Run, Karla, Run!

My Belle costume (RunKarlaRun.com)

Do you want adventure in the great wide somewhere? Do you want it more than you can tell? You might be a Belle!

One year ago today, I put together this Belle running costume for the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna. Over the last two years, I’ve run every race at that event—the marathon in 2013 and the 5K, 10K and half-marathon in 2014—and in costume too.

I’ve already showed you how I made my Cinderella in Rags and Jacques the Mouse costumes from the 2013 marathon and my pink Cinderella dress from the 2014 half-marathon.

Now, heeeeeeeere’s Beauty and the Beast‘s Belle!

I wore Belle’s blue “provincial” dress at the inaugural Walt Disney World 10K. Apart from Aladdin‘s Jasmine, this might be the most basic of all the costumes I’ve made. It also might be the most sewing I’ve ever done. That said, it was all hand-stitched in one evening and I have zero sewing skills. I mean, I never even took home economic. If I can do it, anyone can.

Bookworm Belle

Last year, I waxed poetic about why I chose to run as “provincial” Belle. To me, her blue dress represents the bookworm Belle who dreams of adventure. And that’s the aspect of Belle I’ve always identified with.

But I also chose this costume because it’s really easy to run in. If you have brown or auburn hair like me, no wig is necessary. In this look, Belle’s hair is pulled back, which I prefer when I run. And if you forgo a basket and book, this costume doesn’t need any props. It was made for running.

How To Make A “Beauty & The Beast” Blue Belle Running Costume

Gather all the pieces for the costume. The sewing tools I used were:

After the Walt Disney World 10K (Photo: MarathonFoto.com)

1. Needle and thread

2. Safety pins

The costume items I used are:

1. Sparkle skirt

2. Blue shorts

3. Old pillowcase for apron

4. Ribbon for apron

5. Sparkle fabric for shirt

6. Old T-shirt for blouse

7. Sparkle Sleeves (It was SO hot and humid on race day, I ended up not wearing them)

8. Sparkle Wrist Bands

9. Fabric remnants for bow

10. Running shoes with bows Read the rest of this entry →

Beauty and the Beast

If Disney characters were runners, what kind of runners would they be?

The Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend of races kicked off today with the Cinderella Royal Family 5K, and continues Saturday with the inaugural Disney Princess Enchanted 10K and the Disney Princess Half Marathon on Sunday. Not to be forgotten is the first ever Glass Slipper Challenge, where runners complete both the 10K and half-marathon. Talk about medal envy; I’ve got it bad. You know I love me some Cinderella.

So in honor of the Disney Princess Half Marathon, I thought I’d share another installment of my runDisney Running Profiles.

Previous installments have looked at Sleeping Beauty as the runner who needs some rest and recovery, Alice in Wonderland as the newbie runner who has fallen down the running rabbit hole, and Cinderella as the hard working back-of-the-pack runner.

But who better to spur runners on this Princess Half Marathon weekend than Disney’s best cheerleader, Belle?

Belle

Beauty & the Beast: The Coach and the Runner

Great coaches—in running and in life—are the people who bring out the best in us. They cheer us from the sidelines, encourage us when we’re down, expect more of us when we give them less, and help us show the world, and ourselves, just how great we really can be. Never is that more apparent than when watching the Olympics.

In the Disney universe, the greatest coach of them all is Belle from Beauty & the Beast. And the Beast is a quintessential runner.

If I had to pick one Disney character to coach me, Belle would be my top pick. Read the rest of this entry →

“I want adventure in the great wide somewhere!” Me too, Belle!

It’s a tale as old as time: wearing Disney running costumes to races. OK, maybe it’s not a tale as old as time, but for me it does go back to the 2012 Tinker Bell Half Marathon, where I donned my first of many Disney running costumes and emerged a changed woman.

I’m wearing three Disney running costumes while running three races as a guest of runDisney at the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend: Disney Family Fun Run 5K, Walt Disney World 10K and Walt Disney World Half Marathon.

I ran the Disney Family Fun Run 5K as Esmeralda.

With the Disney Family Fun Run 5K behind me—dressed as Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame—and a Pluto medal around my neck (full race report is here!), the Walt Disney World 10K is my big target race of the weekend. It’s the one I’m racing for a personal best.

So for this race, I really wanted a costume I can race in. I ran a personal record at the 2012 Disney Princess Half Marathon while dressed as Cinderella with Prince Charming by my side. So I know that Disney running costumes and PRs can go hand in hand.

But it also means choosing one carefully. No wigs, no hats, no elaborate accessories, and, most importantly, I need to have my hair pulled back. Cinderella was perfect because she wore her hair in a bun to the ball. I almost always wear my hair in a bun when I race.

So I finally settled on the perfect Disney gal to guide me to a new running frontier: Beauty and the Beast’s Belle. Read the rest of this entry →

Cinderella Castle before dawn. (Photo: Marathon Foto)

Hot dog! It’s one of Mickey Mouse’s favorite phrases and it couldn’t have been more appropriate for the 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon on January 13, 2013. The mercury climbed to unseasonably warm temps, with a high of 81 degrees and humidity to match.

But the heat didn’t stop the 20,000 finishers—myself included. Dressed as Cinderella in Rags with Jacques the Mouse by my side (played with gusto by my husband), I soaked in the sun as I ran around the world—Walt Disney World, that is.

