Official 2013 Tinker Bell Half Marathon Thread

[VickiHD]

Yeah...legacy !!!

 

[2gr8DisneyKids]

I am training for the Goofy and would love the C2C! The DL 1/2 is a bad time of year for me so I am hoping that by the time registration rolls around I have decided.

I know I can always walk it, but wanted more to actually run it, but then they made it the week after the WDW weekend! Oh well, gotta make up my mind....

 

[kim3339]

I was on the DL 1/2 part of the site and they have the email sign up for reg! It says that reg is going to open on June 12th. Hopefully the 5k won't have the included park ticket this year and the price will be lower.

Then got over excited and checked out to see what the hotels looked like, even though it's early. Sunday nights aren't looking good b/c of MLK. BW Stovall's is starting at $119 but BW Park Place prepaid is only $79 but jumps to $111 on Sunday night. A few others are up and you can book, but I think they're around $119 also. I really wanted to stay at Stovall's this year b/c it's right there, but the price difference is so huge. I think I might leave Sunday night and drive 1/2 way home and stay at a motel on 5 somewhere. I know it's really early, but it'll be interesting to see how fast hotels sell out b/w the race and the 3 day weekend.

 

[CALIFLADY]

Kim-

I've started looking at hotels in the Anaheim area for that weekend, too. I know it's gonna fill fast. If you ran it last year, do you think I can fly in on Saturday (from Houston), get my race registration done and get enough relaxing time in for Sunday morning's race? When I check websites, I find Friday night is the most expensive, so I'm now thinking of doing four nights (Sat thru Tues night), giving me Sunday (post-race), Monday, and Tuesday for the parks, then fly home on Wednesday. Would that work?

 

[VickiHD]

I was on the DL 1/2 part of the site and they have the email sign up for reg! It says that reg is going to open on June 12th. Hopefully the 5k won't have the included park ticket this year and the price will be lower.

Then got over excited and checked out to see what the hotels looked like, even though it's early. Sunday nights aren't looking good b/c of MLK. BW Stovall's is starting at $119 but BW Park Place prepaid is only $79 but jumps to $111 on Sunday night. A few others are up and you can book, but I think they're around $119 also. I really wanted to stay at Stovall's this year b/c it's right there, but the price difference is so huge. I think I might leave Sunday night and drive 1/2 way home and stay at a motel on 5 somewhere. I know it's really early, but it'll be interesting to see how fast hotels sell out b/w the race and the 3 day weekend.

For Stovalls, call and talk to Penny the reservation manager. She usually works the mornigns and she's wonderful to deal with. We stayed at Stovalls last year for Tink and the morning walk was great. However, to get back to the hotel after the race we had to walk all around the Disneyland Hotel and near the parking structure to get to Walnut St to get to Katella. Hey, after 13 miles whats a few more-right?
We love Stovalls---we're actually staying there for the DL 1/2.

This year for Tink we have a reservation at both BWPPI and Stovalls. Don't know which one we will keep. I want to check out the course map and race start before we decide.

 

[wvjules]

DD and I are either going to to Tink or the Princess. We haven't really decided yet. We've never been to Disneyland so that might be what pushes us in that direction.

Do I really need to make hotel reservations now?

 

[kim3339]

Kim-

I've started looking at hotels in the Anaheim area for that weekend, too. I know it's gonna fill fast. If you ran it last year, do you think I can fly in on Saturday (from Houston), get my race registration done and get enough relaxing time in for Sunday morning's race? When I check websites, I find Friday night is the most expensive, so I'm now thinking of doing four nights (Sat thru Tues night), giving me Sunday (post-race), Monday, and Tuesday for the parks, then fly home on Wednesday. Would that work?

I think you can come in Saturday. I would do the early flight just in case there's a delay, but you should have plenty of time. The big problem last year was that they were offering Dooney and Bourke purses at the expo and they sold out really fast. The DL expos are smaller than the WDW expos, and you can usually hit the vendors in a hour or hour and a 1/2. And all the hotels surround the resort so it'll be really easy to get from your hotel to the expo and start in the morning. I think that'll be enough time in the park as well. Sunday and early Monday might be more crowded b/c of the holiday, but later Monday and Tuesday you should be fine.

