Hi Roxanne, welcome to planDisney!
While I highly recommend participating in a
runDisney event one day, I also understand if that doesn’t fit everyone’s idea of a vacation. Official course maps and event info for the
Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World Resort have not been released yet, but I can give you some ideas based on previous race weekends.
The Disney Princess 5K event takes place on Friday, February 23, 2024. Usually, the 5K races begin in the parking lot of EPCOT, run through EPCOT, and end in the parking lot. This event begins at 5:00 AM, so it is unlikely it will affect your park day if you choose to visit EPCOT on Friday.
The Disney Princess 10K on Saturday, February 24, 2024, may also begin in the EPCOT parking lot, run through parts of EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, then end in the EPCOT parking lot. This race also has minimal impact on Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT, as the race ends fairly early in the day.
The Disney Princess Half Marathon usually runs from the EPCOT parking lot, into Magic Kingdom Park, and back through EPCOT. Once again, this race begins at 5:00 AM, so Magic Kingdom will most likely be cleared of runners by the time the theme park opens. If you plan on visiting EPCOT, you may have to take detours within the theme park if you are there at the time it opens. Cast Members are always nearby to help guide guests safely if they need to maneuver around the course.
I think the main impact the race will have on your visit is based on road closures. If you are staying at a Disney Resort hotel, you can visit the overview page of your Resort and see any notices regarding traffic restrictions during your visit. For example, you can see the alerts here on the page for
Disney’s Contemporary Resort. If your Disney Resort hotel does not list one of these notifications, I still encourage you to allow for additional travel time when using the
Walt Disney World Bus Service as buses may need to take alternative routes to avoid the runDisney course.
I hope this was helpful, Roxanne. No matter which parks you choose, I don’t believe you will run into any issues with the runDisney events. You may see a lot of participants wearing medals around the theme parks, feel free to spread your own magic and share a little “congrats” as you pass them in the parks!
If you have any more questions as you count down to your vacation, please come back and see us at planDisney!
Kaitlin