I’ve said it plenty of times before and I will say it again here: Disney knows how to put on a great race and Disney half marathons are the best half marathons for first timers. There are fireworks for each corral start, characters on the course, runners in costume, the most magical finish lines (high-fiving Minnie? Absolutely), beautiful medals, and post-run snack boxes full of sweet and salty treats. The biggest downside to Disney races is the early start time, although I can honestly say that the more I run Disney, the more I appreciate being done with my run before 8am.
As I’ve done the past few years, I ran Disney’s Princess Fairy Tale Challenge (10K on Saturday and 13.1 on Sunday) on behalf of a charity, Girls on The Run Central Florida. Jennifer and everyone at GoTR have become such a huge part of my Princess experience that going back to Disney in February and seeing them before the races feels like a runner’s family reunion. I highly encourage everyone to, at some point in their running journey, run for a charity as it not only helps build community, it also helps make the miles more meaninful.
Disney Princess 10K
This year’s 10K theme was Pocahontas and the characters on the course were either from the movie or nature-loving creatures. The start and finish lines for the race were in the Epcot parking lot, but because of the construction happening at Epcot’s entrance, we didn’t get to run past the iconic Spaceship Earth. There were plenty of photo opportunities on the course, but I was disappointed that Pocahontas wasn’t onsite for photos. Even though I was in C corral I didn’t start running until 25 minutes after the official 5:30am start time because each individual corral was broken up into smaller corrals. The weather for the 10K was COLD and I was grateful I packed arm sleeves. I eventually warmed up and took the miles as easy as possible given how I had been physically feeling while on my runs. I stopped for characters that I liked and continued past the ones that I either didn’t recognize or didn’t care enough about to stop for a picture. My time goal for the race was to finish around the one hour mark and I crossed the finish line at a happy 1:06.
Disney’s Princess Half Marathon
Considering my last two half marathon experiences, I was nervous about theis 13.1 journey. Would I get another side stitch? Would I feel disappointed or frustrated? I went into this race with a theory I was hoping to prove: the side stitches are a result of poor breathing due to racing nerves about hitting certain paces and getting specific race times. Basically, I wanted to know if I was psyching myself out and putting too much pressure on myself to race. With this theory, my goal was to run because it felt good to run and not because I was chasing a PR. The result? One of the best race experiences I’ve had in a while.
I think I had a smile permanently smacked on my face the entire time as I asked myself, “What would you want out of this race experience if you knew it was your last one?” I took in every moment of the run as it was both my first and last time. The castle seemed even more beautiful, the run down Main Street felt even more electric, and being surrounded by 17,000 other runners felt more energizing. If you don’t believe me, look at my race pictures: I am smiling so big, my smile split my face in half and I had tears in my eyes as I crossed the finish line. This race is what I want running during racing to feel like most of the time; I’m not naïve enough to think running will always feel great! My mental approach has been an interesting one where I am strong enough to get through the miles, but struggle with how quickly I am able to do the miles. I’m not sure where to go from here, but I know that it will include a deeper dive in my mental stamina and grit.
Back to this Disney race though. The course starts about a mile away behind Epcot’s parking lot and takes you along the highway (those overpasses are HILLS, I don’t care what anyone says) into Magic Kingdom. Running through Magic Kingdom is the best part of this race as you run down Main Street into Tomorrowland through the Castle and out via Adventureland. From here, you return to the highway as you run back toward Epcot and the finish line. Again, because of Epcot construction we didn’t run past Spaceship Earth. I felt like there were more photo opportunities on the course, but some of those cool photo opps didn’t have a professional Disney photographer taking pictures. I never waited more than five minutes for a picture and I got to take all the pictures I wanted to take. My time goal for the race was to finish in under 2:30 because I know myself enough to know that I start to get antsy and bored after the 2:30 mark. Finish time was around 2:21 and was worth every second and every step.
Fairy Tale Challenge
This challenge was originally called “The Glass Slipper Challenge” and, while there has been a name change, the essence of the challenge is the same: 10K Saturday and half marathon Sunday for a total of 19.3 miles. I am thanking all my early running wake-up calls because waking up for these runs felt easier than it has in past years. What makes this challenge a challenge, for me, isn’t just the races, but the time spent in the parks before and after the races themselves. We spent Friday at Epcot, Saturday at Animal Kingdom, and Sunday at Hollywood Studios; my feet were definitely hurting at the end of the weekend. I find the challenge to be manageable because the races start so early that, if you plan for some down time to rest or nap, you can still take advantage of all the fun things Disney has to offer. For example, I ran the 10K on Saturday, was back at my hotel by 8am, took a nap, ran the 1-mile race with my daughters at 1pm, and was in the parks from 2:30pm to 9pm (later than I wanted, but fireworks are a must-see).
Pros of Running Disney
Well-organized races.
Bucketlist races.
Beautiful medals.
Unique course, especially for Disney lovers as you get to be in the parks with only your running friends.
Fireworks at every start.
Costumed runners.
Character photo opportunities on the course and in the post-race area.
FREE race pictures.
So many photographers on the course that, if you are anything like me, means you will be smiling almost the entire time.
Cons of Running Disney
Races are pricey and tend to sell out quickly. (This can be remedied by running for charity.)
Early start times made earlier if you rely on Disney transportation: 4:00am and 3:30am pickup times for the 10K and half, respectively.
Bib and t-shirt pick up locations are in two different buildings.
Line for official merchandise is long! This can be remedied by buying items ahead of time or buying items post-race.
I’m already excited about running next year and can’t wait to be part of Girls on The Run Central Florida charity team again in 2021.
Have you participated in a Disney race? Is Disney on your bucket list? If you ran this past weekend, please share your experience in the comments.