I stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort on Disney property. I do highly recommend staying on property as it makes transportation on race morning (and to and from parks in general) very easy. RunDisney has buses pick you up and take you to and from the race. Also staying at a Disney resort allows you to \u201crope drop\u201d the park. This means, you get in before all other guests and have 30 minutes to ride whatever you want before the public. If you\u2019re thinking, well, there\u2019s a bunch of people at the resorts doing the same thing, I was able to ride Star Tours, Rock n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror all before the park opened. It is worth it. Also, getting that wake up call from Mickey himself every morning was fun too. There’s something about the voice of the happiest mouse at 5:30 am that really gets the day started.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve never stayed on property before, Disney resorts will hold your bags after check out and before your room is ready so you can hit a park instead of waiting around for the room, or wasting a day before you head to the airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am returning to Disney in November and will be staying at the Contemporary. I\u2019m not running in the Wine and Dine in person, but I am doing it virtually. As I mentioned earlier, I am planning on running in Princess Weekend again in 2023. I will keep you posted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Race<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The day we arrived, we put our bags down and headed straight to the Expo at Disney\u2019s Wide World of Sports. This is where you pick up your race t-shirt, bib, and all the Expo shops. The lines for the Expo can get pretty long, however this is to get all of the official RunDisney merch. If that doesn\u2019t interest you then you can skip ahead and get your t-shirt and bib and gEAR bag. Seeing all of the people who are completing the race with you is exciting. Getting to hear tips from RunDisney regulars is even more fun. Many runners are doing the challenge (5k, 10k, Half on each day) and that\u2019s when I realize that my one half marathon was nothing<\/em> in comparison to what some where doing. Hold on, that\u2019s not what I meant. I meant my level of crazy was still crazy, but there\u2019s some who\u2019s level of crazy is crazier than mine. Also can I note, that I too am planning to do the challenge in 2023? I am crazier than I thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I ran the Princess Half Marathon. Let me inform you that this is the longest distance I have ever run. I am not a runner by any means. This race was a bucket list item for me. A bucket list item, that may have turned itself into a yearly thing\u2026the jury is still out on that. Disney magic exists in every aspect of the world of Disney and that includes RunDisney. Waking up at 3 am seems scary until you are singing Encanto on the bus with a bunch of strangers dressed as their favorite princess at 4 am. The adrenaline is all the way up from wake up call until you hit the pillow. The fairy godmother that kicks off the race, the fireworks that go off when you take off at the starting line, the characters that are out at mile markers, the video screens that are showing clips from movies, bands, throughout the course – you name it, it\u2019s there. OF COURSE Mickey and Minnie greet you as you enter Magic Kingdom. I cried when I saw them. Not because I had made it six miles but because they were so happy to see us, and this was the fires time I saw them on the trip – I was equally happy to see them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you get to Magic Kingdom, there are people lined up along Main Street. Cheering for you with signs of encouragement and motivating you. To be completely transparent, I had to go to the bathroom so bad at this point that I couldn\u2019t stop moving. I wanted to stop at take a picture in front of the castle with my friend Ashleigh because this was a moment. I didn\u2019t get my castle photo. I kept going, but there are race photographers every where taking photos.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are pacers on the course. Walkers, Run-Walkers (that\u2019s me), and people having a great time. This is not the race to attempt to PR in, or anything like that. There is a large crowd of runners. Runners stopping for photos with characters and more distractions that come up. What distracted me the most was the fact I had to go to the bathroom for miles, and lines were so long and the Balloon Ladies (they are the last to finish and sweep runners off the course that fall behind their 16-minute-mile walking pace) were not far behind me. My main goal with my first half was to not get swept. Luckily I never did, but that also applied extra pressure when looking for bathrooms and lines are very long.\u00a0Not to mention sometimes I would get stuck in a pack where it was easier to walk with them, than to bob and weave to get out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Post race, you get your medal (they are heavy), a box of snacks, a cold wet towel that I was so grateful for, and there are buses ready to take you back to your resort or expo, or you can stay and enjoy the food trucks and festivities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n