2019 Princess Half Marathon Weekend

[spacecanada]

That depends on many factors, and each individual will be different. For some, driving 7 hours is exhausting; for others it's no big deal. Again, for some people a half marathon is just another Sunday long run; whilst for others it's a real challenge. I ran a half marathon the day after flying home from a week at Aulani... it wasn't my best race, but it was just fine -- for me (I run 15-25 km every weekend though). We're flying into Orlando (from western Canada) on the Tuesday and hope that will be sufficient to have a slow day in the parks on Wednesday, expo and parks on Thursday, and fresh legs for the three races.

I know many IronMan athletes and they typically arrive in town two nights before their race when flying long distances: one to deal with any travel delays and another to rest up before the race.

 

[acbshada]

You submit your chip time and that's what is verified. They don't look at or care about gun time or pace from your previous race. They take the proof of time and your estimated pace range that you choose at registration to determine your corral placement.

This is helpful, thank you. I have a question that sort of piggy-backs on to this. Is there any way to estimate what corral you could be placed in based off of your submitted proof of time? My guess is "nope", but I figured I'd ask.

 

[spacecanada]

These were the 2018 corral placement times, but they could change at any time (though they are identical to 2015.) I am curious if there really are only ~320 sub 1:50 racers. It would be such a dream to run without crowds. I race in that timeframe, so that could be my reality. How exciting!

 

[Eeyores#1Fan]

Hi All! Although we haven't registered for the race yet I did secure my room today

 

[lovingeire]

Hi All! Although we haven't registered for the race yet I did secure my room today

I secured our room too, although I may change resorts once the military discount comes out. We shall see!

 

[acbshada]

Just got my room secured this evening. Was having issues online, so I had to give them a call. The cast member I worked with was great, though, and no issues getting it all squared away.

Now I just have to keep an eye on my countdown till registration. So excited!

 

[Keels]

I'm starting to get back to the Official Meet-Up Thread and will start the 2019 Princess segment soon - let me know if anyone is planning or willing to host up a meet-up for the weekend!

 

[MeridaMonkey]

Just got my room secured this evening. Was having issues online, so I had to give them a call. The cast member I worked with was great, though, and no issues getting it all squared away.

Now I just have to keep an eye on my countdown till registration. So excited!

I'm a new DVC member (rundisney is one of the reasons why ) and I've got two of my four nights squared away at my home resort (Copper Creek Villas at WL) but I had to waitlist the other two nights, which has me rather anxious. I'm stalking the booking tool to make sure I don't miss any availability that might pop up. I can book at any DVC resort starting on July 21, I'm hopeful I'll be able to snag something.

Registering for the race itself is going to be so much less stressful than booking my room!!

 

[1mena7]

How fast did this race sell out last year?
I'm no longer AP so I have to sign up with the masses and wanted to know what my chances were...

 

[Crystalpistol]

How fast did this race sell out last year?
I'm no longer AP so I have to sign up with the masses and wanted to know what my chances were...

This new process they are talking about will probably alter how the sign ups are done, but I would recommend looking at the 2018 PHM disboard for sell out times if you are really concerned. I have done this weekend since my first half in 2013 and I always get anxious. I am actually due with my second baby a week before the new registration date...so now zombie mom has to remember to set lots of alarms. And yes that means I was 17.5 weeks along during the FTC this year. With all of this I keep reminding myself of the below topics and helping myself to calm down.

1. This is not an anniversary year so it should sell slower than last year
2. In the past certain races tend to sell out faster than others (5k and challenge races tend to be first). So you just need to know what you want to do and have all your members ready at the same time.
3. The new process will get tested on the marathon weekend registration and should have the "bugs" worked out (people here will be watching that one so you should be prepped for sign ups)
4. If running with a group make sure yall have a game plan
5. Times can always be updated or submitted later so don't stress about position placement
6. If all else fails always distract from the stress by wondering what the theme will be or by planning fun costumes...I think I have 10 ideas at the moment and cannot even begin to decide.

Good luck to everyone and only 6.5 weeks until registration day! And yes I already got a room for us so here is to everyone having a magical time.

 

[Crystalpistol]

These were the 2018 corral placement times, but they could change at any time (though they are identical to 2015.) I am curious if there really are only ~320 sub 1:50 racers. It would be such a dream to run without crowds. I race in that timeframe, so that could be my reality. How exciting!

Oh I meant to respond to this earlier. The bib numbers you referenced are a bit misleading. This list does not include the challenge bib numbers for the people assigned to run the half marathon and the 10k. So long story short, you will have to look at both images to figure out the totals...and that doesn't account for the people that move back to run with friends. Hopefully that helps with your planning. Either way it is my favorite race weekend and you can have fun wherever you start in the pack. Good luck!

UPDATE: It looks like 567 people were assigned to the sub 1:50 corral A group

 

[1mena7]

This new process they..........

Thanks for the 2018 post idea!! I'll go and take a look now.

 

[opusone]

These were the 2018 corral placement times, but they could change at any time (though they are identical to 2015.) I am curious if there really are only ~320 sub 1:50 racers. It would be such a dream to run without crowds. I race in that timeframe, so that could be my reality. How exciting!

