This is a guest post written by one of my readers, Shannon Metcalf Slutman. She did a fantastic recap and had a great race. Thank you for sharing your insight on a popular race! Go Shannon!
I entered the
Princess Half Marathon in July 2012 as my motivation to get moving again! It had been 10 years since my last half
marathon, one wonderful husband, and two beautiful little girls…I was ready to
feel like an athlete again. Few things
make me feel as strong as when I run and I’m guessing many of you feel the same
way.
Is the RunDisney Princess the right race for you? If you love all things Disney and you love to
run…you will want to give a RunDisney race a chance. If you want to go for a girls weekend or are
a solo female runner…the Princess may be the right one for you. If you are a male runner who loves to dress
up and you are okay starting in Corral C….the Princess might be right for
you! If you’re a Mother Runner and have
a supportive husband and want to wrap a race into a vacation…this might be the
right race for you!
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Registration: Many RunDisney races are starting to sell out
very quickly but the Princess was not this way.
I believe it was fall before it fully sold out. You will have a variety of things to choose
from when you register…jewelry, pins, race retreats, pasta dinners and chEAR
packages. I opted for the necklace which
was far more my speed for wearing around the parks in the days following the
race. I’m not a “wear your medal after
the race” kind of girl but many people do for days after at a Disney race. I bought the pin too which is cute and is
just attached to my medal. If you want a
race retreat, buy it early. There are
only so many and they include private bathrooms, food, entertainment, and a
nice tent in case it rains. I didn’t see
a need for it but I’ve heard it is a great VIP experience. We skipped the pasta dinner too. It was too pricey and we had the dining plan
for our family.
RunDisney events are wonderful because they are inclusive of
all kinds of racers…elite, fast, middle of the pack (like me), run/walkers,
walk/runners and walkers. Your
satisfaction with the race is going to come down to one thing…corral placement! If you are a runner…submit a time to
RunDisney from a 10K or longer proving you can finish in less than 2:45. I submitted a 2:10 and was in Corral A. While I had to jockey for position a bit in
the beginning…I had plenty of room throughout the race.
Travel: Disney also has a wide variety of options
for where to stay. We were bringing our
two small children with us so we wanted something on site, close to the parks,
and with a separate bedroom. As a
military family we got a great discount on a deluxe resort and ended up staying
at the Bay Lake Towers. I loved it! I would recommend staying on site at a host
hotel to take advantage of the race day transportation and transportation to
the expo. RunDisney does offer
discounted hotel rates…but you can often get cheaper rates through Disney
planners or discounts they offer throughout the year. Staying off site is much cheaper but I’ve
heard traffic can be a bear if you stay off site and need to drive.
We flew in on the Friday before the race and caught the
Magical Express to our hotel. As our
daughters were in the kids races the next day, getting to the expo to pick up
our packets was critical. I left my
hubby and girls in the room to rest up a bit while I ran to the expo. I don’t recommend bringing kids or strollers
to the expo as it is very crowded and there were so many unhappy kids there. I hopped on a bus and was at the expo in
about 15 minutes. Everyone at a Disney
event is very friendly and eager to chat.
Packet pickup was painless although someone thought it would be smart to
put the t-shirts on the opposite side of the convention hall. If you are looking for SWAG, RunDisney is not
the place to find it. You are paying for
the experience and entertainment. I
loved my shirt, but that and your medal are all that you will get…without
paying for it. The expo was packed with
speakers and more shirts, gear, and stuff than you could ever use. If you are dead set on buying an “I did it”
shirt or any other princess gear… get ready to wait in line. The Official Merchandise area was packed so I
passed on it. I did however buy a book
and shirt from Run Like a Mother. I eyed
up the New Balance RunDisney shoes but couldn’t justify $125 on shoes I
wouldn’t be able to run in (I need more support).
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Kids Races: Many people run
the family 5K early Saturday morning, as our kids are little, I didn’t want to
start our vacation with them sleep deprived.
We opted for the Kids Races instead which started at a more reasonable
hour. These may be one of the few Disney
Deals! While they just increased the
rate from $10 to $15, the price includes the experience of the race, a medal,
cute t-shirt, personalized race bib, and snack at the end. My little girls were in two different
races. My husband “ran” with my 23 month
old and I ran with the 4 ½ year old. If
you have a little one, bring supplies to occupy them while you are
waiting. While waiting for the 100M, my
husband said the kids around him were melting down because the announcers got a
bit long winded. They release the kids
in waves and my littlest was not going to be rushed and took her time. My older daughter did the 200M and she ran
and skipped very happily by my side.
Both girls loved it and my older daughter can’t wait to get another medal! We think this is a wonderful habit to pass
onto our girls! They also have 300M,
400M and a mile race. I was amazed at
the number of people. Just a word of
caution, if your kids are close in age, put them in the same race. While this
wouldn’t have worked for us, I was disappointed I didn’t get to see my little
one run a nd my husband didn’t get to see my older daughter run.
