Run Like Royalty: The Disney Princess Half Marathon Experience

Ah, the Disney Princess Half Marathon – where dreams dash across the pavement, and every stride sparkles with a touch of magic!

Imagine a race where fairytales come to life, and you’re not just running; you’re embarking on a gallant quest through the enchanting realms of Disney. It’s an event where every participant is royalty, wearing not just bibs, but tiaras and tutus, racing through a course sprinkled with Disney magic.

Today’s post is a guest post from my niece, Kristin who grew up in a military family. She’s quite a runner, having competed in many races over the years. I’ve fond memories of watching her finish a race a couple years ago in my original home town from her mom’s front porch!

  As an avid runner, I have participated in and placed in various races throughout the country. That said, I would certainly rank the Disney Princess Half Marathon at Walt Disney World Resort as one of the most unique, organized, and empowering runs I have ever done!

Is a half marathon not your thing? RunDisney offers a 5k and a 10k too! Feeling like a challenge? The fairytale challenge covers 19.3 miles, earning you 3 medals- 10k, 13.1 miles, and the challenge medal.

So, how does one sign up for these races? How do I get my gEAR bag and bib that weekend? How does my family spectate? Below is a guide for the best Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend!

Registration

The Disney Princess races are generally held in late February (upcoming dates: Feb 20-24, 2025).

Registration usually occurs the summer before, with the registration for the 2024 race opening on June 20, 2023. For 2025, Disney announced registration opening on July 30, 2024. You can stay on top of registration dates and times by following runDisney on Facebook, Instagram, X, or by signing up on their e-mail list.

Due to the volume of people trying to register all at the same time, expect to wait in a virtual queue anywhere from 60 min to 120 minutes (it was 120 in my case). I took my phone with me wherever I went, even the bathroom!

Registration will sell out within a few hours! The 2024 race was sold out by 4:45 p.m. Disney’s races are non transferable and non refundable!

Prices vary from $108 to $390 depending on the race. For the half marathon, my price was $232. During registration, if you want to ask for start group consideration, you must submit proof of time by the deadline set forth by Disney. Start group placement is based on your anticipated finish time and start group capacities.

Also, make sure to fill out your runDisney waiver. You need to in order to participate.

Your registered! Now what?

Let the training begin! February will come before you know it.

Want to plan your outfit during this time?

You are allowed to wear anything from full-out costumes (and many do) to special running outfits. I utilized Etsy for a personalized T-shirt that I wore.

Just ensure you follow runDisney’s costume guidelines, which will be emailed to you or are available on social media or the runDisney site.

These were the guidelines for 2024:

Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend Health and Fitness Expo

You will start the Race Weekend by attending the runDisney expo to pick up your bib and gEAR bag and shop for memorable official runDisney merchandise. The expo normally runs on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. For 2024, the hours were 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Day 1, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Day 2, and 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Day 3.

You may have to join a virtual queue in the My Disney Experience app to shop on opening day.

You will have to go to 3 different buildings at the ESPN Wide World of Sports campus to  pick up your bib, shop for merch, and get your gEAR bag. Your gEAR bag has your commemorative T-shirt in it, and you’ll use it race day to store your extra stuff.

Just a heads up, no strollers are allowed in these buildings, so those with little kids can find this difficult.

If you stay at a Walt Disney Resort hotel, contracted tour buses like shuttles (not the regular Disney shuttle buses) will take you to the expo.

The expo has food, beer, and a ton of merchandise! Make sure you have your photo ID to pick up your bib! I made the mistake of leaving it in the diaper bag outside and had to walk all the way back around.

Race Day

I was worried about how I would get breakfast the morning of the race, staying at a Walt Disney World resort hotel. Luckily, the hotel’s dining venue (in my case, we were staying at Art of Animation Resort, so Landscape of Flavors) opens at 2:30 a.m. and offers a race pack (with peanut butter, a bagel, a banana, water, and trail mix).

For transportation, I took the shuttle provided to the start line. I took the bus from Art of Animation at around 3:15 a.m. I ate my bagel on the bus but found it did not hold me over till the start. I purchased a granola bar at the food tent at the start line, where they also sell water and fuel options.

I put my sweatshirt and sweatpants my gEAR bag (it is much colder than I expected in the morning in February in Florida) and wrote my bib number on the gEAR bag in the spot provided. I then checked it to be stored while I raced. ,They gave me a sticker/claim ticket to place on the back of my bib with the truck/bag number so I could easily pick up my gEART bag when I was finished.

My start group “A” closed at 4:40 a.m. Prior to the race, there are opening ceremonies and some nice fireworks to send you off. Throughout the race, you can take pictures with the characters.

I found it better to purchase the Disney’s Photo Pass for my trip (which cost me around $200) so that I could pose quickly and have a professional photo done by Disney’s PhotoPass photographers (Military Discounts are available on PhotoPass). If you are also going to the parks throughout your trip, it’s worth it. Some people handed their phones to the photographer, but it took some time, and if you have a goal for a finish time, this may interfere. The pictures become available later that afternoon, and you link them with the code on the back of your bib right on the My Disney Experience app.

Along with the continuous characters, movies, scenery, and lighting along the course, this race proved to be an incredible experience. There is nothing that I can compare to running through Cinderella castle, lit up in the Magic Kingdom in the dark.

Spectators can watch in three different locations listed below. My crew did not make it to any of the spectator areas (we have a 2-year-old), so I can’t elaborate on transportation there. However, it seemed that you would have to take your own to anywhere not on the shuttle line (start/finish line), which would have to be done before the start of the race at 5 a.m.

Finish

Congrats, you’ve run your Disney Princess Half Marathon!

You’ll collect your medal at the end of the race and can either stay to have refreshments or grab your runDisney box of snacks (mine had M&Ms, trail mix, and chips and dip) and catch the shuttle to your resort after grabbing your gEAR bag.

Don’t forget to take pictures at some of the displays, such as the one I took below:

Then head back to have a margarita by the pool! (I would not advise going to the parks on the day of your run), but I will say I did have the energy to do it if I wanted to! We just had a fun pool day and went to Disney Springs for dinner.

Disney cast members, and the public said congratulations to me everywhere I went the rest of the trip, as I proudly wore my medal! The castmembers also have a special greeting for you when you get off the shuttle at your hotel!

For more information visit 2024 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend presented by CORKCICLE (rundisneyexpo.run).

• Back to Basics Posts - A great place to start, offering basic topics!
• Disney Veteran & Military Discount Eligibility Guide
• The Military Family’s Walt Disney World Comprehensive Vacation Planning and Preparation Guide 
• Military Disney Tips Disney Packing Checklist 
• Disney Military Tickets – Your Start-to-Finish Guide

• Resorts/Hotel Overview Page
• Dining Overview Page
• Transportation Overview Page
• Technology Overview Page
• Shades of Green, WDW’s Military-Only Resort

The Mouse Experts is a travel booking company specializing in Disney vacations. Military family owned and operated! They know all the ins and outs of Disney military discounts!