Since I will be running the 2014 Disneyland Half Marathon, and am a RunDisney Blogger, I agreed to participate in a Virtual Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend Blog Hop.  This is a compilation of RunDisney Bloggers discussing many different topics related to the race weekend.  Click on the icon above (link goes live Wednesday, August 13, 7AM EST) to visit all the topics that are discussed to help your race weekend experience be the best it can be.

Now for my topic.  It is all about the B-L-I-N-G!  That is right, I will be writing on the medals.  Since we will be releasing this prior to the race weekend, I will come back after the race, and update this topic with the actual medals. Here is the official picture of all the race weekend medals.

As a 50 Stater, meaning I am attempting to run a half marathon in all 50 states, I love race medals.  I hang them on rods in my game room at home to remind me of my accomplishments.  This race will represent my 7th state, and my 14th half marathon.  I will only be doing the half marathon for this race weekend.  I will not be doing the Dumbo Double Dare, but have a friend that will be, so after the race I will post actual pictures of all the medals.

So in the picture above, even though it is pretty obvious, let’s review what each medal is for.

The first medal to the left is for the Disneyland Family Fun Run 5K.  This is a rubber medal.  According to RunDisney’s website, “The Disneyland® Family Fun Run 5K kicks off Friday morning as you race a 5K course throughout the Disneyland® Resort. Adults, teens, and tweens are invited to join the fun. The Disneyland® Family Fun Run 5K is great fun for all ages.”

The second medal from the left is the grandest of them all.  It is for the Dumbo Double Dare Challenge.  According to RunDisney’s website, “if you think that a half marathon is just a walk in the park, put your endurance to the test and compete in the Dumbo Double Dare! A 19.3-mile adventure held over two days, participants will run the Disneyland® 10K on Saturday, followed by the Disneyland® Half Marathon on Sunday. If you finish both races within the pacing requirements, you will be awarded the Dumbo Double Dare medal in addition to your Half Marathon and 10K finisher medals.”

The middle medal is the headliner for the weekend, the Disneyland Half Marathon.  RunDisney has revamped the design of the half marathon medal just slightly, by adding a circle around the Classic D icon.  According to RunDisney’s website, “it’s the moment you’ve been training for. Your 13.1 mile run on a magical course in the Happiest Race on Earth takes you through Disney California Adventure® Park along legendary Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland® Park, and then on to the streets of Anaheim. You’ll complete your Disneyland® Half Marathon race with an exciting finish near the Disneyland® Hotel. It all adds up to miles of smiles, unforgettable memories, and a perfect ending to a magical Disneyland® Half Marathon Weekend.”

The fourth medal is for the Disneyland 10K.  According to RunDisney’s website, “the Disneyland® 10K starts on the streets of Anaheim, passing through the Grand Plaza of the Anaheim Convention Center before entering Cars Land at Disney California Adventure® Park. Continue into Disneyland Park, down Main Street, U.S.A. before completing the final stretch of the course through the Downtown Disney® District and arriving at the finish line next to the Disneyland® Hotel.”

The final medal in the picture is for the Kids Races.  Disney takes care of all the family members.  If you have never seen the Kids Races, you should go for inspiration and tons of smiles!  This is a rubber medal.  According to RunDisney’s website, “every child eight and younger who participates in the runDisney Kids Races goes home a winner with a finisher medallion designed for the tiniest of runners.  Encourage your child to join the excitement and sign up for any of the Kids’ Dashes during this fun-filled weekend. There’s even a Diaper Dash for crawlers! Space is limited.  Parents are allowed to run with their children, but only registered children will receive a finisher medallion. The event will follow a rolling start beginning with the 100m dash followed by the 200m, 400m and Diaper Dash.”

For all the medals, other than the Half Marathon and Dumbo Double Dare medals, Stitch (and Lilo) were used in the design.  Disney Imagineers did a great job of capturing the personality of Stitch in each of the medals.

But that is not all….  There is one more medal that trumps them all.  It is called the Coast to Coast Challenge Medal.  You can acquire this medal by running a race in Florida at Walt Disney World and a race at Disneyland in California within a calendar year.  Since I completed the 2014 Walt Disney World Goofy Challenge (ran the half marathon on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday) in January, I am eligible for this medal as well on August 31st!  Here is a picture of that medal.

Finally, if this is your first RunDisney event, I am going to let you in on a little secret.  If you are staying at the parks after the race for a few days, WEAR YOUR MEDALS IN THE PARK!!!!  You will see other runners to discuss the race with and other runners will congratulate you  along with all the cast members.  This makes the experience so much better than other races in that you get to experience that feeling of elation for several days!  So Exciting!

I will attempt to get pictures of each of these medals prior to the races at the RunDisney booth at Expo.  Once I have them, I will update this post with actual pictures.

If you are running one or more of these races, I wish you good luck.  Get your training in these last few weeks, and safe travels!  See you in California.  Follow my RunDisney Blog at http://www.doombuggyrunner.com.