In February 2017, my parents and I took a trip to Walt Disney World so my dad and I could run the Princess Half Marathon. We both wanted to earn our Coast to Coast medals, and if runners complete the Princess Half Marathon in Florida & the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in California in the same calendar year, not only would we get the standard Coast to Coast medal, but also a special pink Coast to Coast medal. Might as well kill two birds with one stone!
We arrived two days before the race. We don’t like red-eye flights, so we arrived right around dinner time on our first day. The next day we spent some time playing in the parks and picked up our race materials from the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Race conditions were looking to be perfect – awesome weather, I had a decent corral (H), my chronically troublesome knee wasn’t giving me any issues, and the course was nice and flat. And hey, who can beat running through Walt Disney World? Unfortunately, this race would prove to be the most physically demanding race I’ve ever done.
The week before, I had been sick with a terrible cold. I went to the doctor and was prescribed a z pak and inhaler. In addition, I was taking cough drops, drinking plenty of fluids, blowing my nose, and trying to get as much rest as possible. We took it easy our first 2 days, and the morning of race day I was feeling okay.
When you run a Disney race, it’s imperative to arrive early – well before the crack of dawn. We assembled on some back roads surrounding Epcot (it was pretty dark, I’m not sure exactly where). My dad and I parted ways; he’s a much better runner than I, so he was in a corral up ahead. The other runners around me had sweaters or blankets that they’d abandon on the race course (Disney collects them – I have heard the ones in good shape are washed and donated). I elected not to bring a sweater with me because I knew as soon as I started moving & the sun came up I’d be fine. In the meantime I tried to stay warm by stretching and moving around. I am a pretty light traveler when I run – just me, my running watch, and a hat. I bring a couple snacks with me to races, but I always eat them before I start.
Before I knew it, the first corrals were off and running, and ours was walking closer to the starting line. My usual strategy for long distances is 30 seconds running, 30 seconds walking. I can maintain this through an entire half marathon and not feel dead by the end of it. Unfortunately these plans would not quite work out as I had hoped.
When it was our corral’s turn to start, I found myself in a much more crowded spot than I had anticipated. It wasn’t going to be possible to slow down to a walk after 30 seconds of running without getting trampled or causing problems for other runners. Ordinarily I would be fine running a mile without stopping, but with my body in its weakened condition from the cold I had been fighting, the first mile really wore me out.
I ran close to the entire first mile before the crowds thinned out enough to where I could stop. And when I stopped, I pulled off to the side and coughed for a minute or two. My lungs were on fire. There was no way I was going to be able to follow my normal plan from here. Time to re-evaluate. I began walking while I figured out what to do. Every time I tried to run, I had to take deep inhales through my mouth (because my sinuses were so clogged). Doing so made my chest feel like it was on fire, causing me to cough deeply, therefore winding me. At this point I realized if I wanted to cross the finish line in one piece, I needed to walk the remaining 12 miles.
My greatest fear was getting swept. I heard runners who got swept still got their race medal but would not receive any challenge medals, including Coast to Coast medals. The whole point of flying out from California was to get that Coast to Coast medal, so I was determined not to get swept.
As I walked the road from Epcot to Magic Kingdom, it was discouraging to be passed by runners. I was in good shape. I had been looking forward to this for months. It was my first (and thus far, only) Florida race. It was the first leg of Coast to Coast. I stayed on the right side of the road – race etiquette, slow runners and walkers stay to the right – and every now and then I glanced at the runners’ bibs to see what corrals they were from. It was getting more and more discouraging to see the letters get further along in the alphabet. I tried to stay focused on my goal – walk a 15 minute mile – and in the meantime I distracted myself by looking out for characters and other entertainment on the race course.
I made sure to get water at every water station, because even though it hurt my throat to swallow, I really needed it. Usually I do okay exercising without having a lot of water; I’ve been a tennis player for 20 years, and I’m very in tune with how much water my body needs to operate. Today was different, though. My body craved the liquid. Unfortunately this meant I also needed to use the restroom! This was a first for me! I’ve never had to use the restroom on a race course before. Usually I sweat it all out.
