2018 Princess Half Marathon

[keahgirl8]

Thanks guys. I'm officially in for the challenge! I'm so excited!!!! I turn 40 next week and I really need to get my act together as far as fitness and leading a healthy lifestyle. Hoping this will be the motivation I need!

It should be! Take it from someone who knows...you'll regret it if you aren't ready for these races.

 

[SunDial]

Did I miss where it showed what all of the prices were for 2018. More friends are wanting to sign up and I was curious if the half is the 195 that my DD and I signed up for.

 

[Nessats]

Did I miss where it showed what all of the prices were for 2018. More friends are wanting to sign up and I was curious if the half is the 195 that my DD and I signed up for.

Fairy Tale Challenge: $340
Half: $195
10k: $120
5k: $80

 

[bumbershoot]

It should be! Take it from someone who knows...you'll regret it if you aren't ready for these races.

Take it from me, too, from this year.

I got through it (and the Hot Chocolate 15k the following weekend) but I'm only now feeling normal. And my time was, well, it didn't make me proud relative to what I am capable of.

 

[uccats97]

I am planning on Princess and Tink for 2018 to get my pink coast to coast medal. Whether I do the challenges or not is still up in the air.

Me, too! I've been planning the pink coast to coast in 2018 for the past 3 years. Can't wait!

 

[Suprize2017]

I'm new to the whole rD events and excitement, and I'm not a runner, but I am competitive, athletic, and like to set goals. I have a few questions. First, if I want to do the challenge, is that all I register for and pay for? Or do I also have to register and pay for the half and 10K additionally? That seems like overkill and really expensive, but with some things, you just never know. And second question, how do they figure out the sixteen minute mile pace? I was looking through pictures of past princess half races, and some of the mile pics that had times computed to a pace greater than sixteen minutes. I'm sure it was because those people were waiting for pics with characters, but they also never said anything about being worried about being picked up by the bus for being slow. Is it just the last pack that has to worry about the pace?

 

[DVCFan1994]

I'm new to the whole rD events and excitement, and I'm not a runner, but I am competitive, athletic, and like to set goals. I have a few questions. First, if I want to do the challenge, is that all I register for and pay for? Or do I also have to register and pay for the half and 10K additionally? That seems like overkill and really expensive, but with some things, you just never know. And second question, how do they figure out the sixteen minute mile pace? I was looking through pictures of past princess half races, and some of the mile pics that had times computed to a pace greater than sixteen minutes. I'm sure it was because those people were waiting for pics with characters, but they also never said anything about being worried about being picked up by the bus for being slow. Is it just the last pack that has to worry about the pace?

Welcome! rd Events are fun and a great way to motivate you to get into running. I was not a runner (but a regular gym goer) when I started, but I've morphed into a runner over that last few years of doing rD races

1) You only register for the challenge, and that is the only way to get the challenge medal. If you register for both races separately you will NOT qualify for the challenge medal.

2) The 16 minute mile pace limit is from the last person to cross the start. There are 15 or 16 corrals at WDW races and there is some time between each corral start. So if you start in corral A you have a lot more than 16 min/mile. That is why it is a great idea to do a Proof of Time race. To move up in the corrals you need to show you have the ability to run certain paces by submitting previous race times. The races have to have official results which you link to your registration online so that the company who assigns bibs can verify your time. For a half, POT can come from of a half, 10 miler or 10k. There is a cut off date you need to do if before in order for it to qualify for the race, and it has to be fairly recent. I just checked and for 2018 the rD site says the deadline in 11/14/2017.

