Hi there, Michele!
Welcome to planDisney! I love that you're cheering the participants on during the upcoming
Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend! Seeing the spectators' smiling faces, including those of my sisters, and the inspirational and funny signs were some of my favorite moments from my first runDisney race last year. Now, let's get into how you can make the most of this fun experience!
Early theme park entry for Guests staying at Disney Resort hotels, like
Disney's BoardWalk Inn, begins at 8:30 a.m. the day of the Half Marathon. So, depending on when the runners in your party finish, you'll be able to walk from your hotel, use the
EPCOT International Gateway, and watch them from inside EPCOT toward the end of their race. If they run those final two miles of the Half Marathon before the park opens, then I recommend that you use transportation or drive to the front of EPCOT and head to the finish line's spectator viewing area in the Imagine parking lot.
For the Half Marathon, the runners will also get the cool opportunity to run down Main Street, U.S.A. and through Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom Park. As long as it is before 8 a.m., I recommend that you park or take the runners' bus transportation to EPCOT, take the Monorail to the
Transportation and Ticket Center (to cheer them on there), and then into
Magic Kingdom Park (no ticket or theme park reservation needed before 8 a.m.) to spread the joy and motivation there. Then, head back to EPCOT to meet them at the finish line.
AN EXTRA GEM: Because you are there to support specific runners, I strongly recommend tracking their progress via the live online runner tracker. My sisters were able to see exactly where I was at any moment, which helped them know when to get into position to cheer me on. Keep an eye out for updated information on the official runDisney
Spectator Info webpage as the event approaches.
Michele, if you have any further Disney vacation planning questions, please give us a holler at planDisney.
I'm all ears! Magic always,
LeAndra