It was a magical run punctuated by an army of Disney characters, spectators, and volunteers who helped make it a fairy tale run to remember. Read the rest of this entry →

The Walt Disney World Marathon

Hot dog! It’s one of Mickey Mouse’s favorite phrases and it couldn’t have been more appropriate for the 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon on January 13, 2013. The mercury climbed to unseasonably warm temps, with a high of 81 degrees and humidity to match. The sun hung hot and heavy in a largely cloudless blue sky as runners worked their way around the World—Walt Disney World, that is.

I was on hand for all of the weekend’s action, from the Health & Fitness Expo to the Pasta in the Park Party, the Walt Disney World Marathon Meet Up and the Downtown Disney Cool Down After Party.

As one of the weekend’s 65,000 runners, I soaked in the sun as I ran through Magic Kingdom, the Walt Disney World Speedway, Animal Kingdom, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot on marathon morning—dressed as Cinderella in Rags with Jacque the Mouse by my side, played with gusto by my husband. These are my highlights from the weekend, including a few brushes with Mickey Mouse himself. Read the rest of this entry →

Disney’s Princess Half Marathon was a fairy tale race.

If you keep on believing, the dreams that you wish will come true.

Cinderella sang those words and I took them to heart at Disney’s Princess Half Marathon in Walt Disney World in Florida, which I attended as a guest of runDisney.

I channeled my inner Cinderella and believed that I could break my half-marathon personal record.

Disney races aren’t for PR’s many people say. Just have fun, they tell you.

But on Sunday, Feb. 26, I learned that it’s possible to PR and have fun too while running Disney.

Of course, it helps to have Prince Charming by your side.

Running in Costume: Cinderella and Prince Charming

For starters, I feel compelled to confess: I ran in costume. Not just that, I cajoled my fiancé, Phil, to run in costume with me—as Cinderella and Prince Charming.

Cinderella has long been my favorite princess, ever since I saw clips of the film on my Fisher Price Movie Viewer Theater back in the early 1980s. I even named my dog Cinderella. What better character to summon for a half-marathon than a gal who knows how to put her head down and work hard?

I found that once you put on a costume and give in to the Disney spirit, it’s inevitable that you’re going to have a good time, no matter how painful the running itself may be. Read the rest of this entry →

The pride of accomplishment

And he won!

My nephew runs his heart out

Crossing the finish line

Royal Family Kids' Races Runners

My nephew admires his sister's medal

Kids love to run

Royal Family Kids' Races Start

Royal Family Kids' Races Medals

Tangled Royal Family 5K medals

Disney 5K's are stroller friendly

Dressed to impress

Tangled Royal Family 5K finish

With Jasmine and Aladdin in Morocco

RunKarlaRun.com

Runners charge through Epcot

We say hi to Pocahontas

Runners pose with Belle and the Beast

Disney girls

Rapunzel and Flynn

Tangled Royal Family 5K Start

And they lived happily ever after

Cinderella & Prince Charming

RunKarlaRun.com

We model our bling

Coast to Coast Race Challenge medals

Runners show off their medals

Disney's Princess Half Marathon Medals

Earning a medal

Victory

Mickey waves me in

Last stop before the Princess finish

The finish is in sight

Minnie high-fives runners

Daisy Duck waves runners in

Rachel Booth wins

Princess Minnie and Mickey

Charging past Spaceship Earth

Through Epcot

To Epcot

Running Leap

Inspiration from a gospel choir

The cast of Sleeping Beauty

Running through the castle

Princess Minnie strikes a pose

The real Cinderella and Prince Charming

Pausing for a castle pic

Runners leap at Cinderella Castle

Cinderella's Fairy Godmother

The castle before dawn

Cinderella and Prince Charming are ready to run

2012 Disney Princess Start

Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend was a fairy tale tour of Walt Disney World in Florida. Runners tackled the Tangled Royal Family 5K, Disney’s Royal Family Kids’ Races and Disney’s Princess Half Marathon. Races took runners through Epcot and Magic Kingdom, where Disney characters cheered them on to victory.

I ran the half-marathon with my fiance dressed as Cinderella and Prince Charming. My sister and I ran the 5K, and my niece and nephew ran the kids’ races. Photos courtesy of runDisney.

Disclosure: As a member of the running media, runDisney provided me with complimentary race entry, hotel, park tickets, and some meals (like the Pasta in the Park Party) for Disney’s Princess Half Marathon. But as always, all opinions are purely my own. I really do believe in being honest about my experiences and Disney is no exception. For more information read my Disclosure Policy.

There are lots of runDisney races out there—the Walt Disney World Marathon, the Tinker Bell Half Marathon, Disney’s Princess Half Marathon, the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon and many more—and thousands of people who run them. If all those Disney runners are anything like me, I’m guessing they’ve got a few Disney tunes on their iPods to help get them in the mood. What are your favorite Disney songs to run to?

In the spirit of sharing, here are mine. These are the Disney songs that have gotten me into the Disney running spirit, and made me feel like a kid again as I’ve trained for the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon. Read the rest of this entry →

Karla (center), her mother and sister ride Dumbo, circa 1980.

I’m a Disney girl; always have been. I wore my Cinderella and Snow White books ragged as a little girl. The first words I remember being able to recognize when reading were “fairy godmother,” and my rubber seven dwarf dolls were among my favorite toys. I saw the movies in the theater as a child (I came of age before the dawning of the VCR, DVD and on-demand), and I eagerly anticipated our annual family vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida.

So I was delighted when runDisney invited me to be their guest for the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon at Disney World. On Saturday, October 1, I’ll be lining up in the dark for the 10 p.m. start of my first Disney race. I couldn’t be more excited. Read the rest of this entry →