Hey there, Amanda!
A warm welcome to
planDisney, and thank you so much for bringing me your exciting
Walt Disney World Resort vacation planning question. I'm thrilled to hear you'll be visiting The Most Magical Place on Earth during
Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend! This enchanting race weekend is the only annual runDisney event I have yet to participate in, and I'm excited to say my sister and I will be running the half marathon in 2024. Now, let's talk about spectating at a runDisney event!
Amanda, I think it's fabulous that you're hoping to cheer on your friends during the Disney Princess Half Marathon. (During a surprisingly cold 2023 Walt Disney World Half Marathon, I was fortunate enough to spot a friendly face along the race course that propelled me onward to the finish line!) Typically, the Spectator Information tab on the website for runDisney race weekends won't populate until very close to the event date. When your runner(s) receive access to the
Digital Expo & Event Guide, I encourage you to have them send you any spectator details included in the guide.
I was able to cheer on a good friend who was participating in the Walt Disney World Marathon this past year, Amanda. I caught them near
Disney's BoardWalk about a mile before the finish line, and it was such an exhilarating experience to give them that final push! I was able to pinpoint their location on the course throughout the morning by enabling location sharing on our phones. I recommend having your friends share their location with you during the race so that you can track them along the race course and identify a suitable spectating location! You'll also want to know your friends' corral placement and an estimated pace for your runners so that you can have an understanding of when they should reach certain milestones along the race course.
While next year's course map hasn't been released quite yet, in past years, the
Disney Princess Half Marathon has looped through Magic Kingdom Park earlier on, then EPCOT just before the finish line. Depending on which Disney Resort hotel you'll be staying at, I'd love to provide a personalized recommendation on the best location to spectate from, and the most convenient way to get there, so please
reach back out to me directly with this information so that I can follow up! In general, some great spectating locations would be on Main Street, U.S.A. inside Magic Kingdom Park (theme park admission isn't needed before the theme park opens), the
Transportation and Ticket Center, and at the finish line in the EPCOT parking area.
Amanda, I hope you've found this information helpful as you prepare for a wondrous race weekend with your friends! I wish you a trip filled with magical memories. If you have any specific follow-up questions, please do reach out to me again - I'd love to help make your spectating experience as easy and fun as possible!
Warm wishes,
Lauren