It’s hard to know where to start when I write about my passion for running, marathons and Disney all rolled into one amazing weekend. First, I couldn’t be more proud of a group of women who finished the Disney Princess Half Marathon on Feb. 27th. (OK, this post is late, but I had to decompress after flying in from Istanbul and almost immediately driving to Orlando for race weekend.) As I wrote before the race, six of the BSM Media team laced up their shoes to run 13.1 miles, along with another dozen women from the media who came from across the country, and even one fabulous mom blogger from the Netherlands. The runDisney race, from Epcot through the Magic Kingdom and back to Epcot, was simply overflowing with Disney magic.
Second, I’ve run a lot of races, but the “Princess” is truly special. This year’s weekend of events, filled with behind-the-scenes tours, interviews with fitness celebrities and of course, fabulous mom bloggers in attendance, was no different.
At the welcome reception on Saturday, we visited the ESPN Sports Complex and met Survivor star Ethan Zohn and Jeff Galloway, fitness/marathon expert who was charming and funny, and patient as we asked many questions! Following the reception, we were treated to the “carb load” dinner at Mama Melrose in Hollywood Studios. Pasta, pasta, pasta, followed by a fabulous-looking cake for Princess Renee’s birthday! The food was only surpassed by the conversation around the table, which I can’t repeat to protect the innocent.
It’s always nice to catch up with friends (and make new ones) like Amy (selfishmom.com), Rachel (runningbackwardsinhighheels.com), Christie (Chatterbox.com), Deborah from the Walt Disney World Moms Panel, Heather (runfastermommy.com), Kayte (Longlegsontheloose.com), Lisa (WorkoutMommy.com), Lorraine (AskWifey.com), Monique (TravelingMom.com), Renee (CutieBootyCakes.com) and Tonia (RacingwithBabies.com).
Like kids having to be told to go to bed, we had to end the night early to get ready for the 3:30 a.m. wakeup call. In the chilly, pre-dawn hours on Sunday morning, we departed for the big race! Even though I’ve run the Princess before, I’m still amazed by what is one of the largest women-specific endurance events in the country…and most in tiaras and tutus. The few men running the race also got in the spirit by wearing prince (and some princess) outfits. Lining our route, even in the pre-dawn hours, were characters, DJs and bands to keep everyone moving. My goal was to finish the race in 2:30, and that was my finish time.
Following the race, we were treated to an amazing day of activities, including a golf lesson at the beautiful Magnolia and Palm Golf Course, and we took in a Spring Training game at the ESPN Sports Complex (Braves vs. Mets).
Third, and most important, was that from start to finish (sorry!), the Princess Half Marathon weekend surpassed even Disney standards as a fabulous weekend. And best of all, the women who ran the race have accomplished a fantastic goal, many for the first time, of running an endurance race at the most magical place on Earth.
