Characters You May Run Into: Disneyland Half Marathon
Republishing this one because the Disneyland Half is coming up in TWO WEEK! EEEP! Originally posted in 2014.
The response to the Walt Disney World Marathon characters post was so great I knew I had to keep going.
Since the Disneyland Half Marathon is the next one on the schedule, I’ll visit Disneyland next!
I ran this race last year but I did NOT stop for pictures. Trying to remember every character I ran past was a little hard but I think I’m pretty close.
Based on your speed and your corral placement, you may or may not have had the same experiences.
It?s important to note: these characters may change year to year! As a veteran Princess Half runner I can attest that *most* of the characters and groupings remain the same. Buzz is always in Tomorrowland and Woody over in Frontierland for example.
Don?t get upset if your favorite on this list doesn?t show up at your race- I?m sure someone just as magical will be in their place.
This order is loosely based on the order you will find the characters as you race through Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
Who you may see:
Incredibles Float
Toy Story float with Hamm
World of Color Fountains
Mike and Sulley with cheerleaders
Army Men
Phineas & Ferb with Fireside Girls
Mater and Lightning Mc Queen
Ramone
Tiana, Naveen & Louis
Aladdin and Jasmine
Mary Poppins and Bert on horses
Sweeps
Cards from Alice (might have been 10K only- wasn’t clear on this one)
Aurora and Prince Phillip in front of castle
Storm Troopers and Darth Vader

Cinderella
Snow White
Merida
Ariel
Peter Pan and Wendy
OR
Smee and Captain Hook
Run by Dumbo the ride- which is flying! There’s a Dumbo off to the side that had no wait.
Horses backstage
On the Anaheim streets:
High school bands
Cheerleaders
Dancers
Mustang Car Club
Classic Cars
Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts inside the stadium
Mickey and Friends at the finish line for high-fives!

Did I miss anyone? Feel free to let me know and I’ll add to the post! Who are you most excited about seeing?
Patty Holliday is the owner and creator of all things No-Guilt Universe. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.
Great pics! I can’t wait to run this race sometime in the future!
I had a blast last year with Mr. Shenanigans! I can’t wait to do it again.
I wish I were running this year. The one year I did it I got a terrible cramp at mile 3 and was afraid to stop for any photos after that in case I would be in danger of being swept later… I missed my shot at Vader. Such a bummer!
Great post! It’s always helpful to have at least an idea of the characters you might see in advance to help prioritize and allocate ample time for those lines! 😉
Another awesome post Fellow Blog Hopper,
Since this is my first Disneyland race after over a dozen at WDW, I’m excited to see the potential expected order so I can plan. I may just do selfies if the lines are too long! Great job.
This was the first race I ran with my husband and we were such n00bs that we didn’t really take many character pics (because we were so afraid we wouldn’t finish!) Hoping to get a few more shots in this time around! I did love seeing the World of Color fountains though. 🙂
I’m flying all the way from Australia and this is my first Disney run! Thanks for all the top tips, it’s good to know who I can expect to see along the way. I just hope I don’t spontaneously combust with excitement before I get there!
So many great pics! In both this one and your 10k post too! Thanks for sharing them! I like your Dumbo photo! I end up taking photos at the spots that have no line too! That Dumbo photo spot was a great idea and is such an awesome photo! 🙂