Disney Princess 2025 Weekend

Oh my gosh, so much happened this weekend! We drove up Thursday, Feb. 20 in the afternoon. We had about an hour at the expo to pick up bibs and shirts, so that worked out great! Friday morning the 5K starts, Saturday is the 10K, and Sunday the Half Marathon. What!? I signed us up for all three races! That's three mornings of getting up at 3:00 a.m. for a 5:00 a.m. start time. Really, that’s the worst part.

We stay fairly close to Epcot to make the drive easier each morning. The fun part is navigating the shutdown roads in the dark to get there. Disney does a good job with signs, and there’s always a way if you miss a turn. Lots of people drive, so give yourself extra time to get there and park. You also have a long walk to the start line, plus security to go through.

The races are really a great time. Looking back, you’re so glad you did it.

The weather for the races was mostly amazing. Friday was the coldest—around 45°, with a “feels like” in the 30s because of the wind. We had decided to walk this race since it’s a 5K and not timed.

It was super windy! I was very cold, and for walking, I needed warmer clothes. My hands actually went numb, and my finger beds hurt. It took a while to warm up from that. We turned on the heat in the car, and I held my hands up to the vents—just wanting the pain to go away. Back at the hotel, the hot shower was totally amazing!

That night, we went to Target to buy some warmer stuff for Saturday’s race. I knew if the weather stayed like this, I needed more than what I brought. I found a cute long sleeve with a hood on clearance for $13.00. It was perfect!

The temperature was in the 40s again the next day, but with no wind. Still cold, but without the wind I didn’t freeze like the day before. I left the little half sweater on the side of the road at mile two. It was super cute, but Disney picks up everything left behind and donates it to local shelters—so I didn’t feel bad. Hopefully, someone else is enjoying it.

The 10K is absolutely my favorite distance to run right now. It’s long enough that I need a little snack and a small push to finish, but not too long. For me, it’s just under an hour and a half. It’s over before any discomfort sets in—oh, and I feel great afterward.

For these runs, my goal was to have fun!I wanted to take pictures, look around—I mean, it is Disney, and they do a great job with entertainment. The morning was beautiful—cool, but not too cold.

I had lots of fun looking for camera guys, trying to get a nice photo. Looking around Epcot and the Boardwalk area, I can still see the lights framing the buildings throughout the route. There were lots of people cheering you on.

Back in Epcot, running by the ball—it’s all lit up in blue, pink, and orange. It’s magical! Toward the end I was like, Let’s slow down—I don’t want it to end. My heart was full. Sunrise is my favorite part of the day, and this race was so fun, I was overjoyed. That morning was extra special.

After breakfast, I was tired though—so nap time was great.

By Sunday, for the Half Marathon, the temperatures were in the 50s—perfect running weather for me. I just used Mylar in the morning and didn’t need it for very long—tossed it before we got in line to run.

This is a challenging distance for me. I’ve never wanted to quit, but I’ve definitely wished it was already over.

Since I met my goal of running one under three hours, this time I just wanted to have fun. Like I said before—fun was the goal. No pressure for time.

This was the best race I have ever run! It felt easy most of the time. Okay, I had to remind myself a few times what my goal was—but I truly enjoyed the whole race, from start to finish.

This was also my first experience truly understanding the power of mindset in running.

Boy, am I stubborn. It only took six races. The less you stress, the easier it gets. Wow, what a concept—if you relax and don’t try to control or hold on so hard, things will flow, and flow a lot easier.

Comparing my last two Princess Half Marathons: In 2024, I pushed so hard and stressed about getting under three hours. I was constantly worried about taking too long on each mile. Gotta keep running, gotta keep going, this walking isn’t helping—but then you can’t run. I was mentally exhausted and in pain.

Then in 2025:I did my run-walk method. At mile four, I took electrolytes—omg, amazing! I learned from my meltdown during the last race that I need to watch that. Then at mile seven, I ate gummy snacks and stopped by medical for Tylenol.

I’ve never taken pain relievers in a race. I wasn’t hurting yet, but usually by mile eight I have some hip pain, so I was trying to stay ahead of the game. I also took a little bathroom break here too.

Then at mile eleven, I ate another gummy snack. I even stopped for a picture with a character—I’ve never done that, thinking it would take too much time.

I was able to run the last mile without a walk break. That has never happened—I’ve always been way too spent. It actually turned out to be my fastest mile of the race!

I absolutely felt great after this race! I had fun! The crazy thing is—it was only four seconds longer than last year’s time when I pushed so hard to finish.

All goals met! Lots of lessons learned and applied.

I’ve always been proud of myself for finishing every race—but something about this one just sits differently.

Something has changed.