Food: That night we went out for dinner. I tried so hard to book something easy and
early, but the reservation gods were not in our favor. Our 5:30 reservation in Downtown Disney was
pushed back because it took forever for a bus to take us there and then the
Rainforest Café put our reservation on hold even though we were there. Needless to say we ate late, dealt with tired
kids, and I couldn’t wait to get everyone in bed so I could go to sleep
too. My suggestion, go somewhere close
to your hotel and keep it simple. Next
time we plan on ordering food from a local grocery delivery service and cooking
in our suite. It would have really cut
down on my stress the night before. If
you are on a strict diet, this might help you stay on track too!
Race Day! The next morning,
my alarm went off at 3:00 and I was ready to go! About half of the people dress up for Disney
races. I opted for a more minimal
costume with just a Sparkle Skirt and a “It’s not Sweat, It’s Pixie Dust”
shirt. As we were staying on the
monorail, by 3:30 I was on the train and transportation to the race couldn’t
have been easier. It was so much fun to
get a sneak peak of some of the things we would see on the route. Other host hotels provide buses to and from
the race. Once I got to the race, there
was a backup of people trying to get past the areas to take pictures to the bag
drop and port-a-potties. Once this cleared there were a few food trucks for
people who needed coffee and lots of people watching! The costumes are really creative! After a few trips to the bathroom, it’s time
to start the 20 minute walk to the start!
Don’t take this for granted. I’ve
heard of people sprinting to their Corrals because they waited too long. I believe you need to be in your Corral by
5:00 for a 5:35 start. 
The start of the race is pure Disney. They entertain you with inspiring stories,
interviews, and a countdown. Before you
know it, it’s time to run. Every Corral
gets the same countdown, send off by the Fairy Godmother, and fireworks! Who doesn’t like fireworks to start a race! Corral A was fast and I got carried along by
the other runners and ran a lot faster than I would have normally. The course entertainment was great, the
volunteers at each water station are amazing, and everyone I ran with was very
courteous. With the first Corral, you
don’t get many people stopping for pictures unless there is no one there or
it’s just too good to pass up. I didn’t
have any issues running past the characters until there was one with all of the
villains…that was really hard to pass up.
After about five miles I was starting to feel the effects of the
humidity but at least the sun wasn’t up yet!
As you run into the Magic Kingdom and down Main Street it is truly
magical. I wish I could have stopped to
take it all in. The crowd support is
unlike any other and you truly feel like a rock star! The best part though is running through the
castle. It went by so fast and it was
really beautiful! Again, if you have a
time to submit, your experience running through the castle will be much better
if you are in an earlier Corral. I’ve
seen video from later groups and it is so crowded people have to walk
through. 
As always, the last
mile seemed to go on forever! The crowd
support as you enter Epcot is amazing!
There is a woman who must love RunDisney because I’ve seen lots of
pictures of her holding a sign that says “Complete Stranger I’m Proud of You
Too!” At this point I needed it. The heat and humidity had taken its
toll. As I wound my way through Epcot, I
tried to tell myself to take it all in but all I wanted to do was get out of
Epcot so I could get to the finish line. As you run past the Alleluia Choir you know
you are almost finished and can empty the tank on your way to the finish
line! I gave Goofy a high five and gratefully
crossed the finish line!
What really impressed me was the medical staff… one of the
nurses or doctors made eye contact with me after I finished to make sure I was
okay. It took me a minute to figure out
what she was doing, but as a solo runner, this meant the world to me. Next, a wonderful man put a very heavy medal
around my neck and I was loaded down with food, water, and Gatorade. I’m not a fan of the RunDisney food boxes…I
just can’t do hummus after a run but some of you might be down with that. I happily worked on my banana and water while
I figured out how to find my family.
Disney has reunion
areas set up but there is also only one way into the finisher’s area. As my husband is 6’5”, he was easy to spot
with my two beautiful girls. He had been
receiving text updates all morning on my 5K, 10K and 15K times so he knew my
estimated finish time. Sadly due to the
insane number of people, they didn’t see me finish but having them there meant
the world. My girls greeted me with
beautiful roses with Mickey on them.
Disney knows how to do it right.
We then walked over to get my medal engraved. I beat my PR from when I was 28 and I felt
like I should commemorate it! We
finished our trip with three days in the parks which was a wonderful way to
work the soreness out of my legs!
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Pro’s:
·
Running through the Magic Kingdom is Magic!
·
Wonderful crowd support around the parks
·
Great atmosphere
·
The magic of Disney
·
Amazing course support (water, fuel, potties,
medical)
·
Great expo
·
Entertainment to break up the boring course
·
You get to celebrate afterwards in Disney World!
Cons:
·
If you want to run with your husband he has to
start in Corral C.
·
Can be very congested if you don’t start in an
earlier corral.
·
Expensive…it’s Disney
·
Limited SWAG
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