“Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” are looking to enlist YOU.  Join the team roster and register for Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend on Tuesday, April 7 at Noon EST.  Whether you have the goods to “Smash the Half”, show your colors at the all-new Captain America 10K, take on the inaugural Infinity Gauntlet Challenge, Assemble at the Super Heroes 5K or MARVEL at the runDisney Kids Races, you can channel your family’s inner superpowers in the most power-packed Disneyland Resort’s weekend.

The runDisney Health & Fitness Expo, held at Disneyland Hotel’s Convention Center, is headquarters for your squad’s race bib, shirt and gEAR bag, but it is also the best way to immerse yourself in all things Avengers.  From Official runDisney Race Weekend Merchandise to all dimensions of Avengers Dooney & Bourke bags, to the dynamite Speaker Series, you will not only run like, but look like a Super Hero.

A most MARVELous bonus (and an unexpected one for me) is the Holidays at the Disneyland Resort overlap; Haunted Mansion Holiday, Jingle Cruise, World of Color “Winter Dreams,” and extra-dimensional seasonal decorations across every inch of the resort.  What a sensational way to set off your Christmas and Hanukkah holidays with a BANG!

The most obvious and unique “plus” of this race weekend is the addition of the Avengers characters to the race course.  Peppered along the Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park routes you will find Thor, Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye, whose only mission is to pose mightily with you!

Seldom am I taken by surprise at a runDisney event, but I can no longer claim that.  Though during the inaugural event a mere 3 miles were run through the Disneyland Resort, the remaining Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon mileage traversed through the streets of Anaheim.  While this had the potential to be anticlimactic, it was anything but.  Cosplay characters claimed the latter 10 miles with a vengeance.  They added plenty of POW to keep runners entertained and supercharged.

The all-new Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon ran through Disney California Adventure, Disneyland Park, south along Harbor Boulevard, then past Crystal Cathedral, Santa Ana River Trail, through Angel Stadium and the nexus finish line alongside the Disneyland Hotel.  With the addition of the Captain America 10K, we shall see if there are any changes to the courses in 2015.

What always sets a run at Disneyland Resort apart from a Walt Disney World Resort race is the very fact that a substantial part of the distance races are routed off-property.  The support of the locals is always awe-inspiring; in 2014, residents of Anaheim (many armed with Twizzlers), more than a hundred cosplayers, veterans and World War II reenactors, local bands, and chEARleaders aplenty lined the 10 miles outside the parks.

All this, plus the inaugural Infinity Gauntlet Challenge await you if you accept the mission.  As always, don’t dally.  This runDisney weekend is sure to sell out faster than you can say SHAZAM!!