Disney Princess Half Marathon Glass Slipper Challenge
Pre-race Events: The night before both the 10K and the Half Marathon, runDisney holds an event called Pasta in the Park. It's a separately ticketed event that includes a buffet pasta dinner, Disney character appearances, entertainment, and dancing. You also receive entry into Epcot at 6PM and a reserved viewing area for the fireworks show IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. We went last year and the party had an Arabian Nights theme with Aladdin character meet and greets. Melanie and I figured it would have the same theme as last year, so we went to a different character dinner while Christine and our other friends attended Pasta in the Park. It turns out it had a HERCULES theme this year! Melanie and I had some serious Disney envy when we realized all the Pasta in the Park attendants got to meet some of the most rarely spotted Disney characters including Megara, Hades, Pain and Panic. We LOVE Megara, and who better than Herc himself to tell you to go the distance? The moral of the story is that this event is probably worth going to every year. You never know who will show up…
Race Day:On the morning of the Princess Half Marathon, I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. It's the only reason I would ever happily set my alarm for 2:30AM. First let's talk about what really matters – our costumes. We all busted out our sewing machines and made our own running costumes. Christine went as Mary Poppins, Melanie went as Agent Carter, and I decided to go as yellow dress Belle. For once, I just wanted my hair color to match the character which is really difficult when you're an Elsa loving brunette. (#DisneyNerdProblems)
Oh it's a jolly holiday with Christine!
All the women who independent, throw your hands up at me!!!
Dress like a Beauty, run like a Beast!
Before heading to the start line, we participated in the usual pre-race dance party. Big shout out to the DJ who wore his tutu on stage! The dancing was especially helpful for staying warm in the chilly weather! (Race tip for chilly mornings: pack a mylar blanket and bring it with you to the start line. You can stay covered up until you start running. Just be sure to get rid of it before you cross the start line since it can mess up your runner tracking.)
It might just be me, but it felt like runDisney put much less time between the corrals this year. I thought that made a HUGE difference. It felt like we spent much less time standing in our corrals waiting for our turn to cross the start line. In my opinion, that was a big change for the better.
That much anticipated moment when it's finally time to start running!
After running through Magic Kingdom, the course moves into the resort area. Christine and I knew Mary Poppins would be standing outside of the Grand Floridian, and we could not wait to take a picture with her! It was practically perfect in every way.
"Stand up straight. No slouching." -Mary Poppins right before this picture
We also ran past THE Glass Slipper displayed on a pillow by a group of men in tuxedos. Then we continued on past the Disney golf courses and we even got to take a picture in this amazing Mickey golf cart. Where can I get one of these? I would like to use it to commute around Washington, DC.
The Green Army Men from Toy Story were another memorable moment in the race. They were standing at the top of a big hill yelling at all the runners to move faster. Christine stopped and asked for a picture. One of the soldiers yelled, "I don't think so jolly holiday! If you want a picture you're going to have to work for it!" They made her do three push-ups in the grass. She got a few grass stains on her costume, but it was totally worth it.
It's hard to talk about a runDisney race without talking about the amazing spectators and fellow runners. The Disney cast members and the cheering crowds play a huge part in making this race so memorable. You won't make it very far before you hear a stranger cheer for you or offer you a high five with a big Mickey glove on their hand. I've also seen the best spectator signs in this race. Kudos to all the amazing spectators for their love and creativity. And shout out to the runners for the camaraderie and supportive community. We loved running into some of our Instagram and blog friends on the course.
The end of the Princess Half Marathon course makes a loop and heads back toward Epcot. It finishes with a short run through Epcot past the fountain and the big Epcot ball. The course then takes you out of Epcot toward the parking lot area for the big celebratory finish line! My favorite part of the Princess Half finish line is the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique crew sprinkling everyone with Pixie Dust (aka lots of glitter.)
Sprinkled with glitter at the finish line
Congratulations to all of the runners who participated in the Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend. Whether you ran the 5K, 10K, Half Marathon or all three race, we here at Runs in Tutus are proud of you for your magical accomplishment. We hope to see you at another runDisney race soon. Our next race will be the Tinker Bell Half Marathon in Anaheim. I cannot wait to spend another magical weekend with my sisters and with all the amazing friends we've made through the runDisney community. Keep on running princesses!
-Amanda
Disney Princess Half Marathon Glass Slipper Challenge
Source: http://runsintutus.com/2016/03/2016-disney-princess-half-marathon-recap-glass-slipper-challenge-part-2/
0 Response to "Disney Princess Half Marathon Glass Slipper Challenge"
Post a Comment