For Stovalls, call and talk to Penny the reservation manager.

Thanks Vicki! I'll give her a call tomorrow morning.

DD and I are either going to to Tink or the Princess. We haven't really decided yet. We've never been to Disneyland so that might be what pushes us in that direction.

Do I really need to make hotel reservations now?

Honestly not really sure about reservations. They changed Tink from the end of Jan this year to MLK weekend next year. So I'm not sure how fast hotels fill up. I probably will make resies in a couple of weeks, but I have travel OCD and get overly excited planing my race weekends!

I can tell you that the DL 1/2 is over Labor Day and hotels usually start filling up around June/July. I think the BWPPI is already full Saturday night, but that one is really popular w/ non-running people as well b/c it's right at the crosswalk to the esplanade for the parks.

 

[wvjules]

OK so I went ahead and made a reservation at BWPPI. I'd rather have a reservation I don't need then not have one when I need it.

 

[VickiHD]

Remember BWPPI has AAA and even Costco discounts. The Costco discount was new to me. Hope that helps.

 

[wvjules]

Remember BWPPI has AAA and even Costco discounts. The Costco discount was new to me. Hope that helps.

I got a suite with the AAA discount.

As for training programs, I used Galloway for the Disney Half in 2011 and then again for the Frederick Half later that year and for the Baltimore Half that I ended up not doing due to strep throat. This time I'm going to use Hal Hidgon's Novice 2. I don't think Galloway gave me enough weekly miles.

I quit running in October so I started from scratch with the C25K a few weeks ago then I'm going the Bridge to 10K. Then I'm going straight into my HH training program. I didn't have a goal or a plan after Baltimore so I just quit running. Big mistake! I will run a few days a week from now on just to keep in running form.

 

[sunstress]

Well, we swore we would never do another Goofy after the snow and ice in January 2010... but, sure enough, we got over excited and registered for 2013!

We liked the Tinker Bell Half this year, but I have to admit we had a bad experience with some woman in the starting corral, badmouthing my best friend/running buddy -- who happens to be my husband. ("I don't know why you feel you need to run this race -- aren't there enough races for MEN!?!") Here's hoping for nicer corral mates in 2013.

But, getting our 2013 C2C medals in January seems like the right thing to do!

Thanks for starting this thread!!!

 

[Cripey]

Well, we swore we would never do another Goofy after the snow and ice in January 2010... but, sure enough, we got over excited and registered for 2013!

We liked the Tinker Bell Half this year, but I have to admit we had a bad experience with some woman in the starting corral, badmouthing my best friend/running buddy -- who happens to be my husband. ("I don't know why you feel you need to run this race -- aren't there enough races for MEN!?!") Here's hoping for nicer corral mates in 2013.

But, getting our 2013 C2C medals in January seems like the right thing to do!

Thanks for starting this thread!!!

seriously? Good grief, what a moron! My BF and I try to plan to run at least one long race together per year, as a fun run (well, more of a fun run for him since he's alot faster than me ) and for 2013 he's planning to run Princess with me...I certainly hope we don't run into that kind of thing too. When I ran it last year, I saw several males running with females or even on their own...it never ocurred to me to be upset about that. That's just crazy.

 

[VickiHD]

Well, we swore we would never do another Goofy after the snow and ice in January 2010... but, sure enough, we got over excited and registered for 2013!

We liked the Tinker Bell Half this year, but I have to admit we had a bad experience with some woman in the starting corral, badmouthing my best friend/running buddy -- who happens to be my husband. ("I don't know why you feel you need to run this race -- aren't there enough races for MEN!?!") Here's hoping for nicer corral mates in 2013.

But, getting our 2013 C2C medals in January seems like the right thing to do!

Thanks for starting this thread!!!

