In the land of sequels, the Disneyland Half Marathon crowned Jimmy Grabow as its champion for the second straight year on Sunday, September 1, 2013. Grabow, from the aptly named town of Runner Springs, Calif., crossed the finish line in 1:07:41, slightly off his record-setting pace of 1:05:29 in 2012. Ricardo Ramirez finished second with a time of 1:14:30.
The female champion, Stephanie Dinius, crossed the finish line in record fashion, capturing the women’s title with a time of 1:15:47. Rachel Booth held the previous record, 1:18:01, from the 2011 Disneyland Half Marathon. Last year’s female champion, Cindy Lynch, finished as runner-up with a time of 1:25:29.
The half marathon field of 17,500 registered runners passed through Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Angel Stadium and the streets of Anaheim. Along the route, runners were greeted by cheering fans, Disney characters, music and live entertainment.
Celebrities Alison Sweeney (“The Biggest Loser”), Sean Astin (The Goonies, Rudy, Lord of the Rings), Joey Fatone (*NSYNC) and Ali Vincent (“Live Big”) were four of the 5,000 runners taking on the new Dumbo Double Dare, both the 10K and half.
Overall, the event weekend hosted more than 25,000 runners, from all 50 states and 15 countries, and included 8,000 participants for the inaugural Disneyland 10K. More than 8,000 California residents registered for the half marathon, including 5,000-plus from Southern California. Additionally, the weekend included the Disneyland 5K, Kids Races and a two-day health and fitness expo.
All three events — Disneyland Half Marathon, 10K and Dumbo Double Dare — sold out in record time, 26 hours, earlier this year.
— Posted September 3, 2013