Holiday Races & Memorable Runs

Over the years as a runner, I've participated in my fair share of races - from themed runs to those through the mud and everything in between! However, my favorite types of races have always been based around a Christmas theme. Throw a few Christmas lights and a Santa hat in there and I'm game! 

For today's Friday Five, I'm taking a walk down memory lane to share with you a few holiday races, all of which were definitely memorable for me!

#1 Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5K

In 2014, my husband and I visited WDW during the Wine & Dine Half Marathon weekend and as part of our trip, we participated in Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5K. I was so excited to run this one through Animal Kingdom and it did not disappoint! We had a blast!

#2 Santa's Wonderland 5K

...also known as the race that wasn't...

Out of all my Christmas themed races, the Santa's Wonderland 5K is definitely the most memorable. I traveled to College Station, TX with my sister in law and some friends to participate in what sounded like an amazing 5K through a wonderland of Christmas lights. Well, the great monsoon of 2014 decided to take place that evening and the race was postponed to the following day. We were already almost there when the decision was made to delay the race and we weren't spending the night. So, we changed into our running outfits and made the most of it....we had a ball in the rain! Talk about making lemonade out of lemons!

#3 Santa Hustle 5K
 

Last year, I planned to run the Santa Hustle Half Marathon in Galveston, TX with my sister in law and friends. As it turned out, I wasn't able to participate in the half marathon due to pregnancy issues, so I did the Santa Hustle 5K instead. The 5K was exactly like a shortened version of the half - complete with cookies and candy on the course! I had a great time and would definitely do this race again in the future if given the opportunity! 

#4 Reindeer Run 5K

In 2015, I participated in the Reindeer Run 5K which took place throughout Sea World park in Orlando! I LOVED seeing the park from this angle and really enjoyed participating in this race with my friend Melissa! I also happened to be pregnant for this one! This race really reminded me of a runDisney event with the large amount of photo ops along the course and the fun atmosphere! (I guess it helped that this race was also put on by Track Shack!)

#5 Santa Hustle Half Marathon

Last but certainly not least is the Santa Hustle Half Marathon in Galveston, Texas. Despite the ridiculous weather this year, I really enjoy this race series and would love to give this one a try again. The medal is beautiful and sparkly, too!

That's all for my favorite holiday races! I've sure had a lot of fun running these and look forward to more the in the future! 

Have a great weekend and a fabulous Christmas!  

Check out Running on Happy & Fairytales and Fitness for more on the Friday Five!

(run)Disney Love

I love my family….that’s no secret. I also love runDisney…again, no secret at all. Combine the two and what do you get? Pure magic! (…and lots of love)

Over the past few years, various members of my family have completed runDisney events with me (mostly 5K’s) and they’ve all had a blast (except the time my mom ended up with a broken tooth and almost needed stitches…but she still managed to have a good time)! :)

Today’s Wordless Wednesday theme is: 
Disney Love…with a little twist! :)
Host: Deb at Focused on the Magic

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Does anyone in your family enjoy running? Have y’all participated in running events together?

Vlog: 2014 Mickey’s Jingle Jungle 5K

Hi, friends! Happy Thursday!

Since last Thursday was Thanksgiving, I decided to hold off on posting a second vlog until this week. So, here’s the second installment of our Wine & Dine Half Marathon trip vlogs – Mickey’s Jingle Jungle 5K through Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park!

This event was so much fun! I can’t wait to do it again…hopefully soon! :)

Miss any of my other recaps? No worries, they’re all here:

• Wine & Dine Half Marathon Expo Recap
• Expo Vlog
• Mickey’s Jingle Jungle 5K Recap
• Wine & Dine Half Marathon Recap

What’s your favorite part of runDisney 5K’s?

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Don’t forget about the FitMas Week #1 giveaway happening right now! Giveaway ends on Sunday night at midnight – enter now for your chance to win!

2014 Mickey’s Jingle Jungle 5K Recap

Last weekend, Jason and I completed Mickey’s Jingle Jungle 5K as part of Disney’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend. This 5K was located at Animal Kingdom and we had a blast! I’m a huge Christmas fan, so this type of event was right up my alley. Also, this was my first 5K through Animal Kingdom, so I was excited to take it all in!