Wow--I can't believe those women were so rude. I was in corral C and there was a couple of men near me and no comments were made. I will add one did have his Tink wings on so maybe that helped.

Sorry to hear of your experience...it was a fun race for me and I'm looking forward to running with my wings again next year.

 

[helloirishkitty]

Hey everyone!

I just started running last month, doing C25k then moving on to Hal Higdon. I rowed in college and the last time I ran more than a mile was over 5 years ago.

Tinkerbell Half and Disney Princess Half are my goals- I want that C2C medal and I want to be healthier!

Sidenote: Does anyone know when you can book the Disneyland hotels for next year? I tried to book a package last night but it said I couldn't because the check out date was after December 31, 2012.

 

[sunstress]

VickiHD and Cripey - thanks! Her comments were the one downer the whole day. (Well, except for when the "Tink" fell out of my medal, and I had to "swim upstream" back to the finish line from the Grand Californian to ask for a new one...)

But we've booked our flights (Seattle --> Orlando --> Orange County --> Seattle) and now I get to plan the rest of the whirlwind week!!!

 

[Cripey]

VickiHD and Cripey - thanks! Her comments were the one downer the whole day. (Well, except for when the "Tink" fell out of my medal, and I had to "swim upstream" back to the finish line from the Grand Californian to ask for a new one...)

But we've booked our flights (Seattle --> Orlando --> Orange County --> Seattle) and now I get to plan the rest of the whirlwind week!!!

I had to do that for Princess last year too! I made it ALL THE WAY across the parking lot/reunion area to the medal engraving tent...about as far away from the finish line as you could get...when I saw that there was a rip in the fabirc part of my medal. So, I hobbled all the way back over there to exchange...not fun! I make sure to check it out thoroughly now before I leave the finish line area

 

[kim3339]

Well, we swore we would never do another Goofy after the snow and ice in January 2010... but, sure enough, we got over excited and registered for 2013!

We liked the Tinker Bell Half this year, but I have to admit we had a bad experience with some woman in the starting corral, badmouthing my best friend/running buddy -- who happens to be my husband. ("I don't know why you feel you need to run this race -- aren't there enough races for MEN!?!") Here's hoping for nicer corral mates in 2013.

But, getting our 2013 C2C medals in January seems like the right thing to do!

Thanks for starting this thread!!!

But we've booked our flights (Seattle --> Orlando --> Orange County --> Seattle) and now I get to plan the rest of the whirlwind week!!!

Sorry people made comments, that's just wrong. I thought it was cool a guy would want to run that race.

Straight from WDW to DL~ that's crazy!! When do you get to DL? That's probably a better idea than going home. I'm getting home Wed. morning and then driving down Friday morning. Although, I might go Thursday night after work, I'll have to see everything plays out. And hopefully Southwest will have another crazy sale and I can just fly down and not have to worry about driving.

Sidenote: Does anyone know when you can book the Disneyland hotels for next year? I tried to book a package last night but it said I couldn't because the check out date was after December 31, 2012.

Thy'll open later in the year, I think in the summer sometime. But once the reg opens, Get Travel will have their hotel prices and for the resorts, they're a lot better priced. For the 1/2 in Sept, they have rooms at $230 a night vs. if you go through the site right now it's $370 a night.

 

[helloirishkitty]

Thy'll open later in the year, I think in the summer sometime. But once the reg opens, Get Travel will have their hotel prices and for the resorts, they're a lot better priced. For the 1/2 in Sept, they have rooms at $230 a night vs. if you go through the site right now it's $370 a night.

Thanks! Just trying to budget for my new hobby

 

[helloirishkitty]

Does anyone know how much the race registration fee is, or what is was last year??

 

[kim3339]

Does anyone know how much the race registration fee is, or what is was last year??

The did a scaled reg fee set-up depending on how early you signed up. I think it only got to the 1st price range before it sold out. But if I remember correctly, it was b/w $130 and $150. But seeing as how the DL 1/2 and WDW 1/2's are at $150, I would guess that we're going to start at $150 as well unless a discount comes out.