Question for those that have done both the 1/2 in January and the Princess 1/2

[Twingle]

Could you tell me how these two races compared for you? I'm curious to see the pros and cons from one to the other, especially given the amount of feedback I've seen this week about the packed Princess 1/2 and the corrals.

Looking forward to hearing about your experiences!

 

[tmanaster]

I'm curious too! I've only done the Princess Half but am considering the Disney World Half or Full this coming year.

 

[cewait]

I have not run the PHM but I here is what I see as the largest differences.
1) First, the courses are the same; ok not a difference.
2) The January event has a much larger presence across the property than the PHM, specifically due to the number of runners on site over the weekend. January approximates 60k and PHM 35k.
3) The populations are different. Approx. 1500 men in PHM versus 10,000 in the January half. In the January race, approximately 10,000 runners in the half are running the next day in the Goofy Challenge.
4) I think the PHM is a more first timer centric event than the January event. I base this on the large January Goofy presence more than anything; though female focused races also tend to grab a lot of first time runners as well.
5) The PHM is corralled a little slower than the January event; at least in the A&B corrals. Nothing wrong here but it is a little easier to get into the A and B slots.
6) I think there are many more runners running in costume in the PHM than January. Though, I see more folks in the January half each year I run.
7) Until this year, I would have said the characters and their locations were different. This January, I believe the ‘major’ characters were similarly located. I do believe you have a greater chance of seeing more Disney princesses along the PHM course.
8) Both races are rather crowded in this current course configuration. As long as the race starts at Epcot and includes MK and an Epcot finish, there is not much that will happen to resolve the issue; short of capping the race at 18-20k runners
Not sure if this helps.

 

[Ariel484]

I did the Princess Half in 2011 and the January half this year. When I ran the Princess Half, the cap was nowhere near what it is now. I think there were maybe 14,000 finishers, so to go from that to running the exact same course in January, which was completely PACKED, was pretty shocking. I knew going in that the January half would be crowded, but once I was in the thick of things it was just crazy. Every complaint I read about this year's Princess Half is pretty much in-line with how I found the half to be in January as far as course crowding, weirdness with corral assignments, poor race etiquette, etc. So I was disappointed to read that these issues were essentially just as bad as they had been in January.

ANYWAY...let me add to what Coach Charles posted. Lots of costumes at both, insane wake-up time at both, same course, etc.

- Because so many more people participated in the Marathon Weekend races, I find there to be more of a "buzz" around property compared to PHM weekend.
- The themes are obviously different...general WDW/sporty them in January vs. Princesses and "girl power" in February for PHM.
- Character sets...expect to see a set of "leading men" and more Princesses (i.e. Princess Atta from A Bug's Life) during PHM compared to January. Locations are pretty similar...during this year's half I found that I already knew where to look and when to expect characters from running the PHM.
- Date of the race...the January half is Saturday, while the PHM is on Sunday...so one may or may not be better for travel plans.


For me personally, I liked the PHM better than the January Half...BUT
- The PHM was a lot less crowded when I ran it, like I said above. This made a huge difference.
- The PHM was my first runDisney race and first half marathon...that's a lot to live up to for any race in the future.
- The half this January was part of my first Goofy Challenge, so I ran it knowing that I was going to need to be careful for the full the next day...so I was nervous for that and trying to pay more attention to my pace. The PHM was more fun for me just because I didn't have to worry about the next day...I'm sure if I didn't have a marathon to run the next day I could say the same about the January half.

I don't think you can go wrong with either...the (in my opinion) too-high caps bother me, but there's not much that can be done about that beyond making sure you are corralled correctly. Beyond that I think just deciding whether there's a better time of the year for you to travel and whether there's a theme or race t-shirt/finisher medal you like better (Princess Tiara vs. Donald) are the biggest things to consider.

 

[Bephus]

I have run both.
I ran the January 1/2 in 2011 as part of Goofy (DH ran it in 2007 stand alone). I ran PHM this year.
I love the course but for the same reasons that Coach and the PP stated I hate the course. It has gotten too crowded.
Pros to Jan:
1. Corral placement seems to be better so there is less crowding, especially if you can get into A-C. This is a big factor in the fast men not being banished to C department (more on that later)
2. Weather on average is better in January (2013 was an exception, as was 2007 - we sure know how to pick lousy years to run!)
3. The overall atmosphere of Disney is more geared toward runners and running. You feel special and like the park is open just for Marathon Weekend because there is really nothing else going on.
4. The expo is better
5. Lots of characters on the course - I felt the variety was great and the lines are so short! maybe 1-2 people tops
6. If you are sub 2-hour you run in the dark so if it is hot you can beat most of the heat

Cons to Jan:
1. It is crowded
2. It is not the "crown jewel" of the weekend
3. You have to get there Friday to get your packet so you have to miss a day of work
4. Unisex shirts - they suck

