Princess Belle
On Friday, February 19, 2016, I traveled to Orlando, Florida to participate in the 2016 Disney Princess Half-Marathon Weekend presented by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. I have been running for over 5 years now, and I wanted to take my running to a higher level. After 18 weeks of training, I was finally ready to complete my first half-marathon. I spent four fabulous days in the most magical place on Earth. I started the weekend off by going to the runDisney Health and Fitness Expo so I could pick up my race bib and packet. I visited various vendors to see what products and services they had to offer.
runDisney Health and Fitness Expo
Posing with Jeff Galloway
The highlight of the expo was when I met American Olympian Jeff Galloway. Jeff Galloway is the official runDisney Training Consultant, and he is the reason why I was able to properly train for the half-marathon. On Saturday, I spent the entire day at theme parks. I visited the Holy Land Experience and Walt Disney World’s Epcot. The Holy Experience is a Christian theme park that depicts the Bible in an interactive way. I experienced sights and sounds as well as dramatizations, and I even partook in Holy Communion. Epcot was amazing as well. I soared into the atmosphere on Mission: SPACE and experienced the thrill of Test Track.
Epcot
Holy Land Experience
The next morning, I arose at 2:00 a.m. to get ready for the race. Yes, I know that it is super early, but I wanted to catch the 3:00 a.m. shuttle to the race site. The race began at 5:30 a.m.; however, since I was in Corral N, I didn’t officially begin my race until 6:22 a.m. The course was pleasant and fun filled. I took pictures along the way, and I even saw some of my favorite Disney characters. I experienced fatigue and pain near mile 10, but I was able to finish strong after 3 hours, 24 minutes, and 7 seconds of hitting the pavement. I ended the day at the Happily Ever After Party at Disney Springs.
I must say that the Disney Princess Half-Marathon was truly a magical experience. If you are a runner, you have to experience a Disney race. Disney is very organized with their races, and I was very pleased. My only complaint was that I was unable to properly maneuver through the crowd while I was running. Then again we were over 20,000 strong so congestion in some places along the route is to be expected. Next time, I will submit a proof of time prior to the race so I can be placed in a higher corral. I loved the Disney Princess Half-Marathon so much that I am already planning my 2017 Disney race weekend.
