National Weather Service, November 16, 2014: “Weather experts have ussued a red flag alert, warning Southern California residents of strong Santa Ana winds and critical fire conditions; wind gusts of up to 60 mph are expected to start in the mounatins and pick up in the valleys and coast.”
Thankfully, the only fire that broke out that day was in my Iliopsoas. On the morning of the inauagural Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon, Black Widow had seemingly forgotten her world class athletic and tactical super powers. In fact, she got her butt kicked.
But, that is a tale for mere mortals. For this first-time event, MARVEL fans came out in force to welcome Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye and a bona fide Black Widow to the runDisney troop of characters. The all-new course looked something like this:
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| Moving on all cylinders through a Christmas-y Cars Land.
Given my normal snail’s pace and fairly high corral placement, the winds starting whipping as I exited Disney California Adventure, leaving a looooong 11 miles ahead |
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| Charging past Haunted Mansion Holiday. |
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| The Seven Dwarfs Assemble on King Arthur Carrousel. |
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| More MARVELous Christmas decorations greet runners along Main Street, U.S.A.. |
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| WOW- the Crystal Palace at dawn! |
My, the challenges really started piling up at about Mile 5. The following shots I call, “ode to a beaten mile marker.”
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| Smashed!! |
Perhaps the toughest part of the course was the run alongside the Santa Ana River Trail; dust was flying and runners dodged airborne brush and garbage.
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| How perfect are these race costumes?? |
Enter Club Cosplay to the rescue! They lifted our spirits and supercharged us for the remaining miles to come.
Running through Angel Stadium is not particular to this race, but it provides a class A thrill every time.
By far, the premier part of every Disneyland race is the Anaheim spirit; the hundreds of folks who line the course once it exits the parks. Every cheer, sign, song and hoot braced us against the archenemy- the Santa Ana headwinds.
I survived the inaugural Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon with a little help from my new friends. Make that a lot of help. (The dirt inside my running shoes attests to the battle at hand…)
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| This “super” hero ended up with dirty, swollen feet. |
BUT, she earned a medal. Or two. With tested mettle, wounded pride, and an “oh, bother,” I took my licks and set my sites on training smarter for the Rebel Challenge. I lived to fight another day!
Next time I Smash the Half? I’ll bring my S.H.I.E.L.D.!!
**Interested in additional details about the Avenger’s Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend? Visit my post on Babes In Disneyland: Runners Assemble to Register for Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend.
Nice job! I was in Anaheim a couple of weeks ago for a convention and I was able to run the Santa Ana Trail. I have to admit I thought there'd be water in the river lol!
Yes Janelle- me too! I'm sure before the drought there was. Certainly the reason we were so sandblasted on that stretch was because of the dry riverbed- I bet your run was nicer!!
Great job on your race. I heard it was really windy during that race. I raced this weekend in philly and it was really windy too. The original starting line had to get taken down bc the wind kept blowing it over.
Coast to Coast craziness that day Meranda! I was just so happy that I healed I time for my first challenge during Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend. Once again, that old adage comes into play- "that which doesn't kill you…!!"
Great recap! I can't believe how windy it was!! I'd love to be able to do another West Coast run someday soon. Thanks for linking up with us today!
Oh, those Disneyland races are so darned tempting! I've never had a problem with weather there before (and I lived in So Cal for a few years) but this year they have had some hum-dinger. Good luck on your next Coast to Coast quest April!