Princess Weekend 2022

[SheHulk]

Would you say more people "dress up" or less people do?

I'm not sure... I've never been to Princess before. It's hard to judge even for the race weekends I have been to, because you tend to notice the people who are dressed up. I'm sure that makes me overestimate how many people do. It's not like you would stand out if you didn't or anything. Not at all like showing up to a costume party not in costume

There are lots of race videos on YouTube, if you want to see for yourself. I'll bet Princess has a lot of people kind of "Disney bounding" even if they are not in some elaborate get-up. Just like a color palette of their favorite character.

 

[SheHulk]

Meg is my favorite Disney "princess" by a long shot. (I also love Merida, so you really couldn't go wrong here.) If you are on IG, follow Susan Egan. She's the voice of Meg (and the OG Broadway Belle) and loves to interact with fans. We've DMd a few times!

Of course you know this means I get to buy another ponytail hairpiece

 

[HangWithMerida]

Would you say more people "dress up" or less people do?

Also never done Princess before, but for other weekends I would say the # of people who dress up goes down as the distance goes up. Also, the shorter distances tend to have more elaborate costuming though I have definitely seen some crazy costumes during the HM (running jack sparrow for example)! There are also a lot of people who technically are dressed up but their version of that is a printed shirt and regular shorts or the disney bounding type costumes. I fall into this group. Never done a "real" costume but like a fun tank or disney bounding type costume.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

Yesterday I did my test run with vanellope von schweetz princess costume. My mom had to sew the shirt quite a bit to take it in since I lost weight since I ordered it.

When I was running I had to run a lot back to my house and re pin things like my crown or retie my cape in a different place and of course I forgot to pause my garmin, so time is all off, only 30 min run not 45 mins. I did a pelton outdoor HITT run to test out the outfit in a variety speeds. But I now have my costume ready to go for half marathon! I have long sleeve nike pink shirt underneath the costume and that can come off if it is too warm run. I have pink running pants under it too, I run with pants all the time even during summer (I have thick thighs, so prevents chafing) therefore I will keep those on even if it is warm out.

I just love this outfit, it is the perfect princess run costume, it just screams pink and fluffy and I have a tiara

 

[XoxoAmy]

Yesterday I did my test run with vanellope von schweetz princess costume. My mom had to sew the shirt quite a bit to take it in since I lost weight since I ordered it.

When I was running I had to run a lot back to my house and re pin things like my crown or retie my cape in a different place and of course I forgot to pause my garmin, so time is all off, only 30 min run not 45 mins. I did a pelton outdoor HITT run to test out the outfit in a variety speeds. But I now have my costume ready to go for half marathon! I have long sleeve nike pink shirt underneath the costume and that can come off if it is too warm run. I have pink running pants under it too, I run with pants all the time even during summer (I have thick thighs, so prevents chafing) therefore I will keep those on even if it is warm out.

I just love this outfit, it is the perfect princess run costume, it just screams pink and fluffy and I have a tiara

I LOVE THIS! So cute! We have a custom pair of Vanellope ears (from etsy) and they are one of my favs. Nice job!!

 

[HangWithMerida]

@DisneyMountainWoman Your costume is amazing!! So cute.

 

[bumbershoot]

Would you say more people "dress up" or less people do?

Although the costume-wearers stand out quite a bit, I think that overall the non-costumers have higher numbers. But you'll really notice the costume-wearers a LOT.

 

[The Expert]

Of course you know this means I get to buy another ponytail hairpiece

OF COURSE you do!

Yesterday I did my test run with vanellope von schweetz princess costume. My mom had to sew the shirt quite a bit to take it in since I lost weight since I ordered it.

Fabulous costume! I hope I get to see it in person.

 

[kat_lh]

There are 9 of us on a girls trip. We ordered custom cheerleader outfits for the half. We may take this a bit too far.

 

[SheHulk]

There are 9 of us on a girls trip. We ordered custom cheerleader outfits for the half. We may take this a bit too far.

No such thing! It's a delight to see people out there living it up!

 

[corn princess]

No such thing! It's a delight to see people out there living it up!

Agreed. There's no such thing!

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

There are 9 of us on a girls trip. We ordered custom cheerleader outfits for the half. We may take this a bit too far.

