Running Challenges

Every since I completed the runDisney Coast to Coast challenge in the beginning of the year, I have been looking around for more fun challenges similar to that. Not only is it fun to challenge yourself to multiple runs, but you can also collect some awesome extra bling to show off your efforts.

I will be completing my Rock'n'Roll Pacific Peaks Challenge on Saturday by running my last stretch here in Seattle, I'll share this story at a separate post, so keep a lookout for that.

I'll start with runDisney then since that was my inspiration for this post to begin with. Now, Disney has a ton of challenges and keep adding more and more every year. This year especially they added two more challenges.

RunDisney Coast to Coast Challenge. This is a big one for most runners, what you have to do to earn this amazing Walt Disney and Mickey medal is run two runDisney races (Half Marathons or a Marathon) in one calendar year on each coast. One is Disneyland and one in DisneyWorld. Check out the rundisney.com website for the actual races that qualify for this challenge. Extra special Coast to Coast medal for 2014 is if you run the Tinkerbell half marathon in Disneyland and the Disney Princess Half Marathon in DisneyWorld you earn a pink and purple Coast to Coast medal!!!

RunDisney Dopey Challenge. This is a new one for 2014 as well. You have a chance to earn 6 amazing medals. Staring with a 5K run on Thursday, a 10K run on Friday, a Half Marathon on Saturday and a Full Marathon on Sunday, totalling a 48.6 miles in 4 days, you are rewarded with a medal for each race, plus a Goofies Race and a Half Challenge Medal and a brand new Dopey Challenge Medal.

RunDisney Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge. This one has been around for years. The challenge is to run a Half Marathon on Saturday and a Full Marathon on a Sunday and you are rewarded with a Goofy's Race and a Half Medal.


RunDisney Dumbo Double Dare. This is a new challenge for 2013. A 19.3-mile adventure held over two days, participants will run the Disneyland® 10K on Saturday, followed by the Disneyland® Half Marathon on Sunday. You will be rewarded with two medals for each race and an extra special Dumbo medal for the challenge.

 

RunDisney Glass Slipper Challenge.  A 19.3-mile adventure held over two days, participants will run the Disney Enchanted 10K on Saturday, followed by the Disney Princess Half Marathon on Sunday.  You will be awarded the all-new Glass Slipper Challenge medal in addition to your Half Marathon and 10K finisher medals.

LA/SF Marathon Challenge. Runners who participate in consecutive ASICS LA Marathon and The Wipro SF Marathons will receive a special LA/SF Challenge medal commemorating this incredible achievement!



The Windy City 26.2 Challenge. This is for those individuals that complete both 13.1 Chicago and the Chicago Half Marathon. They will be rewarded with an awesome special Windy City 26.2 Challenge Medal.


Pacific Peaks Challenge. Run the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon in Portland and then follow it up with the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon in Seattle and you get this amazing Pacific Peaks Medal.

Rock'n'Roll Desert Challenge. Complete the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon in Vegas and one in Arizona and you are rewarded with this speical Deset Double Down Medal.

Maryland Double: Competing in the full or half-marathon in both the Frederick Running Festival and the Baltimore Running Festival will get you this medal:

Nut Job Challenge: 5K Saturday and Half Marathon on Sunday in Frederick, MD.

Run the 5K Saturday night and then run the Half Marathon Sunday morning to earn yourself a speical bib, an extra medal and the title of being a Nut Job.

 

Beach Cities Challenge: Southern California: Run all three in a row and receive a special medal: Surf City Marathon, The OC Marathon and the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon.

Half it All Challenge: San Francisco - Run the first half of the SF Marathon and the Second half in consecutive years.

 

New runDisney Dopey Challenge!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was checking Twitter this morning and yes I do follow runDisney, if you don't you absolutely should! They are awesome. Anyway, this is what they posted:

Today, runDisney reaches another milestone as we expand the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna with the addition of the Walt Disney World 10K, the Dopey Challenge, new medals and the return of the popular Runner’s World Challenge.
In 2006, the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend had a big year. The races had become so popular, the half marathon and the full marathon now had to be held on two separate days. This race day bifurcation led to another interesting development. It was now theoretically possible for a runner to run both races, so the team decided that if someone was goofy enough to do that, they deserved a medal. And thus, Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge was born with just over 2,300 runners receiving the first Goofy medal for their 39.3 mile accomplishment.
Through the years, “the Goofy” has been a favorite with our runners as well as a unique offering in the running industry. Well, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. This next year, runDisney is adding a 10K race to our Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend line-up, joining our already popular 5K, Half Marathon and Full Marathon. And you guessed it (we couldn’t help ourselves), we are now offering the Dopey Challenge to those runners who conquer ALL FOUR of our races. That’s right…completing the 5K, the 10K, the Half Marathon and the Full Marathon in the four consecutive days will earn you the Dopey Challenge Medal. That coveted piece of hardware will be clanging around the necks of our finishers with the Mickey Marathon medal, the Donald Half medal, the 5K Family Fun Run medal, the Goofy Challenge medal, and the new Minnie 10K medal.
Six medals for 48.6 miles over four days. I think I am just Dopey enough to do it. Come join me!

Ahhhhhhh, yes, of course I want to do this, this sounds amazing and what an experience it would be. Hard, of course, fun, of course, Dopey and Goofy, absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, please sign me up, I couldn't ask for a cooler weekend to spend in Disneyworld. I know this may seem crazy if you hate running, but it truly would be a dream for me, this one definitely goes on my bucket list!
I think its so fun that they are coming up with new things all the time and adding new challenges to existing events, for people who have been running Disney for year, I'm sure its a nice change. But for me and all the runDisney newbies, its cool to see who much they care about running and that they keep going every year, year after year.

Registration opens on April 9th, 2013!!!!!!!!!! This is two and a half weeks away, crazy. I bet it will sell out in the first couple of months as well. If you are a runner and like me where you are up for trying anything at least once, I think this is a dream come true. I really am curious how many people will do it, we'll see I guess.

If you are reading this and have a lot of money and have nothing to do with it, I have an idea, you can just sponsor me to go there and take this challenge on ;)

Comment below if this is something you would ever consider doing or if you are ready to get signed up.

Keep on running and maybe, just maybe I'll see you there,

Keili