Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Media Mixer Recap

Running — 28 February 2011

Half marathon number four is officially in the books. This past weekend I ran in Disney’s Princess Half Marathon and took part in their Princess Media Mixer. The good folks at Walt Disney World Resort hosted me, my BlogRollin’ partner, Christie, and five other fabulous bloggers (Racing with Babes, Workout Mommy, Long Legs on the Loose, Run Faster Mommy and CutieBootyCakes) in association with our Get Moving! initiative. Mo Travels, Running Backwards in High Heels, WDW Mom’s Panelist Disney Deborah, Maria Bailey and her BSM Media crew rounded out the group. To say we had a BLAST would be an understatement. Running at Disney is ALWAYS a fun experience – if you haven’t done a runDisney event it should definitely top your list – but when you have the Disney crew sprinkling pixie dust on you all weekend it is definitely something magical.

I took plenty of pictures and will let them tell the story.

We arrived Saturday afternoon, checked into the Polynesian Resort then headed over to the expo and a tour of the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

The expo was packed!

We paused our shopping for a pic. Notice the “champion” above our heads. I’m just sayin.

See, there really are glass running shoes!

After the expo we had a little welcome reception where we mingled with Ethan Zohn and Jenna Morasca from “Survivor;” and had a great, intimate Q&A with the legendary Jeff Galloway.

Me with Jeff Galloway. He’s the runDisney training consultant. I was so thrilled because I follow his Galloway method for long runs. Am I grinning hard enough?

We left ESPN and headed to Hollywood Studios where we CARB LOADED at Mama Melrose. I could eat there every night if Disney, and my hips, could take it. Then it was off to bed – we had a 3:45 a.m. call time. YIKES!

My pre-race EARLY morning pic!

We hopped on the bus and dropped our stuff off in the Media/VIP tent before heading to the start line. Every corral started with a bang, literally, as fireworks sent more than 16,000 runners from Epcot to Magic Kingdom and back. The course is filled with every one’s favorite Disney characters and live entertainment.

There’s nothing more magical than running up Main Street and through Cinderella’s castle.

The Princesses weren’t the only ones who dressed up. There was frog man, too. Yup, he ran 13.1 miles in a frog suit. Got to love it.

There was also a little eye-candy to cheer us on.

And, a gospel choir at mile 13. It was Sunday morning and, yes, I needed a little Jesus to get to the finish line.

I finished in 2:46:42. The Princess is not a “race” race because you can stop a million times for pics and fun – unless of course you are this badass who sets a sub 2:00 PR!

Afterwards we celebrated in the Media/VIP tent; ate brunch and cheered in the rest of the runners. (Heather, me and T)

Oh, “Captain Jack” Jeff Galloway showed up there, too!

Most people rest after running 13.1 miles, but, um, yeah – not us!

We headed back to ESPN Wide World of Sports to catch the Atlanta Braves Spring Training Season Opener against the NY Mets.

It was a GORGEOUS day to catch a game.

After having lunch and the classic baseball snack we had a few more things on the agenda.

No, I didn’t really drive it but I did hit some golf balls.

The ladies and I were treated to a private hour lesson with two of Disney’s Palm and Magnolia Golf Course professionals.

If I didn’t have my hands full with running and tennis I just might of had to take up golf. I was whacking the mess out of the ball. GASP!

Next up we were all excited to learn more about sports and endurance nutrition with Disney Chef Gary Jones, a culinary dietary specialist.

He enlisted Lisa …

… and Heather to help him chef up a dish for us. He also fed us dark chocolate. Does it get any better?

We ended our evening with a FABULOUS dinner in France at Epcot’s Bistro de Paris, then had a private dessert party where we sipped champagne made for Disney’s newest cruise ship, The Dream, and watched the Illuminations fireworks show.

As if that wasn’t enough a few of us ran over to Magic Kingdom to take advantage of their late night Magic Hours and took on Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Thunder Mountain and the Haunted House. We were too tired to snap any pictures but my scratchy voice from yelling is proof that we were there.

A huge thank you to the wonderful team at Walt Disney World Resort for hosting such an incredible experience and for supporting our Get Moving! initiative. I’m excited that I’ll be here until Sunday for Disney’s Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine. No running for me today, I’ll be back at it tomorrow; maybe, I can get my girl Minnie to join me.

Winks & Smiles,

Disclosure: My travel, meals and accommodations were provided by Walt Disney World Resort. As always, my thoughts and opinions are all my own.

Another Day, Another Chance to do Better

About Author

Wifey

Lorraine "Wifey" Robertson is a wife, mother, writer, author, and runner trying to keep things simple, sexy and sane. She recently lost more than 25 pounds and ran her second marathon - the Chicago Marathon.

(40) Readers Comments

Rachel McPhillips
February 28, 2011 at 7:44 pm

Fab Fab Fab!! So jealous I had to leave early and miss the golfing and yummy dinner!

Reply
misszippy
February 28, 2011 at 7:44 pm

Sounds wonderful! So glad you had such a great time.

Reply
Deanna - The Unnatural Mother
February 28, 2011 at 7:46 pm

SO MUCH FUN!!!!! Great run, great place, great friends, what more can a girl ask for??!!

Reply
Heather @ Not a DIY Life
February 28, 2011 at 7:50 pm

Oh my word, this sounds so amazing!! Definitely the VIP treatment!

And I love that you got some Jesus on a Sunday morning too

Reply
Marlene
February 28, 2011 at 7:51 pm

What a seriously AMAZING weekend filled with running and Disney magic! You are all so lucky!!! Great recap and congrats on the half!

Reply
La'Tonya Richardson
February 28, 2011 at 8:01 pm

Great pictures of your experience! Looks like you all had a great time!

