Hello and welcome to my runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend 2025 trip report! I’m returning to the blow-by-blow diary format for this trip. Today we recap the Princess Half Marathon! Read all the posts in this report here. Onward!
What’s better than your alarm sounding at 2:30am? Your alarm sounding at 2:30am two mornings in a row, of course!
A RACE BUS SITUATION UNFIT FOR A PRINCESS
I like to be the first one up so I can maximize my prep time and minimize stress, especially when I have a golf cart to catch. I slipped into the bathroom and got that stuff out of the way before throwing on my Pumpkin Queen Sally costume and piling on my throwaways (another chilly morning awaited me). Becky and Erika were ready shortly after, and we hopped into our golf cart and headed for the Outpost.
The scene was promising at first. We had made good time, and a line of race busses awaited us. We boarded and settled in. And waited. And waited. And waited. It was at least fifteen minutes before the Cast Member manning the station told the bus driver he could leave.
For the race start? Heck no! We still needed to stop at Wilderness Lodge. There we waited ANOTHER fifteen minutes or so for our bus to fill before we finally headed toward Epcot. This has never happened to me before. Is it Fort Wilderness? I don’t remember sitting for such a long time when coming from Wilderness Lodge last year. Is Fill the Bus Before You Go No Matter How Long It Takes a new thing they’re doing? Because I DO NOT LIKE IT.
THE PRE-PRINCESS TIME CRUNCH
The compounding result of all this bus drama is that we arrived with barely more than 40 minutes to race start. This is NOT how Becky and I normally fly, and we were all keyed up as we took in the lengthy line for security screening. I mean, obviously we still stopped for a selfie with Spaceship Earth, but we didn’t futz around with it. Quick snap and hope it’s good!
The gear check lines weren’t too bad, but by the time we finished dropping off our stuff we were in Speed Mode. We power walked down to the corrals with a keen awareness that corral B would close in about ten minutes.
Indeed, I was so nervous about the time that I didn’t even bother hitting the bathroom; the porta potty lines were insupportable across the board. I wound up chasing Becky down in B, and we huddled together against the cold. The only good thing about arriving so late is that we didn’t have to wait long. Maybe 20 minutes of emcee chatter and we were off!
THE PRINCESS HALF MARATHON COMMENCES
I was so hyped up from time anxiety that I took off way too fast. I think my glacial WDW 5K, 10K, and Half followed by a blissful and free WDW Marathon gave me a skewed understanding of what the last race of a challenge weekend feels like. My Princess 10K was a little faster than the norm, and I felt it in my half. I never flagged, but it wasn’t quite the joyous romp of the marathon.
No matter! This is runDisney, where character stops are king. I let go of any internalized pacing requirements and kept my eyes peeled for entertainment.
We started our mileage on the roads, of course. During the Princess Half course you face a whole lotta asphalt before you get anywhere good. We bounced off the Polynesian’s footprint around mile four and reached the Grand Floridian a little over half a mile later. As at WDW Marathon Weekend, the Electrical Water Pageant was out and running as we crossed the bridge. I hope they keep it up!
INTO THE MAGIC KINGDOM WE GO
We entered the Magic Kingdom a bit past mile five, and that’s where things start to get good! Running up Main Street USA toward Cinderella Castle is always a thrill no matter which direction you approach it from.
This is also where I finally started stopping for characters. I know, I know, pretty late in the race, but the lines are always so long during the first few miles and I didn’t see anybody I wanted at a pic with so bad that it overcame the associated wait time.
In the Magic Kingdom, however, the lines started to get pretty reasonable. Prince Naveen and Princess Tiana were my first stop, followed by Cinderella.
I got a little too cocky after a series of successful castle photos and made the mistake of trying a new pose. I was going for a broken rag doll Sally vibe. Whether or not you feel this was successful is up to you. (If your response is “no,” don’t worry; I agree with you. 
)
ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH
Alas, we were shortly saying goodbye to the Magic Kingdom once more. We enjoyed a brief respite in the form of the Contemporary, and then we were dumped onto the cold hard reality of roads again around mile seven.
I broke the ensuing miles up with more character stops: Belle and Beast and Prince Eric in the velvety darkness…
… and Merida, Jafar, and Joy and Sadness in the cold light of day.
Not to mention Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl. “You’re both dolls!” the Cast Member manning the station observed. I do like a synergistic character moment.
BRING IT ON HOME TO EPCOT
It was just past mile twelve when we made our grand and miraculous Epcot entrance. I for one will never be truly happy until all runDisney races end with a victory lap around World Showcase. As it was, we skittered in behind The Seas, cut across World Celebration (that’s what we’re calling Epcot’s hub now, right?), and exited again between Test Track and Mission: Space. I snagged a quick photo with Anna and Elsa on the way through.
From there it was backstage to the finish. There was of course one last character stop… which was themed to The Incredibles for some reason? Elastigirl was just returning to the backdrop as I passed, but as this was a decidedly non-Princess-y finale, I kept it moving. Out through the finish and done!
POST-PRINCESS LIFE
I grabbed my medals and water and snacks and stuff before posting up at a table to await the triumphant appearance of Becky and Erika. The character lines were kinda long but I snuck some finisher pics in there.
While waiting I spotted my favorite race costumes of the weekend: King Arthur and Patsy. I had hoped to grab a proper photo of them but lost track. Anyway, if you read this, I have to ask – who are you who are so wise in the ways of science?
Anyway, Becky showed up shortly after followed by Erika, and we jumped on a bus back to Fort Wilderness. Would we be home in no time? Or stuck forever a la 2024? Tune in next time to find out!
Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Threads @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!