Princess Half Marathon

[Brandee23]

What is it like to go to Disney on the Princess Half Marathon Weekend? I made our reservations from 2/21-2/26 at the Beach Club not realizing it’s that weekend. Is it really busy (in the early hours) that weekend in the Epcot/Beach Club area? I’m guessing it would be. Will the buses be hard to come by? Is it a good idea to be a non-Park day? I tried researching it but have no idea what to expect. I’m sure it’s very exciting, but I’m looking for the pros & cons. My kids are 9 & 11. They are athletic but unfortunately, due to blood sugar issues, I’m not.

So I know, are the events they can participate in ( or not?) located in the Epcot area? We have dining plans for Epcot on 2/22 and Magic Kingdom on 2/23. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[carseatguru]

I was there last year and stayed at Beach Club. I did not run but my friends did. The only issue you will have is the day of the race they will have the International Gateway closed until all runners have passed through. They will have signs in the lobby as to what is going on and when. Maybe plan to go to a park other than Epcot that morning? Crowd levels weren't too bad.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

We were at BWI that weekend this past year. I was trying to get from MK to BWI for rope drop the Sunday morning of the half marathon and it was VERY slow going. The course route goes to the MK and while it was clear of the park by around 8:30am... World Drive road closures that morning made it difficult to get around. Buses don’t go to the bus plaza early, they had to go to the TTC. I was in a Minnie Van and it took maybe 45 mins to an hour from BWI (I’ve posted the total time before but can’t remember the exact time off the top of my head).

If you’re heading anywhere Sunday early AM around MK or Epcot, give yourself some extra time.

The Fri & Sat race events will all generally be done well before most people get going for their day. It’s the half on Sunday that is long enough to bleed over into morning travel for certain routes.

 

[Brandee23]

Thank you both for the replies! We are going to Mk on Saturday, and going to have a down day on Sunday. I guess that may work out ok. Where are the children’s events held?

 

[1lilspark]

Thank you both for the replies! We are going to Mk on Saturday, and going to have a down day on Sunday. I guess that may work out ok. Where are the children’s events held?

Children’s events are at wide world of sports

 

[VAfamily1998]

The longest (distance wise) race specifically for children is 1 mile. If you kids are REALLY into running, they might not find that challenging enough, but if they are more generally athletic and just like to run a little bit, it will be perfect!

They will get a medallion after completing the race that feature some type of Disney character. It changes every year and they usually release a photo of what all medals look like a couple months before the race.
Also, you will need to register them in advance, some races (maybe even all?) will sell out!

 

[Bree]

Thank you both for the replies! We are going to Mk on Saturday, and going to have a down day on Sunday. I guess that may work out ok. Where are the children’s events held?

The kids races are on Saturday at ESPN WWOS. I think your kids age group has their run in the afternoon, but you'd need to check rundisney.com to confirm.

 

[VAfamily1998]

Also, Disney provides transportation from all the resorts to the wide world of sports. They have those nice charter buses that come right to the resort and bring you there.