There are a variety of reasons to want a cushion ahead of the sweep bus. Some people want time for pictures, maybe a history of injuries and wanting to know they can slow down if issues arise, or just for the unknown. I have done the race 3 times and each year I was happy to have the cushion for different reasons. I was in corral D in 2016, and ended up with very bad digestive issues. Around mile 5 I realized I was going to have to do a lot of walking. Luckily because I had started earlier on, and had run my first few miles around 10:30/mile I knew I had 8 miles to go, but could walk them at 20 min/mile if I had to (or go faster with lots of bathroom stops) and still finish. 2014 I had IT band issues and although the race went ok in the end, I was reassured starting (in corral F that year) that I could take walk breaks and do some pictures and know I'd have time to finish. And 2015 I was pretty healthy and wanted lots of pictures. Picture lines can vary and take just a moment or two up to 10-15 minute for very popular pictures.

Here is the chart from the 2017 PHM corrals so you have an idea. If you submit no estimated finish and no proof of time, you'll be placed in the last corrals.


There are separate corral listings for Challenge Participants, the times required for corrals can vary slightly between half and challenge runners, but they are usually very close. If you want to estimate your pace and play around with a calculator that can show you paces required for finish times, I recommend https://www.mcmillanrunning.com rD uses this calculator. You can put in your finish time at varying distances and it will tell you what your predicted time for other distances is. For rD it needs to be at least a 10k for the half, and its common to use that, because people are usually faster at shorter distances, and getter better predictions.

3) Sweeping does happen. There are people on bikes who cross the line and keep the official pace. You need to stay in front of them. The will warn you, but it you don't make it past certain points by certain cutoff, you will be stopped and told to board the "Parade Bus" which will take you to the finish area. You won't cross the line, but you will get your medal (which is controversial to some).

Edited for spelling and to add corral assignment example.

 

[bumbershoot]

Did anyone stay at the Poly (studios or hotel) or Grand Floridian (villas specifically since it's a separate building) for Princess this year? If so how were they in terms of transportation to races etc?

I've stayed at Bay Lake both years we did Princess and I am 100% over the lobby smell.

 

[Princess_Nikki]

@DVCFan1994 .... does Run DISNEY just double the time on your submitted POT then? For example, if I submit my 10K of 1:24 from this past PHM 10K, would they double that to think I would complete the half at around 2:48 (give or take for the slight difference). Just wondering how they do the corral placement using 10K times. I didn't aim for an epic PR as I stopped for photos and all. Wondering if I should register for another 10K and use that one to get a better PR.

 

[WIFriendofFigment]

Did anyone stay at the Poly (studios or hotel) or Grand Floridian (villas specifically since it's a separate building) for Princess this year? If so how were they in terms of transportation to races etc?

I've stayed at Bay Lake both years we did Princess and I am 100% over the lobby smell.

I stayed at the Poly for the Princess this year. I thought the transportation was AMAZING. We had originally booked POR and got bumped, so we weren't sure what to expect. All of the research I had done was for POR.

The morning of the half, we just walked straight to the TTC on the path through the parking lot and boarded a monorail to EPCOT to bypass taking the resort loop. At about 3:15ish there were literally two other people on the monorail. It was ridiculously easy and everyone directing us where to go was so friendly even at that early hour.

The only downfall is that you have to go back through EPCOT bag check to take the monorail back to the resort as the monorail ramp is on the far side of security. Back at the resort some people said they took the bus back instead and that it took forever, so I guess that it was still faster.

 

[DVCFan1994]

@DVCFan1994 .... does Run DISNEY just double the time on your submitted POT then? For example, if I submit my 10K of 1:24 from this past PHM 10K, would they double that to think I would complete the half at around 2:48 (give or take for the slight difference). Just wondering how they do the corral placement using 10K times. I didn't aim for an epic PR as I stopped for photos and all. Wondering if I should register for another 10K and use that one to get a better PR.

No they don't double it. They use a formula. Generally people get slower as the they run longer. So I may be able to run a 60 minute 10k, but my half is significantly more than double that. If you go to www.mcmillanrunning.com and put in your 10k time it will tell you your predicted half time. The consensus on these boards seems to be trackshack, who does the event management, uses the same calculator. You can also put in a goal half time and it will tell you what you'd need to run your 10k at. For instance, when I wanted to move further up from F to D or E, I estimated it would take a predicted half of under 2:15 based on the few years before I looked. The calculator then told me I needed to run a 10k in under 1:00:06. Now, these Corrals change yearly based on each year's field. But it's a good reference point. If you think you can take a decent amount of time off the 10k time, I suggest doing so. I just like as big a cushion as I can get though, so I am biased.

