Disneyland half marathon where to stay and more?

[Princess Angi]

I am just working on planning a trip to Los Angeles and Disneyland around the Disneyland half marathon. So my first order of business is trying to figure out where to stay. I can't really justify Disney prices as much as I wish I could. So that said I would still like to have a hotel that is easy walking distance for me to start the half. Any suggestions as to what hotels I should be considering staying at? I like to look at more budget options as I am a single mom. Typically I like to use hotwire as my way to book hotel rooms. Any idea what area I would be looking for on there? Or could I really end up staying far?
My kids will be 17, 15 and 13 at the time of our trip.

Also, how many days should we tour Disneyland parks? Is two days enough? The half is on the day before labor day. My kid's school starts the following Tuesday so I am thinking of leaving directly after the race. The flight would leave LAX at 5:30PM I believe that will be enough time to get from the race to the airport. Or do we leave the next day at the same time and my kids have low sleep on the first day of school? If so we could maybe do a partial day at the parks after my race or go back to LA for a night there. Any suggestions are helpful. This will be my first Cali trip, first Run Disney event and first Disneyland trip.

 

[SMD]

Two days should be fine, but if you'll be there Thursday I'd consider a 3 day ticket and then you'd get MM. Are you only running the half or other events? Plan to be there by 5pm or so the day before your first event for bib pick up. Traffic can really back up the last 2 hours or so of the expo and there are always people frantically rushing at the last second. If you can find a flight I would leave Sunday as that's bound to be the less busy travel day. Even if you walk from the last corral I'd expect to be done with the race by 10:30 and then add at most a half hour to walk to post race gauntlet. Realistically you could be done as early as 8am if your pace is under 10 min/mile. With the new pre-race security procedures, it really is worth it to consider at least PPH. Check out the runDisney travel packages for hotels and tickets. A lot of people stay on Harbor, it ends up being about a 1.5-2 mile walk to the corrals. I guess if you're going to run 13.1 miles that walking that far isn't as big a deal. And the Harbor hotels across from the park are all pretty equal. The M&F lot is also open on race mornings and ends up being about a mile walk to the corrals. The 2 times I stayed I got a cheap motel further out and drove in because I have free parking on my AP. The second time I got a place on Ball and then got stopped by security trying to walk because of the new security and had to go around. I'm not sure how they'd direct you from Katella either. I'd either do a Disney hotel, walk from Harbor through DTD or drive. Of course, the security check could be somewhere else at DL Half compared to where it was at SW. Also, book something ASAP, even if it's just a placeholder reservation. Race weekends fill up fast, and it's a holiday and the end of the 60th too.

 

[bumbershoot]

I stayed at ramada plaza before that race two years ago, and desert palms after. We stayed at Annabella this year for Star Wars. I would stay at any of those again for a run. Best Western Stovalls is a very popular choice as well.

If you're not staying onsite, go for those.

 

[SMD]

I stayed at ramada plaza before that race two years ago, and desert palms after. We stayed at Annabella this year for Star Wars. I would stay at any of those again for a run. Best Western Stovalls is a very popular choice as well.

If you're not staying onsite, go for those.

Just curious, did they make you go through the metal detectors by DLH, then loop back to the corrals? I considered staying on Katella but was glad I didn't when I saw where the metal detectors were for the 5K and then B & C corral both had to walk all the way back and around to enter. I ended up walking 7.5 miles from when I left my room to when my FitBit died in the reunion area. I'm sure if I had switched to BW Stovall's it would have been a lot more.

 

[bumbershoot]

Well, first....metal detectors?

We had security tables where they looked in bags after we passed alongside of ESPN Zone, but I recall no metal detectors.

We walked across Katella and up Disneyland Drive. Turned left after PPH, along that little road/sidewalk between the Alamo etc parking lot and DLH, alongside of ESPN, to the bag check people and into the big holding area. DH and DS then went off to their corrals (which I included in my mapmyrun map, ending just at the crosswalk of PPH and the Grand, because none of us were in an early corral).

For the 10K I did the same walk but instead of passing in front of PPH we were directed behind the hotel and then to that little road between the Alamo etc lot and DLH, etc, same stopping place for about where the in-corral wait started.


I just did a mapmyrun map of those walks. 1.31 miles for the 5K and 1.35 miles for the 10K (boo at going behind PPH I suppose). From the corner of Katella and Disneyland Drive.

I did a map from the hotel side of Harbor right at the crosswalk, then going through DTD, turning right at ESPN, etc, and I got 1.57 miles. Not sure if that's how you went.


I don't have a paid account so I can't figure out how to link my maps. So I took pictures of the basic map and the mileage, and tomorrow I'll put them on photobucket and post them.

 

[Princess Angi]

I looked at the race packages and PP was over 300 a night, more than double what I like to pay for a hotel. I wish I could justify it but I can't think what a hotel would have that would make it worth that kind of money. I will check into the other options. I was registered for last years race through Team Cigna (my employer, but I wasn't able to do it for a number of reasons) and I am looking at those old emails the hotel they got us a group rate of 139 at the Anaheim Hilton. Is this a good option for being a decent walk to the start? Can anyone tell me what the cross streets are for where it starts? It is so hard when you are unfamiliar with an area and I am so directionally challenged. Occasionally I have to have search and rescue come help me find my way out of the shower. LOL!

 

[SMD]

You can download last year's race guide to see the corrals. It's slightly different for each race, but I think DL Half has been consistent.

There were metal detectors at the runner security check. Hand scanners by DLH and walkthroughs and hand scanners by ESPN Zone/DTD parking. At least for the SW 5K there were. I had to pass back through the metal detectors in my way back after the race and at first I thought they might make me go through them to exit, but they didn't.

 

[chrisaman]

You really could stay anywhere close by. The ART bus is free for people participating in the run events and they have extra stops that weekend. They run plenty early enough for the race and it is t really that much of an inconvience. We like staying at the Embassy South. The breakfast is good and we love the managers reception with free booze

 

[bumbershoot]

There were metal detectors at the runner security check. Hand scanners by DLH and walkthroughs and hand scanners by ESPN Zone/DTD parking. At least for the SW 5K there were

Neither DH nor I recall any metal detectors or even hand scanners. I went in with them for the 5K, and I ran the 10K for SW last month.

When you say "metal detectors at the runner security check", are you referring to hand scanners/wands, or saying that at some point there were metal detectors to walk through?

Perhaps we simply weren't wanded. I had my bag looked into, but that's it. For the 5K I was looking at the two in plush outfits and the two stormtroopers (not the official ones) who were being chatted with by security; perhaps that's where the wand-holders were? I saw the masked, fully covered, stormtroopers later on the course (walking to corrals then running through the esplanade) but I didn't see the full-body, with heads, plush costumed people.


Dangit, forgot to upload those pictures to photobucket. Tomorrow will be less chaotic.

HOW did you hit 7.5 miles to, through, and to Reunion area for the 5K? Still trying to figure that out! Where did you stay? DH/DS went from room to Katella/Disneyland Dr crosswalk, 1.31 to the corrals from that point, corral-to-start, 5K, finish chut, and they were only at 5 miles. 1.31 and then to the room.

I'm not sure Harbor is any closer than the Anabella/Stovall's area, honestly.