Why You Need to Run the Disney Princess Half Marathon

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Last weekend I ran my third Disney Princess Half Marathon, and it was such a wonderful and magical experience. I’ve always been a huge Disney fan; and about six years ago I started running and I fell in love with it. For a while, I had no idea about runDisney and I didn’t know you could run a race through Disney World. Then, I saw a few pics of my Facebook friend running a runDisney race. I couldn’t wait to try it for myself.

The first year I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon was 2015 and I did the Glass Slipper Challenge, which included running the 10k on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday. I took a break from the race in 2016 since I was pregnant with the twins and I thought the race would be too much to handle. In 2017, I came back with the kids to run the 10k and half marathon again. And this year, I didn’t register in time and the challenge sold out, so I just ran the half marathon. Even though I wished I could have done the challenge again, I had an absolute blast running the Disney Princess Half Marathon!

Here are my top reasons why I love running the Disney Princess Half Marathon.

Being around fellow Disney lovers is the best!

This is hands-down my favorite thing about running the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Fellow Disney lovers are everywhere! The energy and the excitement is palpable and just incredible to feel. When I got to the race expo, I could feel myself getting more excited because I was around like-minded people who were also hyped up.

People have asked me before why I run the half marathon, and my answer is because I love the runDisney community. When I was tired of running the race and the weather was humid, the other runners helped me. We kept each other motivated and cheered each other on. It’s a little weird to think about the fact that these were all strangers and I’ll likely never see them again, but they helped me through the race and I helped them. That runner mentality mixed with the Disney mentality is something I’ve never experienced anywhere else. It’s truly a magical thing.

Running through Cinderella’s Castle is breathtaking!

There’s a part of the race where you run down Main Street in Magic Kingdom, straight up to the iconic Cinderella’s Castle. The view is amazing and beautiful. And for a diehard Disney fan, it’s breathtaking. If you’re running the race for the first time, you should know that people will slow down and take photos during this part of the race. Most people have the common decency to move to the side to take their photos, but just be careful and watch your step.

That’s kind of another thing I like about the Disney Princess Half Marathon; most people don’t take themselves too seriously during it. Most people are in the race to have fun, to experience Disney from a new perspective. I’ve actually never run a regular half marathon but I can almost guarantee they aren’t as much fun!

Sparkly skirts and tutus make the Disney Princess Half Marathon more fun!

Half the fun of running the Disney Princess Half Marathon is getting to wear cute Disney Princess running costumes. Every year I see some really awesome costumes. I usually stick with a tutu or a sparkly running skirt and tank top with a specific Disney Princess theme.

This year I wore a light blue sparkly running skirt and a white tank top that said “Wake up. Chase your dreams. Repeat.” with a glittery tiara on it. And I wore a white visor with a tiara on the front of it. I was going to a Cinderella vibe. The great thing was that it was really cute and sparkly, but it was really comfortable to run in also. Since the Disney Princess Half Marathon is a long race, it’s key to make sure your costume is comfortable.

I’m already looking forward to running next year’s Disney Princess Half Marathon! Have any of you ever run a Disney race? What’s your favorite part of running with Disney?

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