Reply
TMB @ RACING WITH BABES
February 28, 2011 at 8:09 pm

Best.Weekend.Ever! Thanks again for letting me be a part of it. (And for calling me a badass, that made my day!)

Reply
Michelle
February 28, 2011 at 8:40 pm

What a great weekend!! Glad you all had such a great time!!

Reply
Patty
February 28, 2011 at 9:04 pm

What an amazing day! Congratulations!

Reply
Jamoosh
February 28, 2011 at 9:18 pm

Jeff Galloway must have been psyched to get his picture taken with you! Great recap.

Reply
Morgan
February 28, 2011 at 9:57 pm

Looks like y'all had a blast! And you looked adorable!!! Fab weekend! Thanks for sharing the pics!

Reply
Run with Jess
February 28, 2011 at 10:37 pm

What a fabulous experience!! Thanks for the recap and photos. Disney is on my "wish list". someday…

Reply
K. Rock
February 28, 2011 at 11:31 pm

This looks like a great time. Congrats!

Reply
Krystal Grant
March 1, 2011 at 1:08 am

So Much Fun!!!!!! Congrats on your run.

Reply
Laurie
March 1, 2011 at 2:39 am

Fantastic. It looks like a blast.
When you get a chance, I am curious about who this group of bloggers is and how you got into this VIP treatment. Absolutely fabulous!
Enjoy your time there.

Reply
Julie D.
March 1, 2011 at 3:07 am

Holy Fun!!! From start to finish! Congrats on the sub-2 PR!!! What an amazing time. Thanks for stopping by my blog…look forward to following yours!

Reply
Wifey
March 1, 2011 at 3:20 am

Thanks for the kind words everyone! Oh, and Julie, I didn't run a sub 2; that would be the orignial badass, TMB! Smiles!

Reply
Shelley
March 1, 2011 at 6:19 am

What a BLAST!!!

Reply
Shay Shay
March 1, 2011 at 1:13 pm

Great Pictures! Enjoyed the coverage! Looks like you really did have a BLAST! FOUR races–YOU ROCK!

Reply
Shellyrm ~ just a country runner
March 1, 2011 at 4:42 pm

I love you photos. They have such a great feel to them. I am so envious of this experince. It was amazing start to finish. Truly one for the books. As I am not a new or young runner, I look more for the experince out of races and care (a bit) less about the numbers on the clock. Maybe someday life will allow me this adventure too.

Go glad you all shared the experince together!

Thanks for stopping by my running journey through life. I have been by a time or two, I always notice you signature sign off in comments. Love it!

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Stesha
March 1, 2011 at 6:17 pm

So happy you had a wonderful time. I'm read all your tweets and fb updates about the trip, jealous!

Hugs and Mocha,
Stesha

Reply
workout mommy
March 1, 2011 at 6:32 pm

i had so much fun, thank you for including me!

Reply
daretobecome.com
March 1, 2011 at 7:53 pm

What a busy, busy weekend. Congrats on another half-marathon finish. The sports and endurance nutrition segment looked awesome!

Reply
AbigailRuns
March 1, 2011 at 8:49 pm

What an amazing recap! I've got a pic with the frog too! So sorry I didn't get to see you

Reply
Funkidivagirl
March 1, 2011 at 10:54 pm

Congratulations and how fun! I love the gospel choir at the end

Reply
Mel -Tall Mom on the Run
March 2, 2011 at 12:14 am

OOps meant to comment on this post. You look adorable girl and you were hanging with some WONDERFUL ladies.. I want to meet little Heather and any weekend with T and Katye is a good one..

So pretty please keep me posted in the future.. with a little notice I would love love to be there with yall..

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HEATHER @ runfastermommy!
March 2, 2011 at 12:59 am

ahhh I wish the magic didn't have to end! It was fantastic to finally meet you and the others, I had such a great time! Especially finally getting to the MK Sunday night! (haha I really am a 6 year old inside, LOL!) THANK YOU for everything!

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(Just) Trying is for Little Girls
March 3, 2011 at 9:15 pm

What a great recap of a wonderful weekend! You actually make getting up at 3:45am sound fun!!

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Lesley @ racingitoff.com
March 5, 2011 at 3:48 am

You ladies look awesome, and it looks like you had an amazing time (ok, so I'm a bit jealous). Next time, no family for me… LOL!!!

It's too bad we didn't meet, we finished very close to the same time, I was busy really enjoying this race. I have never allowed myself to just relax, take photos, and enjoy a race… it was amazing.

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Kayla
March 5, 2011 at 6:11 pm

Sounds like you had a great time! Great job on the race! It was nice meeting you for those couple seconds

Reply
kat
March 17, 2011 at 4:34 pm

Fabulous pictures and race report, sounds and looks like it was so much fun.

Reply
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Suzanne
February 23, 2012 at 9:23 am

I look forward to running my first half marathon at the Disney Princess Half, Thank you for an awesome and informative blog on this. I wiil look forward to race day and all the memories that it will offer! Thank you!

Reply

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(40) Readers Comments

Rachel McPhillips

misszippy

Deanna - The Unnatural Mother

Heather @ Not a DIY Life

Marlene

La'Tonya Richardson

TMB @ RACING WITH BABES

Michelle

Patty

Jamoosh

Morgan

Run with Jess

K. Rock

Krystal Grant

Laurie

Julie D.

Wifey

Shelley

Shay Shay

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner

Stesha

workout mommy

daretobecome.com

AbigailRuns

Funkidivagirl

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run

HEATHER @ runfastermommy!

(Just) Trying is for Little Girls

Lesley @ racingitoff.com

Kayla

kat

Suzanne

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