by Claire Biggerstaff
Years ago, my sister and I discovered the Disney Princess Half-Marathon online, and since then it has always been a dream we shared. Last weekend, our dream finally came true. The race could not have been timed better. School was getting more stressful than ever and I was ready for family and vacation time.
During training, I learned to love running, so I was not too nervous in the weeks approaching the race. I thought that the nerves would set in at the start line, but it is hard to be afraid in the most magical place on earth. They even had fireworks for every corral start time. It was too magical to be nervous.
But the fireworks were only the beginning of the magic. The road we were running on had inspirational Disney princess montage videos, Disney music playing, and characters that runners could stop and take pictures with. Later in the race we got to run down Main Street and into the Castle, which was by far the most fun part.
After we finished the race, they had complimentary snacks and water and an area where family could greet you. Then, we got back on the shuttle to head to our hotel. After a little time of rest, we were off to the best part of the day: celebrating in Disney world! This is the main reason runDisney beats all other races, you get to go to the parks after.
It was so fun to spend a day with my family in the most magical place on earth. There is just something about Disney that makes you feel like a kid again. Amidst all of the fairytales, Disney reminds you that there is magic in our own lives too. Being in Disney world reminded me how thankful I am for such supportive parents who flew out to cheer on my sister and me. After years of wishing to run the half marathon, we crossed the finish line hand in hand, our dream come true. At the end of the weekend, I got to return home to my best friends and continue chasing the many other dreams I have, and Disney had restored my sense of hope that, with hard work, anything was truly possible.
RunDisney is the way to go for your first half, because instead of taking the energy out of you, it revitalizes it. Flying home from Orlando and watching the sunset from 40,000 feet in the air, I felt like a kid again, ready to run after my dreams.