No, this fantastic!!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Pacer list from Facebook:



@Herding_Cats mentioned elsewhere, but it is a good idea. If you track Dennis Holler or Scott Wolosyk you'll have a "reasonable" idea where the balloon ladies are. They are not the balloon ladies themselves, but will be relatively close to them. Reminder tracking info comes out on around 2/21/22.

There are no pacers for the 5k/10k.
There are no assigned starting groups for the pacers during the HM yet, but it will be known closer to race day.
Yes, you can drop back to join a pacer group in a different group.
No, you can not join a pacer group in a higher assigned group than you were given.
In most cases, no, I don't recommend trying to catch a pacer group ahead of you if the group represents a near max level of fitness for you.

 

[azrivest]

Does anyone know how come there are 4 pacers for 2:30? Are they in different start groups?

 

[JJ2017]

Pacer list from Facebook:

View attachment 646357

@Herding_Cats mentioned elsewhere, but it is a good idea. If you track Dennis Holler or Scott Wolosyk you'll have a "reasonable" idea where the balloon ladies are. They are not the balloon ladies themselves, but will be relatively close to them. Reminder tracking info comes out on around 2/21/22.

There are no pacers for the 5k/10k.
There are no assigned starting groups for the pacers during the HM yet, but it will be known closer to race day.
Yes, you can drop back to join a pacer group in a different group.
No, you can not join a pacer group in a higher assigned group than you were given.
In most cases, no, I don't recommend trying to catch a pacer group ahead of you if the group represents a near max level of fitness for you.

Can you explain this to me as a newbie? I'm doing the 10k, will be in a far back corral, and on a good day, I average a 14/15 minute mile and will almost want to be slower for the real race. Are these balloon ladies going to be on my heels the whole time? How do they move so "quickly?" I can't walk a 16 minute mile yet. I'm confused by this mystery of the balloon lady.

 

[azrivest]

14 days out this is getting real!

(altho the event guide still hasn't been officially published on the rundisney.com website)

 

[Herding_Cats]

Can you explain this to me as a newbie? I'm doing the 10k, will be in a far back corral, and on a good day, I average a 14/15 minute mile and will almost want to be slower for the real race. Are these balloon ladies going to be on my heels the whole time? How do they move so "quickly?" I can't walk a 16 minute mile yet. I'm confused by this mystery of the balloon lady.

The balloon ladies are the unofficial "sweep line" for the races; basically an easy way to see if you are getting far enough back that you might be at risk of getting swept. They start at the very back and maintain a 16min/mi pace for the race. They will have a mickey balloon, thus the nickname "balloon ladies." From all reports from other back-of-the-pack runners, what you need to be paying attention to is the people on the bikes. The people on the bikes will give you plenty of warning if you fall *behind* the balloon ladies that you need to catch up or be at a certain point by a certain time to not be swept from the course.

If you're concerned about it, plan on getting to your start corral a bit earlier and try to be up in the front (which will give you a few minutes head start on the balloon ladies) to allow yourself the buffer to run a little slower than 14-15min/mi pace. Race day adrenaline is a real thing and you will more than likely do better than you think.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Does anyone know how come there are 4 pacers for 2:30? Are they in different start groups?

From MW 2022:



The multiple 2:30 pacers were split between s2 and s3. A good assumption we would see the same, but not a guarantee.

Can you explain this to me as a newbie? I'm doing the 10k, will be in a far back corral, and on a good day, I average a 14/15 minute mile and will almost want to be slower for the real race. Are these balloon ladies going to be on my heels the whole time? How do they move so "quickly?" I can't walk a 16 minute mile yet. I'm confused by this mystery of the balloon lady.

@Herding_Cats explained it well. To emphasize a key point, the earlier you start within your starting group the more time on course you will have. The sweep point maintains a 16 min/mile from the last person starting. Assume that person starts at 6:00am (not a guarantee, but a good assumption). At a 16 min/mile and a 6:00am start, they will finish at 7:39 AM (16 min/mile*6.22 miles = 1:39:31 hrs + 6:00am = 7:39:31 AM finish).

