Previous installments have looked at Sleeping Beauty as the runner who needs to take a few weeks off even if she doesn’t want to, and Alice in Wonderland as the newbie runner who has fallen down the running rabbit hole.
This week, we’re working hard with my favorite runDisney Princess and one who suits Disney’s Princess Half Marathon perfectly…Cinderella Read the rest of this entry →
The 2014 Disney Princess Half Marathon registration opens June 11. (Photo: runDisney)
Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend Registration
Runners, mark your calendars! Online registration for the runDisney 2014 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend from February 20-23 opens Tuesday, June 11 at noon EST. That includes registration for:
Plus, a lucky few runners will be able to register early for the 2014 Tinker Bell Half Marathon at Disneyland Resort in California with their Princess Half registration. Why would you want to do that? The new pink women’s focused Coast-to-Coast Race Challenge medal, of course. Online registration for the 2014 Tinker Bell Half Marathon officially opens on July 9.
Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend Changes
Minnie Mouse high-fives runners at the Disney Princess Half Marathon finish. (Photo: runDisney)
Why do you run? (Photo: Sgt. Jimmy D. Shea/US Marine Corps)
Happy National Running Day, everyone! It’s the 5th anniversary of the event, and I’m proud to say I’ve been a runner for every one of them.
Part of the National Running Day campaign allows runners to make an “I Run…” badge. It can be any reason you run, a place you run anything. This year, my badge says, “I Run Because I Can!” There was a decade of my life where running was so painful that I avoided it by any means possible. You can read about that here.
Sadly, I won’t be running today. I fell off a horse on Sunday—more to come on that in another post—and landed on my hip. It’s pretty sore and I’m going to get an x-ray just to be sure everything is alright. I don’t want to run and potentially make it worse. Being injured reminds me to appreciate every day that I can run.
Yay!
So in honor of National Running Day, I thought I’d share the top 10 reasons why I run. I first came up with this list in 2010 and it’s still true. I’ve also updated it a bit for this year.
So here goes. Here are the top 10 reasons I run, in no particular order.
The Walt Disney World Marathon finish. (Photo: runDisney)
Tribesports asked me to create a guide to the Walt Disney World Marathon course for their social networking site for active minded folks. “Whether you’re a novice or a pro, we think seeing your friends sports activity, and sharing yours will make you want to be more active and do more sports,” their website states. Seems like a good premise to me, since that’s what the blogging community does in a different way.
So I thought I’d share my Walt Disney World Marathon Guide here as well since it highlights the race in a different way than my race report. If you’re thinking of signing up for the Walt Disney World Marathon—registration is still open for the 2014 race—here’s a play by play of what you can expect on the course.
Guide to the Walt Disney World Marathon Course
Runners fill Magic Kingdom. (Photo: runDisney)
The Walt Disney World Marathon is the crown jewel in the runDisney series of races. Nearly 25,000 runners tackle the 26.2-miles around “the World,” many dressed in costume in homage to their favorite Disney characters. The vibe on-course is as much party as road race with Disney’s signature entertainment lining the way: marching bands, DJ’s, cheerleaders, acrobats, rock bands, and, of course, those famous Disney characters. Read the rest of this entry →
The Walt Disney World Marathon (Photo: Marathon Foto)
Last week marked the sixth anniversary of my very first running race back in 2007. Last fall, I chronicled how I went from a person who loathed running to someone who loves it. How much do I love it? Over these last six years, I’ve run 53 running races with number 54, the UnitedHealthcare Providence Half Marathon, in one week and numbers 55, 56 and 57 already on the books.
Looking back at six years of racing, it occurred to me that certain races have a special place in my heart. Every runner has that race they look forward to every year, the race they’ve always dreamed of running, the race that moved them in unexpected ways. These are mine.
So without further ado, here are my “Races to Remember,” the running races that left the biggest impressions on me, culled from my six years out there on the road.
Disney’s Princess Half Marathon is getting a new 10K and a Glass Slipper Challenge. (Photo: runDisney)
Big news from runDisney! Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend from February 20-23, 2014 at Walt Disney World in Florida is getting the royal treatment with a new Disney Princess Enchanted 10K and a new two-race challenge in the Disney Glass Slipper Challenge. Based on the name alone, I like it already.
Princess Half Glass Slipper Challenge
The Glass Slipper Challenge follows in the footsteps of the Dumbo Double Dare at Disneyland: runners complete both the new Disney Princess Enchanted 10K on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday for a total of 19.3 miles. Best of all for Disney bling lovers, runners earn the inaugural Disney Glass Slipper Challenge Medal in addition to the medals from each event, including a new yet-to-be-announced medal for the 10K. Read the rest of this entry →
Desiree Davila (in black) poses with runners at the 2013 Walt Disney World Marathon Meet-Up. (Photo: runDisney)
Olympian and 2011 Boston Marathon runner-up Desiree Davila is no stranger to running Disney. I had a chance to catch up with the American running star at the 2013 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend in January. We chatted about her recovery from injury, goals for the future and, of course, running at Walt Disney World.
