It’s only been a week since the 2024 Princess Half Marathon weekend, but it feels like a lifetime. Even though I was on a solo trip (and working in my hotel room most of the time) I had a blast and want to share some of the good vibes!
The Expo was pretty much typical stuff. Lots of photo opps (lucky princesses got pictures with Cinderella’s coach and some hawwwt footmen), merch that sold out quickly, as per usual, and lots of smiles pumping through the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. I was on a very tight timeline for work, so I didn’t really get to explore much. I guess I dodged a bullet on the expo floor as there was a curling iron vendor that was apparently insulting people and holding them hostage for long periods of time. Yeesh. I hope they’re not invited back!
I did purchase my very first Pandora charms (pro tip for next year: buy them at the main expo rather than at the Advent Health Arena where the runDisney merch is – the line is much shorter at the main expo). Pandora only does runDisney charms at WDW for the Princess Weekend, so I think it will be a very long time before my bracelet is at capacity!
It was great to be back at the well-oiled machine of runDisney in Florida. I feel like I am starting to recognize the event staff, and I know everyone working these events knows exactly what is going on!
I had some really fun costumes this time around. Since I was running alone, I knew I probably wouldn’t be getting too many photo stops on the courses, so I got to Epcot early for some pre-race pics with our princesses.
Character photo lines were epically long during the 5K, of course but I grabbed a couple of non-character photos as I “sped” my way around Epcot. I loved the 10K course and had lots of fun running as Mother Gothel. I didn’t see many people dressed as her, so I felt pretty unique.
The Half Marathon was my most ambitious costume – when I attempted to run as Ray from The Princess and the Frog. I am happy to say I pulled it off. The costume worked particularly well in the dark, and I’ve never had so many compliments on my butt before! Of course it may be that people just couldn’t believe that I was committed to running 13.1 miles with a giant glowing beach ball attached to my backside. It honestly wasn’t that annoying. The worst part was that it was attached at the shoulders (via a laundry bag) to a vest. The vest of course was pulled by the ball, with a lovely strangling effect, so I had to keep pulling the vest down to ensure I continued breathing. Yes, I know rule #1 of running in a costume is always do a test run, but, whatever…. Oh, and those incredible Ray eyes were painted by my daughter!
I had the misfortune of drawing corral E, but luckily was in the first wave. I stuck to my 30:30 intervals, and fortunatley never saw the balloon ladies. It was really a great sense of relief when I knew I was “safe”. Starting in the back is always scary, but now I really know that I can make the best of it. I didn’t stop for any photos, but at some point I probably could have. I was just on a mission!
Speaking of starting in the back, I really would be remiss if I didn’t give a huge shout-out to the Dead Last Start crew. What is DLS? In short it’s a bunch of crazy people who start last, with the Balloon Ladies and see how many people they can pass. Usually they do it for fun, but sometimes they do it for charity, and this weekend, they made a huge impact. You see, sadly, one of the Balloon Ladies lost her son suddenly and unexpectedly just after the Disneyland Half Marathon. The only silver lining was that Trevor Doyle’s organs were donated to four individuals. The Dead Last Start runners created a fundraiser, that last time I checked had raised over $39,000 to support organ donor families. Holy cow. That gives me chills just thinking about it. If you would like to donate in Trevor’s memory, here’s the link:
And with that, it’s time to think about Springtime Surprise, and Wine and Dine registration is coming up fast! More to come this week!
Disney Park Runner 