Pros to PHM:
1. If you are into costumes and tutus, this is your race! The number not in costume is the vast minority, and we all look fabulous!
2. This is a chance to be placed high in a corral, 2:15 is in A, 2:30 makes it to B. That is fun
3. Gender specific shirts
4. The sun comes up so much sooner (You actually get to see the sun even if sub-2 hour)
5. This is the top race of the weekend
6. Sunday race so you can do packet pickup on Saturday

Cons to PHM:
1. Weather in Feb is less predictable - heat is much more common, but it can also be mind-numbingly cold. Likelyhood of rain is higher also.
2. Guys starting in C. This is not a good thing if you are starting in front of them and they have decided to try to "win". We were almost bowled over by guys before mile 1 (which is on a one-lane overpass). It is dark, we don't have our stride yet and all of a sudden you have people shoving you from behind. Rude and unsafe. I think the whole guys can't win thing needs to be rethought, it is dumb and makes for dangerous conditions on the course that is already overcrowded. I get the whole "girl power" crap, but it is out of control and something needs to be done.
Ok, off soapbox
3. Sun comes up sooner. I know I said that was nice, but on a hot day - man that can start to broil you quick! Just a thought!
4. There were not as many Princesses out for this race as I expected there to be so I was not impressed with that. Big Con for me! Plus when there was a character the line was 15-20 people deep!
5. Not as much of a race weekend feel
6. Not a great Expo

I love Disney and I love Disney races but I am frustrated with the sheer number of people on the courses. It is too many! There are several places where you are running on one lane of a road and you are really packed in. This is the same for both races since they have the capacity the same for both now so that is a wash. PHM might be less well-attended next year as it isn't an anniversary year but Jan will be popular with the new 10K and Dopey being added and then in 2015 it will be the 10th anniversary of Goofy so I see it being very popular for that year too. Let's face it they are super popular races every year! I don't think it will happen but I would like to see either a lower in race capacity to 15,000-18,000 or change the course to eliminate the cut-downs to one lane.

 

[Bookwood]

I've run both several times and find the Princess a more fun atmosphere for the weekend.

I stopped running the Jan half when people seemed to lose the "lets all just run and have fun" attitude. I'm not a fast runner and run/walk, and am in the 11-12 minute mile group unless I have issues. I stopped doing Marathon weekend when I no longer felt the other runners were accepting of my pace and time. At 57 I'm probably not getting a lot faster and I'm ok with that, I just didn't feel others felt I deserved to be there. (I've run 5 Marathon weekends (4 halves and a full) and probably won't ever go back. This year was my 3rd Princess but with the crowding I'm not sure I'll go back for that either.

I like the weather better in Feb. Although it was hot and humid for both race weekends this year I prefer to visit Disney in the upper 70's to 80's (so I can use pools if I want and get away from Indiana weather.) Right now I'm considering a trip to WDW in Feb without Princess next year and running CMM in Nashville instead.

 

[Twingle]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to post your opinions - it's very much appreciated!

Participating in a Disney race is on my running bucket list, luckily I don't have to make any decisions right now regarding the Disney Marathon or Disney Princess Half.

Thanks again

 

[IamTrike]

I know you already got a lot of responses, but I figured I'd chime in. I ran both races this year. And one of DW's friends did too.

This year the princesses expo was at a resort not WWOS. If you weren't staying on property you were supposed to take a bus from Downtown Disney and the waits there for a bus were really long. Some people also had a pretty bad experience with lines for packet pickup or official merchandise. Not sure if the lines were directly attributable to the smaller venue.

In terms of stuff you get with the Race entry fee I think it's personal preference. DW would much rather have a Women's fit shirt Vs the Unisex shirt they give out during marathon weekend. As a result she likes the princess shirt better. I have other lady friends that prefer unisex so they like the marathon weekend stuff better. Jan races come with long sleeve shirts vs short for the Princess.

A lot of people have talked about the different feel around the resorts during the race weekend. I liked the experience in January better. Because of the number of runners you seem to see a lot more people with medals in the park and people seem much more open to talking about the race and sharing stories during marathon weekend. One of DW's friends commented that during marathon weekend it that if someone saw you with a medal they'd offer congratulations, or a joke about the weather or some kind of verbal engagement. After princess when you ran into another runner they looked you up and down and walked off. It wasn't universal but people in January seemed friendlier. That may just have been because the higher concentration of runners meant you were more likely to interact with another friendly runner.

 

[swimfly]

It wasn't universal but people in January seemed friendlier.

This!

I have run both and definitely prefer PHM. This is a personal preference. Previously posters covered most of the things which popped into my mind. The only things I didn't see mentioned were the ridiculous lines for the porta-loos (it's nearly all women so 1/2 the runners are running to the bushes) and the race etiquette during the PHM was non-existent in my experience.