Hey Robin, welcome to planDisney!
The Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend is almost here! I will also be running this race weekend so I am packing my bags as I answer your question!
It is so wonderful that you are planning to watch your daughter run down Main Street, U.S.A. towards Cinderella Castle. Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom is open to spectators from 5:20 A.M. to 7:30 A.M. and theme park admission is not required during that time. To get to the Magic Kingdom, you’ll need to take the monorail from EPCOT to the Ticket & Transportation Center, then switch to the monorail that will take you to Magic Kingdom. This means you could take the pre-race bus to the EPCOT Rocket Parking Lot with your daughter, but once your daughter heads to the start area, spectators will not be allowed, so you will need to separate.
Runners will arrive at Magic Kingdom at mile 5.4, so if you have a general idea of your daughter’s pace, you may be able to estimate what time she will arrive at Main Street. Some of my fellow panelists who have spectated on Main Street shared that fellow spectators would offer to switch spots with other spectators to make sure everyone got to see their runner going by. I also recommend taking note of what your daughter is wearing to help spot her in the crowd, and even texting her once you arrive on Main Street to let her know where you are.
There are no viewing areas inside EPCOT, but you can spectate in the EPCOT EVE parking lot near the finish line. There is seating available, but in my experience, fellow spectators were kind enough to allow me to get closer to the fencing so I could cheer for my runner.
I hope this was helpful, Robin. You can find more information about the
Disney Princess Half Marathon in the
Digital Expo & Event Guide. Extra tip for you: in the days leading up to the
runDisney Health & Fitness Expo and races, look for a sign in the Caribbean Beach Resort lobby with details about how to get to the Expo, and what time buses will begin running on race mornings. I hope your daughter has a wonderful race, and I hope you enjoy taking in the magic as a spectator! If you have any more questions, please come back and
see me at planDisney!
Kaitlin