By: Jenniefer Green
Last month, I had the pleasure of participating in runDisney’s Princess Half-Marathon. The experience was one of the best I’ve had at Walt Disney World. I am thankful Carie with Pixie Vacations is allowing me to share with you information about the runDisney experiences available and my personal experience.
RunDisney is part of The Walt Disney Company. They organize four weekends a year that runners (and walkers) can plan to attend for “runcations”. Each of the four weekends has a 5k, 10k, half-marathon, and kid’s races.
Once a year, there is a marathon in addition to these distances. You can choose to participate in a single race, or sign up for the challenges which consist of two or more races. The weekends have fun Disney related themes. Medals and participation shirts are based on the theme characters and given to each participant. If you participate in a challenge, you receive the medal and shirt for each race you run, plus you will receive a medal and a shirt for the challenge.
Walt Disney World Marathon weekend is scheduled in January. It is the only time the marathon distance is available. Marathon weekend races are themed to the classic Disney characters. The Disney Princess Half-Marathon weekend is in February. In April, there is a Star Wars Rival Run weekend. Coinciding with the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot, the Wine and Dine Half-Marathon is held in November. There is a registration fee that varies based on the race you want to run. Specific dates and pricing as well as instructions for online registration can be found at rundisney.com. Registration for some races can sell out quickly, so plan in advance.
Resorts will sell out for these race weekends, so make sure you contact Carie with Pixie Vacations as soon as you make the decision to register so she can secure your resort reservation. You will want to stay on property for race weekend. runDisney provides bus transportation to and from the races. There are thousands of runners and spectators trying to get to the race staging area on race day. Traffic can get congested and you would not want to miss the start of the race because you did not take official transportation and were stuck in traffic-it has happened.
Carie will help you choose the resort that works best for your needs. Make sure you plan a few days before or after the race to enjoy the parks. Let Carie help you make a plan for your runcation using Fast Passes and Advance Dining Reservations to utilize your time wisely so you can enjoy the parks and have the needed rest time.
Once you’ve secured your resort and registered for the race, you will need a solid training plan. RunDisney has you covered there as well. Former Olympian Jeff Galloway is the official trainer of the runDisney program and the guru of the Run, Walk, Run method. All the training information you will need to follow this program can be found on rundisney.com.
This was my first half-marathon and I wanted to ensure I followed a plan so I could finish the race. These plans took me from run/walking 2.5 miles to the half-marathon distance in 18 weeks. They were also very manageable with my busy schedule. I personally did the whole training program and race using the run, walk, run method (as did most other racers that I saw on race day), but I saw runners and walkers of all levels on race day. Some participants walked the entire distance. Some racers posted very competitive times that would qualify them for elite races. Most participants fall in between these two categories. Personally, I would not try to use this race as a qualifier or even to try to record a personal best. The runDisney races are special for the ambiance and the available character meets. Have a goal, but be flexible so you don’t miss any experiences available. The required pace is a 16 minute per mile pace.
When we arrived for race weekend, I felt truly prepared for the race and so excited to get race weekend underway. We were staying at the beautiful, newly-opened Disney’s Riviera Resort. My husband and I loved this resort. The rooms were well-appointed and spacious. I found the décor to be a nice mix of elegant and relaxing. Our view was fantastic. Access to the Skyliner was convenient. I am so happy we had to chance to experience this resort.
We spent Friday evening at a Villain’s After Hours Party at Magic Kingdom. See Carie with Pixie Vacation’s Facebook page for more details and pictures about this event.
Saturday morning we enjoyed breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace which is located at the Riviera Resort. It was fabulous. The rest of the morning was spent at Epcot enjoying the Festival of the Arts. I then went to the runDisney Expo at ESPN Wide World of Sports complex to turn in my race waiver, pick up my bib, and get my “I did it” race shirt. There are a ton of vendors at the expo. This is also where you will purchase official race merchandise. Some popular items sell out as early as the first day of the Expo, so if there is something you have your heart set on, you may want to preorder it or make sure you are there the first day.