 

[cyndiloveswalt]

My SIL is backing out of 2018 already! My little sis is going and now on to find another friend to join us!

 

[sidrich]

I'm new to the whole rD events and excitement, and I'm not a runner, but I am competitive, athletic, and like to set goals. I have a few questions. First, if I want to do the challenge, is that all I register for and pay for? Or do I also have to register and pay for the half and 10K additionally? That seems like overkill and really expensive, but with some things, you just never know. And second question, how do they figure out the sixteen minute mile pace? I was looking through pictures of past princess half races, and some of the mile pics that had times computed to a pace greater than sixteen minutes. I'm sure it was because those people were waiting for pics with characters, but they also never said anything about being worried about being picked up by the bus for being slow. Is it just the last pack that has to worry about the pace?

Also keep in mind that if those pictures you saw were people standing in front of a mile marker clock? That clock is showing "gun time", not their actual race time. The mile markers display time since the first corrall started off- but because of the staggered corral starts some runners won't cross the start pad until over 30 minutes later. They aren't penalized for that. The chip in your bib is picked up at the start pad, 5K, 10K,15K, and finish line time pads. It calculates your pace- and will text it to you or your family in real time if you like!

 

[Suprize2017]

Welcome! rd Events are fun and a great way to motivate you to get into running. I was not a runner (but a regular gym goer) when I started, but I've morphed into a runner over that last few years of doing rD races

1) You only register for the challenge, and that is the only way to get the challenge medal. If you register for both races separately you will NOT qualify for the challenge medal.

2) The 16 minute mile pace limit is from the last person to cross the start. There are 15 or 16 corrals at WDW races and there is some time between each corral start. So if you start in corral A you have a lot more than 16 min/mile. That is why it is a great idea to do a Proof of Time race. To move up in the corrals you need to show you have the ability to run certain paces by submitting previous race times. The races have to have official results which you link to your registration online so that the company who assigns bibs can verify your time. For a half, POT can come from of a half, 10 miler or 10k. There is a cut off date you need to do if before in order for it to qualify for the race, and it has to be fairly recent. I just checked and for 2018 the rD site says the deadline in 11/14/2017.

There are a variety of reasons to want a cushion ahead of the sweep bus. Some people want time for pictures, maybe a history of injuries and wanting to know they can slow down if issues arise, or just for the unknown. I have done the race 3 times and each year I was happy to have the cushion for different reasons. I was in corral D in 2016, and ended up with very bad digestive issues. Around mile 5 I realized I was going to have to do a lot of walking. Luckily because I had started earlier on, and had run my first few miles around 10:30/mile I knew I had 8 miles to go, but could walk them at 20 min/mile if I had to (or go faster with lots of bathroom stops) and still finish. 2014 I had IT band issues and although the race went ok in the end, I was reassured starting (in corral F that year) that I could take walk breaks and do some pictures and know I'd have time to finish. And 2015 I was pretty healthy and wanted lots of pictures. Picture lines can vary and take just a moment or two up to 10-15 minute for very popular pictures.

Here is the chart from the 2017 PHM corrals so you have an idea. If you submit no estimated finish and no proof of time, you'll be placed in the last corrals.
View attachment 225848

There are separate corral listings for Challenge Participants, the times required for corrals can vary slightly between half and challenge runners, but they are usually very close. If you want to estimate your pace and play around with a calculator that can show you paces required for finish times, I recommend https://www.mcmillanrunning.com rD uses this calculator. You can put in your finish time at varying distances and it will tell you what your predicted time for other distances is. For rD it needs to be at least a 10k for the half, and its common to use that, because people are usually faster at shorter distances, and getter better predictions.