At this point there were several portapotties along the course, and I thought to myself, You know, Magic Kingdom is only about a mile away, why don’t you wait until you can use a real toilet? So, I decided to wait it out.
Once we entered Magic Kingdom my spirits lifted quite a bit. Guests and Cast Members up and down Main Street USA were cheering us along and I was hit with a burst of energy that allowed me to run down the length of Main Street. There’s nothing like dashing through the Most Magical Place on Earth, heading straight for Cinderella Castle.
I decided to use the restroom in Fantasyland before we ran through the castle, and found a long line. Duh, it’s the Princess Half Marathon. Of course the line at the women’s room would be long! It moved quickly though, and it was time to run through the castle. I mustered up the energy to run through the castle and paused for a selfie afterwards.
Next, we exited Magic Kingdom backstage near Splash Mountain. My knee was giving me a bit of trouble so I stopped at the first aid stand to grab a painkiller and off I continued. On this part of the course I remember seeing a couple characters, but the lines were long so I decided to just watch as I walked by. My favorite was Genie dressed like a tourist in a golf cart near the Grand Floridian.
Once we got out of the Magic Kingdom area and were on the road back to Epcot, we saw the end of the runners that were heading to Magic Kingdom, I saw the dreaded balloon ladies! The balloon ladies are the unofficial end of the race – behind them are the sweepers who will pick you up if you’re falling too far behind. I figured I was about 3 miles ahead of them but it still made me panic, so I picked up my walking pace.
Soon, Spaceship Earth came back into view. Almost there, keep it up. I looked at the crowd of runners on the overpass above me. Literally, above me. At this point in the race course we took a sharp turn and the course turned upwards and above us. This was roughly mile 10 or 11. The slope hurt the legs! But, pretty soon we were entering Epcot – my favorite park!
At this point the park was open and day guests were there. When Disney races go through guest areas, Cast Members are very good at corralling guests into areas of the walkway to allow runners to go through, and Epcot was no exception. I again got another burst of energy through Epcot, bolstered by Cast Members and guests alike cheering me on. I smiled and waved at a photographer as I ran by Spaceship Earth.
Before I knew it we were exiting the park, heading backstage, and to my surprise a gospel choir was the last bit of entertainment on the race course! Disney does an awesome job at providing on-course entertainment but I didn’t expect a gospel choir. This was honestly my favorite part of the race. I know I was one of the later participants of the race, but the choir was so upbeat and cheerful – smiling, waving, and singing as I walked by. I loved it!
There it was: the finish line. I saw my mom in the stands cheering me on! I have a tradition of running through the finish line, so even though I felt bad physically I ran through anyways. I had done it! Leg 1 of Coast to Coast was complete and I had earned my medal! There’s no greater feeling in the world than crossing the finish line of a challenging race. And this one felt really, really good.
Immediately afterwards, I received my medal and snacks box, took a couple of quick pictures, and boarded a bus to our hotel so I could shower, grab lunch, and head to Magic Kingdom. We ended the evening with a celebratory dinner at Be Our Guest, since the race was Beauty & the Beast themed!
Lessons Learned
There were many times in this race I wanted to give up. In fact, this race was my PW – Personal Worst! But you know what? That’s okay! I did it. There’s nothing I could have done to control my circumstances (except maybe isolate myself for 2 weeks before a race, but that’s not happening!), but I made the best of it. I let myself be disappointed for a while, but nothing beats the magic of Disney when it comes to lifting your spirits. Let me tell you, walking by the Contemporary Resort, seeing Cinderella Castle in the distance, and finally entering Main Street USA to the cheers of the crowd – it’s a feeling I’ll never forget.
If you’re planning on running a race and you feel unprepared, under the weather, or like a 5k/10k/half marathon isn’t for you – don’t let those thoughts intrude! Keep your head up. Find the magic on the course: whether that be in the friends and family you are with, the characters and entertainment on the race course, the reward at the end of the course, or the joy of running through your favorite theme park. I promise, it’s all worth it once you cross the finish line.