Oh I meant to respond to this earlier. The bib numbers you referenced are a bit misleading. This list does not include the challenge bib numbers for the people assigned to run the half marathon and the 10k. So long story short, you will have to look at both images to figure out the totals...and that doesn't account for the people that move back to run with friends. Hopefully that helps with your planning. Either way it is my favorite race weekend and you can have fun wherever you start in the pack. Good luck!

UPDATE: It looks like 567 people were assigned to the sub 1:50 corral A group

Yes, if you are planning to run for time from corral A, then the crowding is pretty light after the first half mile or so. Based on this year's results, there were only about 230 folks with times less than 1:50 for the half marathon. So, even though 567 people had proof of times that allowed them into corral A, many don't race at Disney (might stop for characters, run with friends, or use it as more of a training run, etc).

 

[MarBee]

Hi all! I’m planning on running my first 5k race there on 2/22. As of now I was planning on arriving late Thursday night (flying in).
For you experienced racers, will that give me enough time to be ready the next morning? I don’t even know what time the races typically start/when you have to get there.
Along with that, I want to make sure I’m staying at a hotel close to the races to minimize any travel time. Where does the race start? Any hotel recommendations?

Thanks again in advance! You guys have been so helpful to this newbie already!

 

[FFigawi]

Hi all! I’m planning on running my first 5k race there on 2/22. As of now I was planning on arriving late Thursday night (flying in).
For you experienced racers, will that give me enough time to be ready the next morning? I don’t even know what time the races typically start/when you have to get there.
Along with that, I want to make sure I’m staying at a hotel close to the races to minimize any travel time. Where does the race start? Any hotel recommendations?

Thanks again in advance! You guys have been so helpful to this newbie already!

Flying in late Thursday night will not give you time to go to the expo and pick up your bib. You should plan to fly in late morning or early afternoon instead. The 5k will start around 530 on Friday morning, meaning you need to be on a bus by 4. Flying in late won't give you much chance for sleep either.

 

[MarBee]

Flying in late Thursday night will not give you time to go to the expo and pick up your bib. You should plan to fly in late morning or early afternoon instead. The 5k will start around 530 on Friday morning, meaning you need to be on a bus by 4. Flying in late won't give you much chance for sleep either.

Thanks! Just changed my flights to Wednesday night.
What do you think about hotels?

 

[mouseketeerwannabe]

Thanks! Just changed my flights to Wednesday night.
What do you think about hotels?

What is your budget? If you stay at a Disney resort, you will be able to take advantage of transportation to and from the airport, special buses for the expo and races, as well as the ability to make fastpasses 60 days ahead of your first night. Disney has a wide range of prices from value to deluxe. For a value resort, I would choose Pop Century. If choosing a moderate resort, Port Orleans French Quarter or Riverside are my favorites. If you choose deluxe, they are all fabulous! The race starts in the EPCOT parking lot. Magic Kingdom is our favorite park, so we tend to choose resorts in that area. My favorites are Grand Floridian and Wilderness Lodge. Have fun planning! You will have a fabulous time doing the 5K. Allow plenty of time to enjoy the expo on Thursday.

 

[missposh]

How fast did this race sell out last year?
I'm no longer AP so I have to sign up with the masses and wanted to know what my chances were...

I missed my reminder on the day of, and exactly 24 hours later when I remembered, only the 10K (and I think either the 5K or Kids race?) was available. We were told some charities were selling out quickly too. Of course, last year was the 10th anniversary, so this year will probably (hopefully) not be as bad as last year.

The year before I registered sometime within the hour and had no issue.

 

[MarBee]

What is your budget? If you stay at a Disney resort, you will be able to take advantage of transportation to and from the airport, special buses for the expo and races, as well as the ability to make fastpasses 60 days ahead of your first night. Disney has a wide range of prices from value to deluxe. For a value resort, I would choose Pop Century. If choosing a moderate resort, Port Orleans French Quarter or Riverside are my favorites. If you choose deluxe, they are all fabulous! The race starts in the EPCOT parking lot. Magic Kingdom is our favorite park, so we tend to choose resorts in that area. My favorites are Grand Floridian and Wilderness Lodge. Have fun planning! You will have a fabulous time doing the 5K. Allow plenty of time to enjoy the expo on Thursday.

Thanks! We’ve stayed at a ton of resorts from value to deluxe and loved them all!
Since it starts at Epcot, I am thinking that maybe I’ll look at a Boardwalk area resort so I can take the friendship boats there.
Does anyone know if you can use International Gateway to get to the start of the race?

Also is there a copy of the race route anywhere? So I can see where it’s best for my family to go.

Thanks in advance again!

 

[Bree]

Thanks! We’ve stayed at a ton of resorts from value to deluxe and loved them all!
Since it starts at Epcot, I am thinking that maybe I’ll look at a Boardwalk area resort so I can take the friendship boats there.
Does anyone know if you can use International Gateway to get to the start of the race?

Also is there a copy of the race route anywhere? So I can see where it’s best for my family to go.

Thanks in advance again!

You have to take the bus to the race start. You cannot walk or take the boats from the Epcot Resorts. This is the course map. The park will not be open for spectators.