Man, I'm not even a huge Disney fan, but after running this half—my first Disney event—in 2017 I truly do understand the hype!
I ran this race as part of a check-in during my training for Mountains 2 Beach marathon. I intended to run it for fun, going more based on feel than pace. That said, the easy (flat and fast!!) course meant I was feeling stronger than I could have expected, and picked up my pace significantly at mile 5, sustaining my faster pace for the duration of the event. I finished with an unintentional half marathon PR, no complaints there!

The course itself is a lot of fun and never boring—characters on the course and running through parks keeps your energy up. The expo was easy to navigate and had lots to offer. The medal was cute, as was the shirt (though a little too pink/girly for me to want to wear, but a nice keepsake for a future quilt). Coming from San Francisco, I found the course elevation profile a piece of cake—we never train on anything that flat— though the humidity and heat were definitely new for me.

Another bonus is that if you're a middle packer in most races, you'll be in the lead pack at Disney. My official finish time was 1:47:26 yet I was the 155th woman out of 18505. At any other race, I would be much deeper into the mid or even back of the pack, so I appreciated the small ego boost. My friend (who had not trained as well as she had hoped and also felt sick during the race) finished around 2:45—a time that would be back of the pack at many races, if not dead last, and was solidly mid-pack in this one. For this reason, it's a good choice for newer runners who are worried about being left behind by more competitive fields at other races.

One gripe: at this cost for a race, I wish Disney would at least offer discounted entry into the parks. Why you gotta be so stingy, Disney?

Well, full disclosure that I had a bad day and DNF'd at mile 17 of this particular race, but am still going to attempt to write as fair of a review as possible.

THE GOOD:
The expo for this race was nice. Both indoor and outdoors, it had a chill vibe and lots of fun activities. It was easy to get my bib and t-shirt. Parking was no issue.

You get wine with your race entry. That's pretty cool, no?

Parking for the race itself is pretty easy, with multiple lots near the start line.

If you're from the Bay Area, it's an easy enough drive up, so an option for a marathon without significant travel expenses.

The medical staff were attentive, making sure I was safe and urging me to DNF when I did not want to. I've (fortunately) never been transported back to a start line for any other race, and haven't since, so can't speak too much to how that (humiliating) experience differs from other race, but it did take quite awhile for me to get a ride and get back to the start line once I got that ride.

Ehhhh? I got nothing else nice to say here.

THE BAD
The pacers for the 3:02 (I think?) group fucked up. They fucked up real bad. Three of my friends missed a chance to BQ despite running a BQ pace, because the pacers got them lost at the start of the race and added distance. This is an outright disgrace, honestly.

Super boring course, little to no crowd support either. Takes lots of mental toughness.

THE UGLY
Who puts on a race in August in Santa Rosa? It's hot af. No thanks.

I puked a lot. But that's a personal problem.

This is one of my favorite races to run in SF. While it is a bit more expensive than one would expect for a 15K, the swag you get definitely explains the cost. The course is decently fast for SF, though requires some strategy/conservation for the gradual climb back into the park. One complaint is that the expo is way too far out of town and not easily accessible by public transport.

This was my first marathon, in 2015. While I think it could be a fun course for someone visiting SF to see the highlights of the city, I run parts of this course on a regular basis so didn't get the same "wow" factor from the views. This race is solidly "okay" — I would consider running it again, but I'm not dying to either. The shirt offered is nothing special, the early start time means almost no spectator support, and the miles in the park after mile 13 are tedious and seem to drag on forever. Once you leave Golden Gate Park, the course scenery is underwhelming—just a slog down Haight street as you make your way east, shuffling through the (torturous) sights and smells of people in Potrero Hill brunching outside, and the beer-scented no man's land that is the Dogpatch. I've run the first half twice, and recommend that race much more, as the course offers nothing particularly special in the final 13.1. Would I recommend this race? Maybe. If you're an SF local who wants to run a marathon and cannot travel, this is your only option and it's not a terrible one, and if you're visiting from out of town, it'll take you on a decent tour of the city. Are there better marathon options for people in SF willing to drive a few hours? Absolutely.

This race was really nothing special for me. The views had little variety, and the race was almost completely flat—coming from San Francisco, I prefer to have some nice rolling hills to work different muscles and keep myself interested. Very little about this race was memorable to me, and I have no desire to go back. I will say that it was nice to have run it on the 30th anniversary—the medal and shirt I received were definitely a few of my more treasured ones.