The afternoon and evening was spent enjoying Animal Kingdom before heading back to the resort to turn in early for a good night’s sleep-or so I thought. Turns out I was too excited to sleep well.
Finally, race day arrives. I wanted to be on the first bus since I was new to Disney races. I woke up at 2:30 am to be on the bus by 3 am. The bus left my resort about 3:05 headed to the staging area for the race located in the Epcot parking lot. I ate my breakfast of PB&J Uncrustable and a banana on the bus. I also had a bottle of water and Powerade that I sipped on until race time. Remember, Florida is very humid even in February and hydration is key.
Once the bus arrived, I followed the crowd to the staging area. I arrived about 3:30 am. There was a large stage with music and live entertainment. There were character meet and greets, but the lines get long pretty quickly. There is also a bag check service to leave any personal belongings you don’t want to carry with you in the race (free) and snacks available (not free), as well as a collection of Port-a-potties with hand sanitizer. After checking my bag, I spent some time people watching and just absorbing the energy of the moment.
Shortly before 5 am, there was an announcement that we could begin making our way to the corrals. I’m not sure of the exact distance but it was probably about ½ mile. I just considered it a warm-up. The corrals are well-marked and there are people checking your bib to make sure you are entering the correct corral. During the walk out and wait in the corrals, there are DJ’s, entertainers, and giant screens set up to keep you entertained and informed. Corrals are released one at a time and some larger corrals are released in waves. I was in Corral F.
The first corral was released with great fanfare at 5:30am (I got a little emotional here) and we began our walk toward the start line. I did not actually cross the start line until around 6am. There was definitely some congestion at the beginning of the race and it was still dark, so you have to be careful here. I found a pacing group and stuck with them for the first few miles.
Starting just after the first mile, there is a water/Powerade station every mile and half. They have the hydration ready to hand you as you walk by. I grabbed both water and Powerade at every station. The first few miles of the course are uninteresting except for the volunteers cheering you on. But around mile 3, we ran under the Magic Kingdom sign at the parking collection booths and I started getting excited at the anticipation of running thru my favorite park. Of course, we had to run thru the TTC first, but there were marching bands, volunteers and spectators lining both sides of the course cheering us on. They were amazing. Then the moment came when I ran under the train station and around the corner to head straight up Main St. USA. What a moment. There were people on either side of Main St cheering and the energy was amazing. We ran thru Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, and then thru Cinderella Castle. There were places to stop for pictures with characters, but I was waiting to see a character I had never had a picture with before I stopped. After running thru Frontierland, we exited the Magic Kingdom. At this point we had completed 6 miles.
We then run past the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian. Unfortunately, the next few miles are road racing without much of a view, but luckily this is where I found a couple characters I wanted to stop to take pictures with. This is also when I chose to listen to Disney music and the Happily Ever After soundtrack on my phone to keep the magic going. By mile 11 we were getting close to Epcot.
As we came close to Epcot, there were a ton of spectators, volunteer, and staff. Some participants that had already finished returned with their medals in hand to cheer us on.
We raced thru some backstage areas around Epcot, thru the portion of Epcot were Future World meets the World Showcase, and then thru Mexico before exiting Epcot by another backstage area toward the finish. The last couple miles passed in a blur. I knew I was close so I was trying to just enjoy every single moment. At last, I turn a corner and I see the finish line. All the hours I had put toward achieving this goal were so worth it in that moment. Although I had started the day thinking this would be my one and done for half-marathons, I decided in that moment that I could not wait to do it again. I crossed the finish line, cried a little, received my medal (love it) and found my husband and friends for pictures. The excitement of the event kept me going all day.
After a big breakfast and returning to the resort to freshen up, I was able to enjoy Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and a special birthday dinner with our favorite, PixieCarie.
The next day, my husband and I departed for my reward-a relaxing Disney Cruise. This was the perfect way to relax, unwind, and eat way too much after my months of preparation.
I feel so blessed to have these memories to share, and I look forward to making many more. I have now made it a goal to participate in every race weekend runDisney has to offer at least once.
If you enjoy running or walking for exercise, or you need a motivating reason to start, and you are a Disney fan, I can highly recommend you participate in one of these race weekends.