Gotta get in the Christmas spirit!

Breakdown of my outfit:

• Headband was from the Magic Kingdom – December 2007
• I made the shirt with iron on transfers from a logo purchased off Etsy
• The skirt is from Sparkle Skirts (sparkle light in “Mermaid Green”)
• The socks are from Target but were purchased off eBay
• Shoes are Mizuno Wave Inspires

We boarded a bus for the race start around 5:00 a.m. Looking back, I didn’t realize that race began at 7:00 a.m., which left a LOT of time for standing around – I will definitely pay closer attention next time and not arrive as early.

The line for Mickey and Minnie was monstrous, so we decided to skip that one. Had I realized just how much time we had before the start of the race, I think we would have braved the line. Oh well.

As we were walking around, I heard my name – it was Lauren from Lauren’s Glass Slipper!

I was so excited to finally meet her!!

After a quick hello and goodbye with Lauren and her husband, Jason and I continued to a photography area that was set up with backdrops and everything – it was super cute!

While taking our backdrop pictures, we ran into Holly - we met when planning our weddings and have been a part of a group of friends ever since! We chatted for a while with her and her mom, it was so great to see them!

Race day forecast: SNOW at Animal Kingdom!

Before long, Jason and I got in our corral and awaited the race start. 

We were up to the front of the line and ready to run before we knew it!

Yeah buddy! Let’s do this!

When the race began, we took a loooong loop through the Animal Kingdom parking lot before finally making our way into Animal Kingdom park.

Walkers were advised to stay to the right side of the course and I was impressed at how well everyone cooperated!

We made it!

Runners coming and going in Animal Kingdom

The only character we skipped was the first one we saw, Santa Goofy. I honestly don’t think Jason realized just how fast these character lines go during a race. Also, these lines were not NEAR as long as the ones we had during the Princess 5K in February.

This was so adorable, I had to grab a shot of it. His shirt read, “Some people are worth melting for…” Isn’t that so sweet? I don’t know who they are, but they sure melted my heart!

The second characters we came upon were Baloo and King Louie. (They are the far left of this picture.) The line does seem long but I it took no more than 3-5 minutes to get through.

Jungle VIP’s!

This course took us all through Animal Kingdom, which I loved! It was great to see the sights and some behind-the-scenes areas that aren’t often visible to park guests.

Unfortunately, our Chip and Dale photo turned out super blurry. I’ll have to check and see if the “official” race photo turned out any better!

We hit mile 2 on our way out of Animal Kingdom and turned onto a very long road that took us behind Expedition Everest.

On our way there, we spotted this guy and HAD to stop since Donald is Jason’s favorite and all!

He loved Jason’s shirt! :D

As we approached Everest, we saw a line for Pluto and also the AK Christmas tree in pieces on a flat bed!

While waiting in line for a photo with Pluto, another “Disney Bride” friend of mine and I spotted each other and began screaming. I’m pretty sure we scared everyone around us!

We seem to run into each other on EVERY race course which is hilarious!

On our way back around Everest, we saw a Christmas Alligator and of course we had to take a picture!

It’s not often that you spy a gator wearing a Christmas hat!

Before we knew it, we were at the finish line and our experience with Mickey’s Jingle Jungle 5K was complete!

We grabbed our medals, food boxes, water, and gatorade and snapped one final picture before saying goodbye!

Overall, it was a super fun experience! The lines for characters went pretty fast and I didn’t feel as if this race was “overcrowded” as others have felt in the past. We really enjoyed our experience!

Just because people have asked, here’s how long it took us to make it through the 5K with character picture stops. This is about 5 minutes off because I left my watch running by accident after crossing the finish line. We also walked 80% of the 5K.

What was in the food boxes they handed out after the race? Well, here ya go! I love the tortilla chips with cheese dip – that was my favorite part of the entire box!

Have you run a Disney 5K? If so, which one has been your favorite and why?