Before the race, we say Aurora, Mulan, Elena and Cinderella. There were four character lines. Princess Minnie was by herself but the other princesses were paired and swapped out. Cinderella/Snow White, Aurora/Mulan, Elena/Ariel. We were also able to catch Princess Minnie and Ariel afterwards but the Snow White line was crazy long so we missed her. Surprisingly, Princess Minnie's line was crazy long before hand but short after so it's worth a shot to try and get character pictures after the race too.
Melissa and I both decided to dress up as Mulan for this race. I went with the before makeover Mulan and she was the after makeover look. It was really fun to get dressed up together, especially considering that we had only three weeks to pull costumes together. I think they both turned out really cute! And everything is more fun in costume.
This was my first Disney race where I had a proof of time to submit so I was in corral C for the 10k. Melissa is much faster than me but she came back to C so we could run together. The 10k corrals are right in the Epcot parking lot, unlike the half corrals which are a hike from the start area. The weather was feeling pretty nice at that time and I was close enough to the big screen to get to watch the preshow. It was kind of fun and definitely helped pass the time until it was time to walk to the start line.
The 10k is definitely a bit more low key than the half. Mulan came out for a bit to say hi and then they started sending people off. There was a small firework send off for each corral and then we were off to the highway in the dark. One thing I like about the 10k course is that the first 3 miles are in the dark on the highway but the second 3 miles is in Epcot and the Boardwalk area.
Our plan was to take the 10k easy and stop for characters so we could have energy for the half the next day. Melissa had run her very first marathon the weekend before and I PR'd my 10k the weekend prior at the Eye of the Dragon 10k. Plus, as soon as we started running, I could really feel the humidity. It was going to be a hot and sticky race.
This race was the very first run that I had run with someone else and it was really fun. We did get separated at the first water stop because it was crazy but we got caught up with each other and made a plan to meet at the next mile marker if we got separated again. Princess was definitely a crowded race weekend but that's how runDisney races go. The first character stop we passed was Belle and the Beast but the line was crazy long so we skipped. We both kind of regret not stopping but it was early in the race and neither of us had run a race for photos before.
None of the other characters in the first half of the race really spoke to us but we saw Joy and Sadness right outside of Epcot and we had to stop. The line looked long but it actually moved really fast. It feels odd seeing so many people run past you but we only ended up waiting a few minutes and we got a really cute photo. On the course, there are no character interactions or autographs. You just jump in, get your shot and move on. Most characters have a photopass photographer but they will also usually take a photo on your phone if you want to. We also stopped for Mr and Mrs Incredible shortly after Joy and Sadness but that photo never showed up.
Once inside Epcot, I had so much fun running! We came in behind Test Track and ran through the World Showcase. I love World Showcase! It was so beautiful and there were tons of photo opportunities and characters out. The one we absolutely had to stop for was Jasmine and Aladdin in Morocco. You can meet both of them in Magic Kingdom but Aladdin is usually in his street rat outfit. It was a real treat to see him in his Prince Ali outfit.
After France, we headed out to the Boardwalk. That area is so pretty and it was fun to run through it. You get to run by the Boardwalk, the Swan and Dolphin, the Yacht Club and the Beach Club. Most of the hills on this course were in this area. If you ever stay on property and want a nice place to run, this loop is really nice. We also got to run back through the Skyliner construction area on our way back into the World Showcase.
I was feeling really good once we got back into Epcot so I picked up the pace a bit. That would end up being a bit of a mistake. We were able to get some really nice photos including stopping for a posed photo in front of Spaceship Earth. I had felt cheated on running through Epcot during the WDW Marathon half marathon since we were barely in the park but I got all of my Epcot miles in during this race. Soon we were passed the ball and hit mile marker 6.
It was still hot and humid but overcast so we decided to run from mile 6 to the finish line instead of continuing doing my run walk intervals. But I forgot two things, A) a 10k has 0.2 miles to go after the last mile marker unlike the half marathon is 0.1 miles and B) the finish line is actually a decent distance from the park entrance. I was not feeling so great during that stretch and I ended up getting really bad side stitches within sight of the finish line. It was hard but I had to take a walk break until the pain subsided a bit.
Luckily, I was able to muster the energy to run over the finish line. And, of course, I put on my photopass photographer face. Smile like you're having fun people! It felt really great to get my 10k medal. It was a hot and hard race for me. It took a lot more out of me that I was expecting, but I did it!
After the race, we munched on our snack boxes and got a few more character photos. Then it was off to our room to shower and nap. I definitely recommend planning a nap if you are doing multiple races in a weekend. I really needed one. After the nap, we headed out to the Boardwalk for the Joyful Miles meet up. Melissa and I didn't stay long because neither of us had had any real food yet that day. Lunch was at Sunshine Seasons. I had a chicken salad and a vegan cupcake because I wanted veggies and sugar.
Our next mission was to have Mulan sign our medals. She was really great and impressed that we had run that morning. If you can, I highly recommend meeting the character on your medal. So much fun! We ended the day at Hollywood Studios for a few rides before heading back to our room to get to bed early. We had another 2 am wake up call for the half!
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Princess Half Marathon 2019:
Part 1: Expo
Part 2: 10k Race Recap-You are here.
Part 3: Half Marathon Race Recap
Part 4: Fairy Tale Challenge Race Recap
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