“This is the only place in the world where people go, ‘I’m just doing the marathon,’” Davila said with a laugh.
Indeed, runDisney unveiled for the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend the Dopey Challenge, an event that dares runners to complete four races on four consecutive days for a total of 48.6 miles: the Family Fun Run 5K on Thursday, a new Walt Disney World 10K on Friday, the Walt Disney World Half Marathon on Saturday, and the Walt Disney World Marathon on Sunday. The Dopey Challenge is already sold-out for 2014. But runners can still register for the Walt Disney World Marathon, Walt Disney World Half Marathon, and Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge, where runners complete both the marathon and half marathon.
Desiree Davila, 29, didn’t run this year’s Walt Disney World Marathon. She’d been in long-term recovery from a femoral stress fracture, the same injury that forced her to drop out of the 2012 Olympic Marathon in London before the 5K mark.
After taking 12 weeks of from running, Davila slowly built up mileage and time on her feet.
“I took an extended amount of time off, let that all heal up, and I’m heading in the right direction now, making sure I’m 100 percent and slowly building mileage,” Davila said. Read the rest of this entry →
Now, Disney’s running branch has announced another slate of changes for the 2014 edition of the race, and a video to explain it all. Read the rest of this entry →
Check out the latest episode of the Mickey Miles Podcast when I chat with hosts Mike and Michelle about what makes runDisney events so much fun.
We also talk about how I got started running. If you don’t already know the story, it’s pretty crazy. I share my favorite runDisney moment, talk shop about “On The Run,” the new Dopey Challenge, the Walt Disney World Marathon and lots more.
Also, be sure to check out my new runDisney page, where you can find all of my Disney running stories in one place, including race reports, costume guides, features on celebrities like Drew Carey, tips from Jeff Galloway, a behind the scenes look at runDisney, news and more.
Registration is now open for the 2013 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World in Florida from November 8-9. It’s the final race in runDisney’s seven–race series, and, I think, the most fun.
Disney expects more than 20,500 runners to register for the weekend’s events, including 14,000 for the half-marathon. That will mean a whopping 175,000 runners will have registered for runDisney events in 2013—a record for the mouse house’s running branch. In 2012, 125,000 runners competed in runDisney events. Read the rest of this entry →
Rachel Booth wins the 2013 Disney Princess Half Marathon. (Photo: Preston Mack/runDisney)
When it comes to winning Disney half marathons, no one does it better than elite runner Rachel Booth. The 32-year-old mother of two won her fourth Disney race this morning at Disney’s Princess Half Marathon in course record time. It was her second consecutive Princess Half victory. She also won the Disneyland Half Marathon in 2010 and 2011. At four wins, she owns the most runDisney victories of any woman.
“It never gets old, for sure,’’ Booth said after the race. “As I got to Mile 7 and 8 and through Mile 10, I got to see some people [cheering] and that definitely gave me extra incentive.’’ Read the rest of this entry →
Cinderella in rags and Jacque the Mouse. (Photo: Marathon Foto)
Wearing running costumes at runDisney races has become an art, thanks to the popularity of events like Disney’s Princess Half Marathon. The race celebrates its fifth anniversary on February 24, and probably inspires more runners to dress as their favorite Disney characters than any other Disney race.
Here’s how we put together Cinderella in Rags and Jacques the Mouse race-friendly running costumes that were both recognizable and comfortable to run in. Best of all, the only tools we needed were a needle, thread, tape, safety pins and a healthy imagination. Read the rest of this entry →
So I’ve decided to spread the running costume love.
Running Costume Skirt Giveaway
I’m giving away a brand new skirt identical to the one I wore at the Walt Disney World Marathon on Jan. 13 when I dressed as Cinderella in Rags.
If Cinderella in Rags isn’t your style, the skirt could also double as a running costume piece for Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty’s Briar Rose, Hercules, or something more creative like Bambi.
The 2013 Disneyland Half Marathon sold out in record time. (Photo: runDisney)
We all knew that Disney races were popular, but this is a new record. The Disneyland Half Marathon, Disneyland 10K and Dumbo Double Dare sold out in 26 hours.
It’s the fastest any runDisney race has sold out. In 2012, it took a month for the Disneyland Half Marathon to reach capacity. But in 2013, the new 10K and Dumbo Dare sold out in less than a day, with the half-marathon closing just a few hours later.
The Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend from August 30 to September 1, 2013 at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., has now joined events like the Marine Corps Marathon and Boston Marathon, which reach capacity within hours, instead of days or months. Even the 2012 Chicago Marathon took a full six days to fill up.
Sean Astin has run the Tinker Bell Half Marathon two years in a row. He set a personal best time at the inaugural Tinker Bell Half Marathon in 2012, finishing in 1:59:07.
But this year, the actor took it easier and stopped for photos along the way, finishing in 2:26:51. Read the rest of this entry →
I’m not the fastest runner and I’m not the slowest, but I am a running nerd. A journalist by trade, I love to research, read, learn and cogitate. So stick with me. Like all good nerds, I’ll do the homework and share it. But the running is up to you!
