone on in my life, so I definitely don't remember all the details.  But either way, let's get to what I do remember!

Going with the theme for the weekend, I was going to be Peter Pan for the race.  It was a pretty simple costume to pull together and I have to tell you, one that a lot of people seemed to like.  I got a lot of 'Go Peter' cheers throughout the course which was nice.  It was also very comfortable to run in, so I think this is one I'll definitely repeat at some point.

#FlatSarah ready to go!

My mom was doing the 10K, as were Abby and Adrienne.  Once we met up in the lobby, we made our way to the start.  The best thing about DL races is how close you are to the start.  The Tink start is not as close as DL (and I've never done Avengers or Star Wars so I can't comment on those), but it's still only a couple minutes away walking.

After arriving at the start area, we made our way to the corrals.  Since we walked there, we didn't have a lot of time to kill and everyone said goodbye as there corrals approached.  I was in corral A and since I knew I wanted to stop for some pictures, I made my way to the front.

The race started on time - I think Tink or another fairy sent us off, but I honestly can't remember at this point.  The race starts going to opposite of the DL 10K (literally we run the other way on the same road) and we headed into Disneyland first.  After running around the outside of the park, we made our way down Main Street.  Chip and Dale were along Main Street and I stopped for a quick photo with them.

Hey Dale, what you looking at?

And as no race in DL is complete without a picture with Walt (in my opinion), I made sure to get one during the 10K.

After a quick pass through Frontierland, we passed by the carousel where Alice and the Mad Hatter were holding court.  Because I started in corral A, the line was short (luckily, they all were for me) and was able to get in and out with a picture.

And since I had just seen Alice, I figured a stop in a teacup was in order!

Teacups make me C-R-A-Z-Y!

After passing by the teacups, we made a quick right and looped around the Matterhorn before heading back towards It's a Small World.  It was during this section I stopped for photo's with some of the fairies.  Iridessa (I think, my niece would probably know better!) and Rosetta.

From there, we made our way into TownTown (briefly), before heading out of the park.  I did snag a pic with the cows in TownTown (Clara Bell and not sure what the other name is).

After some time spend backstage, we made the cross to California Adventure.  The course takes you all over California Adventure - starts in Hollywood Land, into a bugs land, Paradise Pier and finally, Cars Land (my fav!).  There were a couple of Tink's pals out during this section - Silvermist and Vidia.

And because I can't resist cheesy photos, one of my "flying" in front of Mickey's Fun Wheel! Side note, the number of photo's of me "flying" that the race photographers got was a ridiculous amount. 

Because Peter can fly, duh?

After leaving Cars Land, we made our way to the finish!  After finishing, I got my medal and NO SNACK BOX!!! We had gotten then for the 5K, so I was confused why we didn't for the 10K.  Apparently, someone realized the applesauce in them had expired, but still.  No one checked that before race weekend?

Once I got a photo, I headed back to the hotel to grab some coffee (and put on my compression socks) before heading back to cheer on my mom's finish.  She's a walker, so it worked out perfectly time wise!  So proud of her for finishing!

I was really proud of my time for this race.  My legs were feeling good and since there were no lines, I was able to jump in for photo's and get going right away.  I actually PR'd for the 10K during this race!  I will say my 10K was years old and did not reflect my current pace, so it's not that surprising.  I was still pretty please though with all the photo stops!

Overall, I really liked this race.  The course is almost entirely in the parks, which makes me very happy.  There were a lot of characters out, especially compared to the lack of characters at last years Disneyland 10K.  I can't speak to the lines since I was in corral A and lucked out on that front.  My only issue would be the lack of a snack box, but I think that was a unique situation and wouldn't happen again.

Results
Official: 6.2 miles, 51:47, 8:20 pace
Garmin: 6.3 miles, 51:48, 8:13 pace

Those who also ran the Tinker Bell 10K, what were your thoughts?

I seriously love this medal!