Tinkerbell 10K at Disneyland

Cindy half heartedly does the Instagram thing at the Tinkerbell expo.
Yes, a whole exhibit hall for Tinkerbell runners! 

There is no such thing as Disneyland without crowds. But if you run the Tinkerbell 5K, 10K or half marathon, you get to view the parks with just a few thousand other runners.  My sister Cindy participated in the 10K this year, the fifth annual. To get started, she had to pick up her runner's bib in a cavernous parking garage beneath Disneyland Hotel, then go to the cavernous exhibit hall to pick up her t-shirt.  Yep, that's right.  An entire exhibit hall was devoted to the Tinkerbell run, chock-a-block with vendors and "official merchandise."  The Tinkerbell races are not just a chance to get some exercise in the predawn hour, they are a money making machine.  Cindy's efforts to find a visor for cheap were fruitless, though we did find visors with sequins, tiaras, and Minnie Mouse ears.

The Tinkerbell 10K runs through the streets of Anaheim,
then Disneyland and California Adventure, before finishing at Disneyland Hotel.

The course starts near Disneyland Hotel at the uncivilized hour of 5:30 a.m.  It ends about 7:30 a.m., just before early birds start infiltrating Disney parks.  Being the supportive sisters that we are, Alyce and I woke up bleary eyed at 4:15 a.m. and dropped Cindy off as close to the starting line as we could. We then wandered nearby Disney Town in search of coffee and a view of the starting line. The races are a big deal because many local businesses opened at 4 a.m. for the event.  You will be pleased to note Alyce and I got some excellent Peet's coffee and three large Wetzel Pretzels while we wandered to an overpass that let us view thousands of runners clumped up at the start line, in the dusky minutes before dawn.  Cindy started in the third set (Corral C, which the announcer told us stood for "courageous" and "crafty costumes" and "coast-to-coast" and " 'c' you at the finish line").

Cindy post race with medal. Note cute tutu.

The first runner rocketed in 35 minutes later, while it was still dark.  Cindy was all finished by 6:45 (or was it sooner?).  A very quick finish indeed! Cindy had been training diligently for this race and it showed. Cindy joined us in the spectator section after her finish, as Alyce and I continued to cheer on the rest of the runners.  Costumes are big at Tinkerbell, and many racers stopped for photo ops with Disney characters along the way.  All were trying to finish before the race closed.  (Stragglers were to be picked up by the "Pinochio truck".)  As for Cindy, she wants to run the course again next year.  No sweat!
 


*There is no such thing as Disneyland or California Adventure without crowds unless you work the night shift cleaning up the parks!