3) Sweeping does happen. There are people on bikes who cross the line and keep the official pace. You need to stay in front of them. The will warn you, but it you don't make it past certain points by certain cutoff, you will be stopped and told to board the "Parade Bus" which will take you to the finish area. You won't cross the line, but you will get your medal (which is controversial to some).

Edited for spelling and to add corral assignment example.

Thank you!

 

[Suprize2017]

Also keep in mind that if those pictures you saw were people standing in front of a mile marker clock? That clock is showing "gun time", not their actual race time. The mile markers display time since the first corrall started off- but because of the staggered corral starts some runners won't cross the start pad until over 30 minutes later. They aren't penalized for that. The chip in your bib is picked up at the start pad, 5K, 10K,15K, and finish line time pads. It calculates your pace- and will text it to you or your family in real time if you like!

Ahhh, that totally makes sense. Thanks!

 

[bumbershoot]

I stayed at the Poly for the Princess this year. I thought the transportation was AMAZING. We had originally booked POR and got bumped, so we weren't sure what to expect. All of the research I had done was for POR.

The morning of the half, we just walked straight to the TTC on the path through the parking lot and boarded a monorail to EPCOT to bypass taking the resort loop. At about 3:15ish there were literally two other people on the monorail. It was ridiculously easy and everyone directing us where to go was so friendly even at that early hour.

The only downfall is that you have to go back through EPCOT bag check to take the monorail back to the resort as the monorail ramp is on the far side of security. Back at the resort some people said they took the bus back instead and that it took forever, so I guess that it was still faster.

Walking to the TTC makes a lot of sense.

UGH. I was so *toast* after the Half, and several others of us were as well, that we went to the buses to get back to Contemporary/Bay Lake. The sign still said Contemporary. One woman was *wheeled up* to the bus by a medic and a "plaid" and was helped onto taht bus. To go back to Contemporary.

After we got going we found out we were NOT supposed to have taken the bus (for some of us this was a reminder for something we forgot...for others they didn't know at all). And that she wasn't going to go there. UGH.

IT took about 5 very uncomfortable minutes (that felt like half an hour) but finally the bus driver said she would just do it. And she did. But she was going to make us get off at Poly or WL to make our way back to Contemporary. Including the lady that had been wheeled up to the bus with the sign for Contemporary, that wasn't going to Contemporary.

I keep forgetting about that...


Were you in a villa or the normal hotel after being moved from POR?

 

[Allison]

Did anyone stay at the Poly (studios or hotel) or Grand Floridian (villas specifically since it's a separate building) for Princess this year? If so how were they in terms of transportation to races etc?

I've stayed at Bay Lake both years we did Princess and I am 100% over the lobby smell.

I stayed at the Grand Floridian. I boarded the monorail at 3 am and headed over from there. It worked just fine.

Coming back from the race I took the bus. However, it couldn't get through to the Grand for some reason and dropped everyone at the Poly. I then had to take the resort monorail to the Grand. I wasn't happy about that.

Be warned-the staff at the Grand know nothing about the race logistics. Several people told me the transportation would be buses. I knew better than to trust that and headed to the monorail station.
Expo transportation was via bus and worked just fine.

 

[DVCFan1994]

One thing to remember about all the monorail hotels, unless things change this year, the monorail runs early only for the half, not for the 10k or 5k. Those days are buses only.

I stayed at BLT in 2014 and loved using the monorail all three days. In 2016 I stayed there again and was disappointed that it did not run for the 5k and 10k that year.

 

[Allison]

One thing to remember about all the monorail hotels, unless things change this year, the monorail runs early only for the half, not for the 10k or 5k. Those days are buses only.

Good to know.

 

[KatsMeow715]

Hey past runners, do any of you guys remeber what mile you were safe from being swept for the 10k? I know for the Half it was like mile 11 or 12 where if you made it past that point you were safe from the balloon ladies. I have some family walking the 10k next year and figured there was a "safe" spot from the balloon ladies as well.