Expo:
This was a small race of about 130 people, so there was no expo.

Swag:
The swag was a t-shirt and a bib. No medals were handed out. There was no goodie bag or samples.

Course:
The course was a 5K in Coyote Point Recreation Center in San Mateo. It was mainly a flat rate, but it has a hill that put you right above the ocean. The views were ever changing as you passed one mile to the next. It passed by a marina where you could see sailboats to your right, so it wasn't your average park run.

Aid Stations:
This race promotes diabetes awareness, so it wasn't surprising to find two aid stations named "low stations" with both insulin and juice bags. There was one water station on the course about half-way through. However, there were plenty of snacks before and after the race.

Atmosphere:
Many people were there as a family or with other runners. It was a friendly environment were people were out to have fun and get exercise.

Post-race:
Once I passed the finish line, a person ripped off the bottom half of our bib, since it was our first time doing this race, we didn't know what was that for. There were no chips on the bib. The time was manually kept for the top runners and posted on a board by the finish line. I didn't stay for long after finishing the race. Based on the photos of the event, it seems like there were prizes raffled out. I thought prizes at the end meant that they were going to hand out medals to the top finishers. Had I known that it was raffle prizes, I might have stayed longer.

There were many tables set-up, but as in many races, the volunteers didn't know what they were supposed to be doing. A recommendation for next year would be to have someone oversee the volunteers to ensure a smoother process.

There was plenty of parking spaces. You did have to pay $6 to park, but it was announced via email ahead of time and the organizers encouraged people to carpool to save on the parking fee.

Expo
The pickup location was at the Sunnyvale Sports Basement. There was plenty of parking available when I arrived and there were a lot of volunteers helping hand out the bibs and shirts.

Swag
For the price of the race, you got an elf themed long sleeve technical shirt, a bib, and a finishers medal.

Course
The course was a 5K that started and ended at different locations. We parked near the end so that we would be closer to the car when the race was over. The end of the race was next to Christmas in the Park in San Jose. It was a great location for the finish line.

Aid Stations
This aspect was weak. There was only one water station throughout the route. It was poorly coordinated. When I arrived at the table there were many cups on the table, but they were all empty! I had to wait for the volunteer to fill up my cup. I was a little frustrated with this since I’m trying to run at a fast pace and this definitely slowed me down.

Atmosphere
The atmosphere was great! A lot of people were wearing either the elf shirt provided, a Santa costume, or some other holiday-themed outfit. At one point I looked around me and I was in a sea of red and green.

Post-race
Once I crossed the finish line, I was given my medal and a bottle of water. A little further down there were some volunteers handing out milk and cookies. Isn’t that a great idea! I grabbed my race snack and headed over to one of the benches at Christmas in the Park to rest for a minute and recharge. I looked around and I was surrounded by Christmas trees, lights, and Christmas music. It was the perfect ending to a Santa race!

Expo: This was my first runDisney race, so I don't know if this is always the case or just the exception. I found the Expo to be rather small. I was expecting vendors to have samples of their products and that wasn't the case. There was an area with the exclusive merchandise for the weekend. It was crowded, but I was still able to get the things I was looking for. If you're an Annual Passholder or a Disney Credit Card holder, you get a discount at checkout.

Swag: The swag consisted of a long-sleeve technical shirt and a clear plastic bag. That's it!

Course: The course ran through the back allies of both California Adventure and Disneyland. In fact, it seemed like the course was mostly on back roads and not as much in the parks. There were holographic projections of the various Avenger symbols along the way to let you know you were on track and as a reminder of the theme of the race. Parts of the back roads were very narrow and it forced runners to slow down their pace in order to pass all the walkers.

Aid Stations: There were aid stations throughout the course with cups of water and some had pain relieving gel.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere was upbeat. Many of the Disney employees were out cheering the runners on. They seemed sincere and happy to see us there. I didn't have anyone cheering for me in the crowd, so it was nice to have encouragement from the employees.

Post-Race: After you got your medal there was a very long line to get your photo taken with some of the Disney Photographers. I just wanted to get my snack and sit down. There were some standing tables, but not enough for the crowd so I sat on the floor. I thought the snack box was a good selection of healthy items. The banana I got was green and not edible, but other than that there was a variety of sweet and salty treats.

There were aid stations at the end were people could get ice bags for their sore joints or legs.

This year was the 17th year this race has taken place and the first time I've done it. There were about 4 portapotties near the parking lot and actual restrooms nearby by the stadium and by the race track. Parking was abundant and free. When you registered for the race you could choose to have a chipped bib or not. There was a $5 difference between the two.

The course went through Stanford Campus. Stanford is such a beautiful University. I enjoyed the route as it was different the entire way. Each of the Stanford buildings had a different style of architecture and design. The grounds have several eucalyptus trees that you can smell along the way.

There were lots of volunteers at the race. Many had cowbells and were holding signs that times made me laugh as I passed them.

Some of the paths were limited to the sidewalk since traffic was not stopped, but I found that running on the bike lane worked out just fine. There were several walkers on the course. Several companies and teams had special shirts and showed their team spirit. There were people of ages running or walking. There were definitely a lot of families running together with their dogs.

There was one water station along the route. I only saw one of the mile markers, but then I was keeping track of the mileage on my Fitbit. I wasn't putting a lot of effort on spotting the mile markers.

At the end of the race, there were many people cheering the runners on as they passed the finish line. No medals were awarded, except for top runners in each category. After you finished running, you could go claim your t-shirt. I found it strange that it wasn't handed out before, but I'm assuming there was a good reason for it. It was a nice technical long-sleeved shirt. The volunteers at the shirt table were doing a nice job of helping people decide on what size shirt best fit them.

Of course, after running you will need to replenish your energy. There were plenty of free snacks for everyone to enjoy. There was freshly popped popcorn, string cheese, donuts, fish crackers, and more.

Overall, great race. I would definitely do it again.