Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend
One of my top life experiences has been doing a runDisney race, specifically the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend in Orlando, Florida. This year was my third time participating in it. The first two times I did the Enchanted 10k (2016 & 2017), while this year I did the Disney Princess 5k. Both are a fun time and have the same perks! Only difference is a longer course and different featured princesses. The 2022 featured princesses were: 5k – Cinderella, 10k – Tiana, Half Marathon – Mulan, Fairy Tale Challenge – Moana. Featured princesses for each race change each year.
Not only did we do the 5k this time, but we also visited Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. If you are thinking about signing up for a future event, check out my tips on how to prepare for a runDisney race. Looking to visit a Walt Disney World park? Check out my Disney World Travel Guide to make the most out of your visit!
Disney Princess 5k Course
Both the Disney Princess 10k and 5k go through Walt Disney World’s Epcot park. You get to walk/run around “the world”! The best part? There are Disney characters along the course that you can stop and get pictures with, either on your phone or from a Disney PhotoPass professional. These photos count towards Memory Maker downloads if you purchased it ahead of time (we did and I highly recommend). I encourage that you pick and choose which characters you stop for. There will be lines, sometimes long, and you don’t want to get too far behind on the course. The Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend features a lot of favorite Disney princesses on the course. While the races themselves start before the sun comes up, the view of sunrise in Epcot is beautiful.
Details About runDisney Race Weekends
Registration for runDisney races are done online. Race packets need to be picked up the day before your chosen event at the Expo. A free shuffle will be provided to the Expo and to the course the morning of the race if you are staying at a Disney resort hotel. A full list of my tips on how to prepare for a runDisney race can be found here.
1. Register for the race
runDisney offers a handful of race weekends each year at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and NEW for 2024 is the comeback of events at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. All can be found on the runDisney website where they will announce when registration opens. In-person spots go really fast, so it’s important that you’re online, logged into your MyDisneyExperience account, and ready to click register when your chosen race weekend goes live. Once in line, you will be able to register yourself and any additional participants if needed. Have their birthday, email address, and shirt size ready.
2. Reserve your hotel
After securing your race registration, I highly recommend that you book your hotel as soon as possible. Rooms during race weekends go fast. I also highly recommend to stay at a Disney hotel rather than outside of the parks. Disney hotels offer free shuttle buses to and from the Expo, morning of the race, and to Walt Disney World parks throughout the whole day. This is a a huge perk that will save you money!
3. Purchase your theme park tickets
Now that you have your hotel booked, it’s time to purchase and reserve your theme park tickets. runDisney race registrations do not include entry to a Disney park. Ticket options include one park per day, more than one park per day (Park Hopper), and more. Purchasing your theme park tickets is a two-parter. First, select your ticket option. Once bought, you will then need to reserve which park you want to go to and on which day. This can be done under ‘Park Reservations’ in your MyDisneyExperience portal and is a step that can not be skipped.
4. Book your flight
If outside of the area, you will need to book a flight. I start looking at options very early so I can track the prices and find a good deal. As of January 2022, Disney will no longer offer their free Magical Express shuttle from the airport to Disney resort hotels. They now partner with Mears Connect. We reserved a roundtrip ride from the airport to our hotel for $32 each.
5. Plan a runDisney race outfit
People get really into dressing up as Disney characters for the race. For my first runDisney race weekend I went as Princess Jasmine, following year I was Pocahontas, and this year I was Evie from Descendants. Fun Disney-inspired outfits can be found on Etsy. That’s where I have found my past purchases. Make sure to follow RunDisney’s costume guidelines when planning. It’s also a good idea to test your race outfit before your trip to avoid any mishaps. Here are the Race Polices specifically for the runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend.
runDisney now offers virtual race weekend options. I can’t wait to participate in the 2023 Walt Disney World Marathon weekend with its 5k and the 2023 Princess Half Marathon Weekend with its 5k!