Let's assume you start at 5:52 am. You also need to minimally finish by 7:39am. That would be 1:47 hrs which aggregated over 6.22 miles is an average pace of a 17:12 min/mile.

Let's assume you start at 5:58am. You also need to minimally finish by 7:39am. That would be 1:41 hrs which aggregated over 6.22 miles is an average pace of a 16:14 min/mile.

Let's assume you start at 5:32 am. You also need to minimally finish by 7:39am. That would be 2:07 hrs which aggregated over 6.22 miles is an average pace of a 20:25 min/mile.

The sooner you start, the more time on course you get.

So, if you start at the very back and normally run a 14-15 min/mile pace for a 10k effort, never stop for pictures or anything else, then you will finish at 7:30am (14.5 min/mile*6.22 miles = 1:30:11 hrs + 6:00am = 7:30:11 AM finish). That means AT MOST you would have a buffer of 9 minutes to stop in character lines or whatever else because you have to finish by 7:39am. That 7:39 AM time is an assumption and not a guarantee. Things happen and the races can be delayed or rushed to start and change the normal timing. So don't hold me to the 7:39am projection. In the moment, the people on bikes are your best indicator as to how close you are from being pulled from the course.

Bottom line. If you run a 14:30 and start near the very back of the race, you will be able to stop for 1-2 characters in total during the entirety of the race. The sooner you can start, the more time you'll have for extra stuff.

 

[JJ2017]

From MW 2022:

View attachment 646368

The multiple 2:30 pacers were split between s2 and s3. A good assumption we would see the same, but not a guarantee.



@Herding_Cats explained it well. To emphasize a key point, the earlier you start within your starting group the more time on course you will have. The sweep point maintains a 16 min/mile from the last person starting. Assume that person starts at 6:00am (not a guarantee, but a good assumption). At a 16 min/mile and a 6:00am start, they will finish at 7:39 AM (16 min/mile*6.22 miles = 1:39:31 hrs + 6:00am = 7:39:31 AM finish).

Let's assume you start at 5:52 am. You also need to minimally finish by 7:39am. That would be 1:47 hrs which aggregated over 6.22 miles is an average pace of a 17:12 min/mile.

Let's assume you start at 5:58am. You also need to minimally finish by 7:39am. That would be 1:41 hrs which aggregated over 6.22 miles is an average pace of a 16:14 min/mile.

Let's assume you start at 5:32 am. You also need to minimally finish by 7:39am. That would be 2:07 hrs which aggregated over 6.22 miles is an average pace of a 20:25 min/mile.

The sooner you start, the more time on course you get.

So, if you start at the very back and normally run a 14-15 min/mile pace for a 10k effort, never stop for pictures or anything else, then you will finish at 7:30am (14.5 min/mile*6.22 miles = 1:30:11 hrs + 6:00am = 7:30:11 AM finish). That means AT MOST you would have a buffer of 9 minutes to stop in character lines or whatever else because you have to finish by 7:39am. That 7:39 AM time is an assumption and not a guarantee. Things happen and the races can be delayed or rushed to start and change the normal timing. So don't hold me to the 7:39am projection. In the moment, the people on bikes are your best indicator as to how close you are from being pulled from the course.

Bottom line. If you run a 14:30 and start near the very back of the race, you will be able to stop for 1-2 characters in total during the entirety of the race. The sooner you can start, the more time you'll have for extra stuff.

Ah - ok. So maybe my plan won't be to get to a back of a corral (been worried about feeling claustrophobic). There's nothing more that I can do than wing it......I'm getting a bit too much in my head at this point going through the unknowns of race day. I'm sure I will figure it all out!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sandam1]

If you track Dennis Holler or Scott Wolosyk you'll have a "reasonable" idea where the balloon ladies are. They are not the balloon ladies themselves, but will be relatively close to them.

I ran with Dennis and Scott's group on Marathon Weekend for the half from the exit to the Magic Kingdom to the mile 10-11 cloverleaf (or the hill of death as I call it) and they are THE BEST. I am 100% convinced that I would not have finished the half without them. They position themselves to start 90 seconds in front of the balloon ladies and, at least while I stayed with them, they maintained that time distance throughout. They are awesome pacers so their tracking data should be solid.