Walt Disney World Princess Half Marathon Weekend
In honor of the Princess Half Marathon Weekend happening in this weekend at Walt Disney World, I thought I would share my experience from participating in the event last year.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a runner. I work out so I can eat yummy treats and I get bored very easily when running. But the promise of getting to venture through Walt Disney World before the parks open and participate in a highly sought after event was all the motivation I needed!
The year before I participated, I decided I wanted to do it and started looking into the details. I found out that registration for the event would open in July and that the 10k race is the hardest one for get a bib for (next is the 5k and last is the half marathon). I read blog posts to get tips on how to ensure I got a 10k bib. The races sells out every year and if you want to participate you have to plan early.
You register for the races through Active.com and it is important to set your account up before registration day as not to waste time when the event registration opens. Once the registration date and time arrive, be logged in and ready to go the moment the clock switches over to try and get your race bib. When I registered, there were 12 people in my family planning to participate in the 10k. Four of us were able to get into the 10k, the rest had to go with the 5k. The 10k sold out within minutes.
Race weekend itself is so much fun! Here is the breakdown for race weekend:
Day 1 (Thursday): The race expo opens today at the ESPN Centre. This is where you go to pick up your race bibs and packs. The expo is filled with booths that have tons of Run Disney swag, swag from running companies, photo opportunities, etc. I only had enough time to spend an hour there because we had a dinner reservation to get to but I highly suggest spending more time there to fully enjoy the expo. Buses run from the Walt Disney World resorts to and from the expo.
Day 2 (Friday): The 5k happens today. The race starts and finished before the parks open (start time of 6am).
Day 3 (Saturday): The 10k happens today. Our start time was at 5:30am. We were told to be there by 5am and got the bus from our resort at 4:45am. We finished the race by 7am.
Day 4 (Sunday): Half Marathon Day
The Disney Princess 10K:
Our race started in the Epcot Parking lot. From there, we went out onto the highway around Epcot. We were there for roughly 5 kilometers of the run. Then we went back into the park, entering in World Showcase. After running through part of World Showcase, we exited by England and ran through The Boardwalk before heading back into the park. We finished by running through Epcot Centre and ending back in the parking lot. Upon finishing you are handed a medal and then you go to the Photo Area to get your picture taken. After that you can go grab a snack box Run Disney provides and a drink to cool down before taking your bus back to your resort. The Disney Photo Pass photographers are set up during the run taking pictures. You can access those pictures by entering your bib number if you have purchased the memory maker photo pass.
The awesome thing about doing a run with Run Disney is you never get bored! All along the run route, there are characters (princesses in my case) set up that you can get pictures taken with (lines can be long, so watch the time to make sure you will have enough time to finish the race if you decide to wait). They also had screens set up showing different Disney movie montages, and fun mile markers. Also, you get to dress up! As an adult you aren’t allowed to wear a costume when you visit the parks, but dressing up in costume for the races is encouraged. You don’t have too, but it does add a fun element to the race. It’s important to note that if you are going to dress up make sure it’s an outfit you are comfortable running in.
As the race does start before the sun comes up, some people find it cold. The temperature the morning of our race was about 12 degrees at 5am. Being from Canada, that was not cold to us, so we didn’t wear any extra layers but some do. If you don’t tie it around your waist, you can throw it along the side of the road. It will be collected and donated. There is a bag check available but we didn’t use it. I had a runner’s belt that stored the items we needed (like my phone, Kleenex, and some cash).
You don’t need to stay at a Walt Disney World Resort to participate in the run. You can stay off site. Just remember that parts roadways getting into the parks will be closed in the morning for the run, so give yourself enough time for traffic.
Outside of the runs, the parks themselves are very busy that weekend. You’ve got close to 20,000 run participants plus their family and friends all there that weekend on top of the regular Disney park crowds so the parks get very congested. If you aren’t participating in the race weekend, and your vacation plans are flexible, I would avoid vacationing to Disney during race weekend.
When all was said and done, I really enjoyed participating in a Run Disney event and can’t wait to do it again! It added a new, fun element to my Walt Disney World vacations, and gave me a reason to actually use my running shoes.
