I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Disney Princess Half Marathon is the most fun running race I’ve done. I ran it last year and ran it again this year with Ryan. It was her first half marathon and I was psyched to be there with her for it. After all she’s been there to support me through most of my big races! Be sure to check out her race recap 
After waking up just past 3, we were walking to the starting line at Disney well before the sun came up.
Neither of our training schedules went as planned so we approached the race with a fun, relaxed attitude. Perfect
Disney knows how to put on a race. Before we knew it the crowd was moving forward to the starting line… a big boom from the fireworks and we were off!
There’s something fun to look at every few minutes. Sometimes it’s characters set up with their showy display or a big drum ensemble making the crowd smile.
The race was packed the whole way. It was a 13.1 mile game of dodging princesses!
There’s Ryan! She did so so well, especially considering it was her first run over 7 miles! We were fairly consistent with our pacing and followed the Galloway method (running 3 minutes and walking 1).
I think the best part of Disney races is running through the castle!
Oooops. There was a traffic jam coming out of the castle….
My belly was grumbling around mile 8 so I munched on a bag of Sharkies. Sharkies are more like yummy gummies than sports chews!
Most runners are women (ummm… it’s the PRINCESS half), but some men make the trek too. I particularly loved this man’s shirt!
The sun was bright and shining the last few miles. I’ve been in chilly North Carolina for three months now and have grown used to running in the cold. The bright sun gave me a horrible headache… I missed my mountains! 
Still, we trucked on!
Close to the finish line there was a gospel choir… then we turned the corner and saw the crowd cheering us to the finish! We ran at our own comfortable pace the whole race, but the idea of keeping it under 3 hours was something we both wanted. We kept running to that rewarding, wonderful line.
And there it was! I was so proud of Ryan and so grateful to witness her accomplish something so big!
We finished in 2:58:37! Congratulations Ryan!!
It was a wonderful race. After the race we had one thing on our minds… pancakes!
What’s the most fun race you’ve ever participated in?
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I wasn’t aware until about a month ago that Disney had a marathon. That. Is. So. COOL! If only I could run that long….
That last picture is my favourite – you captured the moment perfectly! Well done girls!!
I love that you had a nice and relaxed race. No stress!!
yay! Wow, what a jam at the castle!
That looks so fun!
I’ve always liked the Race for the Cure in Portland because there are so many people, but I’ll always have a big ol’ place in my heart for my first (and currently only) half marathon, despite having terrible weather. It was a blast though!
Sounds like an awesome race! Can’t say I’ve ever done anything like that…there are so many people!!! I love all the princess stuff people are wearing. So pretty!
Probably my favourite race is TWALK (last year’s recap here) which is basically a 24 hour orienteering race split into sections and you do it in a team. I know, crazy I think it’s my favourite especially after last year’s experience with near hyperthermia and waist-deep snow at 2am but serious, it was so much fun and I’m totally looking forward to this year’s race!
oh fun!!! that race looks really fun! did you guys run 3 min/walk 1 min the whole way?? bc i’m signing up for my first race (finally huh), see jane run, and i’m scurrred! i know you’re a hardcore runner but seeing you run in that pace, makes me feel a bit better. hehehe
I’d love to do a race just for fun! I haven’t done that yet, I’m just way too competitive. I’m really hoping to enjoy the Marine Corps marathon this fall, it’s going to be such a great experience to run through D.C. and run side by side with so many people!
What a fun race! I’d love to do a Disney race sometime. The Princess half sounds like a ball! (Pun intended.)
My most fun race was this past Thanksgiving when I ran in the Buffalo Turkey Trot (8K) with my sister-in-law. We had so much fun running together, and I loved seeing people dressed up in costumes – we ran with turkeys, pilgrims, and a bunch of people wearing Buffalo Sabres jerseys. The Sabres are my favorite hockey team too, so I wore a Sabres t-shirt over my wicking hoodie for the race. That’s the closest I’ve ever come to dressing up for a race, but it made it even more fun. And of course getting to run with my sister-in-law was the best part of all. =)
My goal is to run this next year! It’s so fun, and I LOVE Disney! Tomorrow is my first race ever – a local 10k – I’m hoping I can call it “fun” at the end of the day!!
This looks like such a fun race! I am just getting into running (I’m doing the Half Marathon Relay here in DC) and am sure I will want to do more races in the future. If I still lived in Orlando I would be alll over this!!
Disney Princess…
It was great to see you!!! Next year??
Just found your blog a few weeks ago and found this review! Couldn’t help but laugh that’s my husbands shirt ” real men aren’t afraid to run like a princess”… We got so many comments on it and people stopping to take pics!! He actually wore it again this year