We spent the beginning of our adventure last year for the Disneyland Paris Half Marathon in London. It was overcast the whole week. As we took the train to Paris, and emerged from the Chunnel, we saw beautiful sunshine! We were so glad to see the sun! Things were going to be great for the race!
What we experienced was magical at Disneyland Paris, and here is a summary of the Half Marathon!
The Weather
The average temperature in Paris for September is Highs in the 60s and lows in the 50s. Our days in the park leading up to the race were gorgeous. We ran in short sleeves for the 5K, however, a cold front come through the morning of the Half Marathon, so I needed to change out my short sleeve running shirt for a long sleeve shirt. Overall the weather was true to predicted Fall weather for Paris. If you plan for a cold snap, as I did, you will be fine.
Pre Race
Prior to the getting to the race start, everyone must go through security.. We are pretty much used to this by now, just plan for a bottle neck at the Disney Arena. Since there was a cold wind in the air I spent most of the time in the Arena Pavilion before heading out to the corrals. It was a great place to see other runners and take pictures!
The Race
The race will start the corrals in waves. I suggest to be there early and get to the front of your corral. The race course is very easy, flat and no hills. You will love running through both parks! The area where Disneyland Paris is located is very rural. The town that is nearby is small and has mostly Disney employees living there. We didn’t have a lot of spectators out for the course: just a few cheering bands and onlookers! However, a few of the towns people hung out their windows or came to the street. It was really nice to see them!
We mostly saw farmland and undeveloped fields in the countryside. I am not sure what I was expecting to see, but cornfields wasn’t on the list! It was very quiet and you were left with the noise from the runners themselves. The French runners carry their fun attitudes to the race and were singing and chanting throughout the countryside!
Probably the biggest surprise was the race course snacks. A lot of people grumbled, but it worked for me... I talked to a runDisney employee at the Expo to get an idea of what to expect.. I was mostly concerned if there was going to be Powerade. What everyone didn’t understand was that because of tax laws, most of the running affiliated companies and services that we have grown to know and love, could not operate in France. I suspect that things will be much better this year, as companies saw the potential market for this race and decided to tackle trade regulations. That being said, Powerade was available on the course! It was not for sale, but I was very glad to see it on the course. I did bring Nunn just in case: always good to be prepared!
Clif Bar was not on the race course. Instead, we had apple slices and Kellogs breakfast bars. Very very different than we usually expect. However, I was ok with it. I think it was really good fuel for the body, and I didn’t feel the fatigue set in.
A learning experience for all of the American runDisney addicts, but it was an enjoyable race course!. And one that I feel you will love as well.
Remember, that the resorts will not carry the snacks, candy bars or sports drinks that you are used to. The snack world is extremely different. You do not have a Downtown Disney to run to either. I suggest bringing Nunn tablets because they pack well and whatever specific fuel you need. I brought several packets of Almond butter for myself.
I absolutely loved completing the Castle to Chateau! It was a dream come true!
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