Hi Jessica! I am SO glad you sent me this question!
The Princess Half Marathon in 2009 was my first half marathon, and pretty much my first race ever! (I had never been a runner, but I will do anything to get to experience Disney World in a new way!) I was very nervous that I would be panting my way to the finish line hours after the "real runners" were already finished and napping back in their rooms! I was pleasantly surprised to find that run/walkers AND fast-walkers were very well represented and very welcome on the course! It just took that one race, and I was officially addicted to racing!
I have run the Princess half three times now and it has grown in participant numbers and athlete diversity as well. There is a 16-minute/mile pace limit, but that is really just a fast walk. A high number of participants use the
Jeff Galloway run/walk/run method, and in fact, he is runDisney's official trainer.
You will find a large number of run/walk and fast-walk racers at every runDisney event. It is truly one of the things that I love about runDisney. It's not about finishing with a fast time, but it's about being active and having a great time with all of your favorite Disney characters at the most magical place on Earth!
I hope you decide to sign up for the 2013 race. I would love to help you plan for it, so please send me any questions you may have!