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Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend 2023: Virtual 5k

January 13, 2023

Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend 2023

One good thing that came from the pandemic was runDisney offering virtual race weekend options, opposed to their in-person park events. I started off 2023 strong with the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend! This specific race weekend is offered every January at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. This year was special because it was runDisney’s 30th anniversary, hence the 90’s theme. Which I loved. I participated in the virtual 5k event via a fast-paced walk in the city. The flexibility of a virtual event is great because you can choose any day out of the race weekend to complete your miles and can do it all at once, break it up, etc while still receiving the perks of a medal and shirt. Keep reading to learn what a runDisney virtual event entails.

Virtual 5k Perks

A runDisney race weekend at the parks is AWESOME. The experience is worth the effort and something I recommend experiencing at least once. A race weekend in the parks, however, can cost air fare and hotel fare for someone who doesn’t live in the area. Luckily, virtual race options allow you to still experience joy towards a Disney-themed event without breaking the bank. Each participant will receive a virtual bib, virtual toolkit, race shirt, and race medal. The shirt and medal arrive in a fun, themed box. Check out the image above for my Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend 2023 package. I can’t wait for the 2023 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend in February – I’ll be doing the virtual 5k for that as well!

runDisney holds in-person and virtual race weekends throughout the whole year. The majority of these events are held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, however NEW for 2024 is the comeback of runDisney at Disneyland in Anaheim, California! Stay updated at rundisney.com.

runDisney Virtual Series: Frozen Summer 2022

August 24, 2022

runDisney’s Summer 2022 Virtual Series

I am a huge fan of Disney’s Frozen and Frozen 2, so I was extremely excited to see runDisney’s Summer 2022 Virtual Series be Frozen themed! As usual, the Virtual Series is offered in three different segments for you to choose from. You can register for as many as you want, and if you want to do all three there is usually a series challenge option available! The three choices for the Frozen Summer 2022 Virtual Series was The Original Classic featuring Sven and Kristoff, The Heroic Sequel featuring Anna and Elsa, and The Broadway Hit featuring Frozen the Musical. The Virtual Challenge medal features Olaf!

The Heroic Sequel 5k

I registered for The Heroic Sequel segment of the Summer 2022 Virtual Series 5k. The completion timeline given for all the segments is June 1-August 31, 2022. I decided to do my miles towards it in the month of June. The beauty of a virtual race event is that you have the freedom and leisure to log those steps how you see fit. For me, it’s brisk walking instead of running. This is the approach I took at in-person runDisney races as well – you can view tips on how to prepare for one at the parks here! Once you complete your miles, you then need to add them and mark your race as complete in the backend of your RunDisney account. This must be done in order for you to get your completion certificate and medal in the mail – so don’t forget!

The Summer 2022 Virtual Series Medals

The medals for the Frozen Summer 2022 Virtual Series include Sven and Kristoff for The Original Classic, Anna and Elsa for The Heroic Sequel, Frozen the Musical for The Broadway Hit, and Olaf for The Virtual Challenge. The coolest thing about this series’ medals, though, is they act as snowglobes. Each have glitter snowflakes that move around with motion. Such a fun touch! I’m glad I was able to participate in this summer’s Virtual Series, and hope to partake in another one in the future!

Make sure to keep up with future virtual and in-person runDisney events on their website!

runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend: 5k 2022

April 6, 2022

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!

How to Prepare for a runDisney Race Weekend

September 8, 2021

My first time doing the #Enchanted10k at runDisney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend was in February 2016, and I’ve been chasing that Disney high ever since. My second Princess 10k was in February 2017, where I participated with my sister. Now, by happy chance, we will be doing the Princess 5k in February 2022. I literally can’t wait. Not only we will be doing the race, but we will also get to visit Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios while we’re there as well. If you are thinking about signing up for a future event, there are a few things that will help you prepare for a runDisney race weekend. Read below to plan the best runDisney trip possible!

Steps to Prepare for a runDisney Race Weekend

1. Register for the race

Step one, as expected, is to register for the race. runDisney offers a handful of race weekends each year at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. All of them can be found on the runDisney website where they will announce when registration opens. These spots go really fast, so it’s important that you’re online 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. You will be asked your typical contact information as well as your race shirt size and if you want to add on any race swag extras (pins, Pandora charms, etc.).

2. Reserve your hotel

After securing your race registration, I highly recommend that you create a MyDisneyExperience account and 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 Walt Disney World throughout the whole day. This is a big perk for the morning of race day! My hotel of choice is always one of the Disney All-Star Resorts, which are nice and affordable.

3. Purchase your theme park tickets

Now that you have your hotel booked, it’s time to purchase and reserve your theme park tickets. Walt Disney World consists of four different parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. 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 need to reserve which park you want to go to on which day. This can be done under ‘Park Reservations’ in your MyDisneyExperience portal.

4. Book your flight

If outside of the area, you will need to book a flight to Orlando, Florida. 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 hotels. This leaves Mears Connect, taxis and Ubers/Lyfts to get to your destination.

5. Select your MagicBand

Once linked to your MyDisneyExperience account, MagicBands are used to enter the parks, connect to the Disney PhotoPass Service, enter your Disney Resort Hotel room, and make purchases sent to your Disney Resort Hotel bill. There are two options on how to select your MagicBand: on shopdisney.com or through your portal. Having your Disney hotel reservations linked to your portal allows you to view a selection of pre-order, discounted MagicBands.

6. Add a PhotoPass Memory Maker

While not required, PhotoPass Memory Maker will be a great addition to your trip. Linking this to your MagicBand allows you to download and view all of the professional photos taken of you at the parks. These include pictures you get with characters, pictures in front of popular spots where photographers are stationed, etc. We purchased this last time we went to Disney and it was totally worth it. Options include photos from one day or photos during your entire trip.

7. Plan a runDisney race outfit

Dressing up for the race is, in my opinion, the best part. People get really into it and there’s always a good variety of characters featured. For my first runDisney race weekend I went as Princess Jasmine. The following year I was inspired by Princess Pocahontas. This time I’m leaning more towards a Disney Villian – either Evie from Descendants, Ursula, or Megara. 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 Marathon Weekend.

8. Pack a portable phone charger

There’s a good chance your phone could die during the race before you even reach the parks afterwards. Between taking pictures with Disney characters on the course and listening to pump-up jams, your phone battery is going to need some extra voltage. I like to keep a portal phone charger in my backpack while in the parks so that there’s no panicking while in a large, crowded area.

runDisney Health & Fitness Expo

Every runDisney race weekend features a runDisney Health & Fitness Expo at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. It is required to attend the RunDisney Health & Fitness Expo to pick up your race number, event shirt, and gEAR bag, however the runDisney Health & Fitness Expo also features a variety of runDisney race weekend merchandise and the latest in apparel and fitness equipment. From event jackets to the latest New Balance running shoes, the runDisney Health & Fitness Expo is an experience in itself.

runDisney Health & Fitness Expo Tip

There are usually a couple photo backdrops when you first enter the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex grounds. These feature the runDisney race logo and make for a great photo op! I was able to get this fun jumping shot my first year.