2015 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend motivation and survival guide

Article first appears within the Disney Theme Parks Examiner postings on Examiner.com, Sept 9, 2014

The Disney Princess Half Marathon extravaganza, taking place this weekend at and all throughout the Walt Disney World Resort, is similar to every other runDisney weekend in that it is wholly memorable and outstanding. Everyone who participates in a runDisney event either immediately makes plans to return for their next, or goes through their days distracted and with a profound sense of loss.

If you are participating in this, or any runDisney run, know that they are exceedingly accommodating. The courses are flat, lined with entertainment, magic and motivation. There are a few things to keep in mind though, which will help make the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend the spectacular success it is designed to be:

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2015 Disneyland Half Marathon breaks stellar registration record

Article first appears within Disney Theme Parks Examiner postings on Examiner.com, Feb 10, 2015

Registration for the 2015 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend just opened, and the spectacular, but overwrought, runDisney website has quickly succumbed to the overuse. According to the runDisney twitter feed, every race is already half full. By the time this goes to print, the entire weekend of events will be sold out, as will many of the area hotels. The moral: don't sleep on runDisney. These events are extraordinary, and they've got the following to prove it.

Also, do not resent Disney for it. Many associated twitter rants already lament a multifaceted unfairness. Primary contention seems to surround getting shut out of a queue, or else waiting in same only to find out their desired race sold out in the interim.

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2015 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend recap, shameless runDisney praise

Article first appears within Disney Theme Parks Examiner postings on Examiner.com, Jan 11, 2015

Another incredible runDisney series of events has graced yet another army of guests, participants and enthusiasts. The 2015 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend concludes on Sunday, and besides becoming even more well-attended, the weekends keep getting better. runDisney knows what they are doing. Additionally, they are harnessing valuable lessons brought by each successive event to make an already magical experience wholly transformational. There are still issues, of course, you couldn't give away gold bars and eternal life without some difficulty. There are fewer problems with every passing run, and far fewer than anywhere outside Disney.
One concern with any wildly popular endeavor is overcrowding. Every Disney Resort does a masterful job of organizing and moving people. The Imagineers have sought to anticipate and remedy issuses ahead of time, while Cast Members expertly handle what cannot be designed out. Sometimes attendance at the parks, or certain regions of them, say in the Soarin' queue or anywhere Anna and Elsa are spotted, simply exceed capacity and anyone's ability to maintain. This has become an unavoidable result of runDisney's excessive and ever-growing loyal following. The races are amazing. Word has gotten out. These weekends simply draw too many people, no matter what the most brilliant minds and guest service reps do.

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runDisney Costume Characters you should be able to beat..

Article originally appears within the Disney Theme Parks Examiner postings on Examiner.com, Aug 28, 2013.

For the fortuitous enthusiasts who managed to secure an entry into the 2013 Disneyland Half Marathon before it sold out in 25 hours, perhaps you were also keen enough to train for it. Disney races are renowned for being delightful and accommodating, but if you aren't in the proper shape you are going to finish behind someone in a Buzz Lightyear costume. Think you can live with that?
One of the truly charming elements that help define a Disney race is the indelible throng of wholly passionate participants. Yes, twenty-thousands of them are willing to sign up for each half marathon the day registration opens. Yes, most of these same thousands are prepared to get out of bed at 4 in the morning to reach their assigned starting corral as instructed. But, more specifically we speak of the fervor which drives those who will pay for, plan for and participate in the whole thirteen-mile spectacle dressed like a Disney cartoon character.
The experience of seeing thousands of fanatics wearing their ears, Mickey hands and Team Sparkle skirts is nigh indescribable. Those that go the extra mile (intentional) and don an actual costume deserve special recognition. Getting passed by Tweedledum and Tweedledee at the halfway point, though, is as infuriating as it is unavoidable, and you'd better just prepare for it.
There are a great many runners out there simply bristling with Disney spirit. Watching powerless as one of them plods past you in Mike Wazowski regalia is a real kick to your own enthusiasm. To aptly compete with a Disney-costumed runner, it boils down to this: awareness. First, understand that many of these individuals are not mere fanatics. Most are well conditioned, well adjusted athletes who for reasons all their own possess the will and training to run a ten-minute mile dressed as Eeyore. Know that it is possible for someone to have more endurance than you no matter how impractically they are outfitted. The compulsion that drives one to wear a bolt of felt all through a thirteen-mile race often accompanies a determination that you cannot match, most certainly not if you are still being paced by The Little Mermaid at mile 11.
Any costumed character you don't put away early is probably going to beat you. If one, or all of the Three Little Pigs are still with you on the homestretch, you are going to finish behind them . If your combined ability and psychosis did not enable you to distance yourself from Winnie the Pooh, his closing kick is going to be stronger than yours and you will forever be immortalized in his finish-line photo.
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