A touch of eternal winter is coming to the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend presented by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at Walt Disney World Resort next year. Two of the popular family-focused events during the race weekend, the Disney Princess 5K and runDisney Kids Races, will have a new Frozen theme with new medals depicting a Frozen motif from the hugely successful Disney animated film. Registration for the race weekend opens July 15.
In addition to the Disney Princess 5K and the runDisney Kids Races, the Feb. 19-22 race weekend will feature the Disney Princess Enchanted 10K and Disney Glass Slipper Challenge, which involves running the 10K and the half marathon on consecutive days (19.3 miles). Runners who complete the Challenge will earn the Disney Glass Slipper Challenge Medal to go along with medals from each individual race.
The Princess Half Marathon Weekend is one of two women-focused runDisney events. The other is the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend in May at Disneyland Resort in California. Both races focus on healthy active lifestyles for women and girls and are among the largest women-specific running events in the country. For instance, after nearly 7,500 runners ran in the inaugural Princess Half Marathon event in 2009, the popularity of the race has grown considerably with more than 26,000 registered runners for last year’s race.
The race weekend will feature several additional elements:
There will be a runDisney Health and Fitness Expo, where runners pick up race packets, shop for the latest running apparel and technology, and meet industry experts such as runDisney official training consultant Jeff Galloway and runDisney nutritionist Tara Gidus. The expo is free and open to the public at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World.
Runners and their families can take part in additional elements, including breakfast with Disney princesses, a Pasta in the Park party at Epcot to “carb up” for the next morning’s races, ChEAR Squad amenities to help fans cheer on the runners, a Race Retreat for a VIP running experience and a Happily Ever After Party at Downtown Disney to celebrate each runner’s victories.
Any participant who completes both the Disney Princess Half Marathon in February and the Tinker Bell Half Marathon in May will earn a special pink version of the runDisney Coast to Coast Race Challenge Medal. The coveted medal features the likeness of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse with a pink overlay and lanyard.
Runners have a new way to fundraise for the race weekend and all other runDisney events starting July 15. CrowdRise is a fundraising platform that allows users to start their own fundraising group or contribute to an already established charity group.
For more information and to register for the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend events, visit www.runDisney.com.
