I love a good race-cation. In fact, it’s rare that I plan to run a half marathon if there isn’t travel involved. If I can travel to Walt Disney World or Disneyland for a race, it’s even better!
What makes runDisney and the Princess Half Marathon so special?
The Disney Princess Half Marathon holds a special place in my heart, because this was the very first runDisney event I ever participated in, back in 2013. Since then, I’ve run …
- the Wine & Dine Half Marathon
- the inaugural Star Wars – The Light Side Rebel Challenge (10K + Half Marathon)
- and this year, I returned to Walt Disney World to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon in its 9th year.
If you’ve been on the fence about registering for a half marathon, I highly recommend choosing a runDisney event for your first.
Most runners find that Disney’s races are friendly and encouraging. You’ll see favorite characters along the way through the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. While a half marathon is always grueling, the route is relatively flat and easy to manage. Many runners wear costumes for this race. It’s not a requirement, of course, but I personally think a Disney-themed costume makes the race more fun! This year, I ran as The White Rabbit.
runDisney Training Programs and My Biggest Tip
If you’re new to distance running and aren’t sure how to begin training, the runDisney website offers Jeff Galloway training programs customized to each of their events. There are programs available for both beginners and experienced runners, and each has a downloadable calendar making them extremely convenient and easy to use. While I’ve never personally tried Galloway’s run-walk-run method, I do like to use these calendars to guide me in the right direction and help keep track of mileage.
Start talking with your friends about which event you’d like to try. A race weekend at Disney is always more fun with a group. My biggest tip – and I cannot stress this enough – is to plan early.
Registration for 2018 opens soon!
General registration for next year’s Disney Princess Half Marathon begins on May 2, 2017.
The event will take place the weekend of February 22-25, 2018, and 2018 will be the 10th anniversary of this race, which will likely increase its popularity. Over 20,000 princesses went home with a shiny finisher medal in 2017. Challenge registration (10K + Half Marathon) usually sells out very quickly, as do the 10K and 5K races. The half marathon registration alone often remains available longer than the others, but this is no exact science. If you want to register, set up an account on active.com, and have your fastest typing fingers (and Internet connection) ready on registration day.
Once you’ve registered, call your trusted A Time to Treasure Travel vacation planner. All of Walt Disney World’s on-site resorts are host resorts for this event, which means transportation to all of the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend’s events – 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and the Expo – is included with your stay. You’ll be steps away from the magic during your entire race-cation. Our agents can help you find the best resort, ticket, and dining package for your stay at Walt Disney World.