2021 Virtual Princess 5K (at Pop Century!)

With our Disney trip still in the works despite the virtual switch of the Princess Half Marathon weekend,  I knew I still wanted to save some of the races for our time on actual Disney property. Although I'd only initially registered for the Fairy Tale Challenge alone, I added on the 5K after the virtual switch. I'll admit, it was the theme that got me. Prior to this, I didn't own any Little Mermaid runDisney anything!

The night before my run, I took a look at the running route around Pop Century which mostly included the path around Hourglass Lake (roughly 1.3 miles). 

Off we go!

Character "stops" anyone? Well, I found a few! It never dawned on me that I could have taken some of these photos in the Little Mermaid section at Art of Animation. (face palm)

The Skyliner began operating during my run and it was so beautiful and peaceful in the morning! 

Mile 2...almost done!

...and with that, my Disney Princess 5K was done! I'll admit, it was nice not having to wake up at 2:30 a.m., take a bus and sit in a random parking lot for an hour waiting on a race to begin. With that being said though, I really really miss runDisney!!

Throughout this run, I encountered so many runners who were out there doing the same as me...running bibs, costumes, sparkle skirts, and all! Everyone was so encouraging and friendly, and there was even a group out there handing out bananas to runners! Even though it wasn't a "true" runDisney event, these little elements sure made it feel like "home" and it made for an amazing and memorable experience. 

Up next: Our day at EPCOT! 

2015 Princess Half Marathon Expo Vlog

One of my favorite thing about editing vlogs is the fact that I get to relive fun experiences all over again! Despite the sadness of returning home after a jam packed vacation, having something to look forward to is really exciting for me!

Today, I bring you a vlog of the 2015 Princess Half Marathon Expo! No matter how many I’ve been to, they are all equally as exciting to me! I love checking out new vendors and seeing what others have to offer. I also love the excitement in the air and the comradery between other runners…so much fun!

If you missed other recaps from Princess weekend, you can find them below:

• Princess Half Marathon Expo (blog)
• Spectating at the Princess 5K

I hope you enjoy! Thanks for watching! :)

Do you like to spend time at race expos or do you go in only for the necessities?

Spectating at Disney’s Princess 5K

This year, I decided to sit out of the 5K during Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend and spectate instead. My husband was running and I wanted to cheer him on. In hindsight, I should have done the 5K along with my husband but oh well... Looking back, my husband said he would have run the 10K instead had he known – next time for sure!

Anyway, we woke up on 5K morning to a frozen Florida tundra. Ok not quite, but it was close. The “feels like” temperature said 28 degrees F! Holy cow…that’s COLD, y’all!

If you read yesterday’s Expo recap, you would know that my husband almost ran the Princess 5K in blue jeans. Ummm…I veto’d that right away (we were NOT prepared for it to be THAT cold). Thankfully, the Champion booth at the Expo had long men’s workout pants for sale…whew. Crisis averted!

So. Many. Layers. Two pair of socks, compression socks, compression tights, blue jeans, a tank top, a regular shirt, arm warmers, a half zip pullover, a hoodie, ear warmer, gloves, and hot hands. Needless to say, the cold didn’t bother me…anyway…. (whomp whomp)

We had no problem boarding a bus at our resort. They were ready and waiting! We arrived at the race site and headed straight for the stage.

These guys were posing for pictures with runners before the race began.

Carissa and Rudy were so cute all dressed as characters from Arendale!

Before long, runners were asked to make their way toward the corrals. Spectators weren’t allowed past a certain point, so we said our goodbyes.

As I was about to walk towards the start line to cheer the runners on, I heard an announcement that Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff were headed towards the stage! I decided to turn around and take a few pictures and I’m so glad I did. Look at this random shot I captured with a runner’s Olaf hat! Hehe!

I realized that I was starting to get hungry and I wanted a cup of coffee. I chose a banana (an almost $2 banana…welcome to Disney) and the cup of coffee was just what I needed!

Everything was clearly marked which really helped out a lot (I’ve never been on “this” side of the runDisney spectrum)! If you didn’t see a sign for something or didn’t know which way to go, Volunteers were all around to guide and direct you. It was really nice!

While waiting in the corrals, I heard that the runners received a special sneak preview of the new Cinderella movie that’s coming to theaters this March. I was slightly jealous…

….and GO!

Jason missed seeing me at the start line (I saw him) so after he passed, I began walking over to the finish line to wait for him there.

See…clearly marked!  I did like that the finish line for the 5K, 10K, and Half were all in the same exact location. Super nice!

I also text Jason this picture so he would know exactly where I was standing! Hah!

While waiting, I listened to Carissa and Rudy cheer runners on as they crossed the finish line. Y’all…they cracked me up!! I died laughing several times at their antics. Perhaps my favorite was when a girl who was running with a stuffed pooh bear crossed the finish line…Rudy informed her that she had “poo” on her hands…maybe you had to be there. It was super funny, I promise!

I might have tweeted them to let them know how much they were entertaining me! :p

Watching other runners run by also helped keep me entertained! I loved looking at everyone’s super creative costumes!

There he is!

Another race in the books!

So proud of Jason!

Mylar blankets galore! We were glad that runDisney listened to Marathon weekend runners! This blanket served a double purpose, too….I was able to use Jason’s 5K mylar blanket while waiting for the start of the 10K the following morning, which was really nice!

After a few quick pictures,we decided to go back to our hotel and attempt to warm up a bit.

Race transportation busses were ready and waiting! We didn’t wait long at all and boarded a bus right away!

As soon as we walked on our bus, I saw Brandi and her family! We sat across from them and chatted on the way back to our resort!  (They were dressed as the chimney sweeps from Mary Poppins and were SO cute!)

Overall, we had a great time at the Princess (FROZEN) 5K! Everything was well organized and put together well. We really enjoy the fun and family aspect of Disney’s 5K races. On one hand, I wish I had registered but on the other, it was neat to be a spectator for a change!

Were you at the 5K (or any park during the day)? Did you freeze your tail off?