ORLANDO, Fla. – There were only two of us here now, and the other two are on their way. A group of four first-time participants in the Disney Princess Half Marathon from four different cities across the country met for the first time at the starting line Sunday morning.
Their friendship started online with the Peloton group, but now they inspire each other in person and on the field.
“We decided to use this race to meet for the first time,” said Kyla Norris, who traveled from Las Vegas to Orlando. “Peleton brought us together, but Disney made us family.”
Standing next to Norris was Tyeshia Jones, who was heading to the meeting point from her home in Arizona. “This is a double celebration,” added Jones, a breast cancer survivor. “We're excited to get together.”
A third member of the group, Gary Cox, who is also part of the Black Men Run, a men's group in his hometown of Baltimore, showed up a few minutes later. “We travel in groups,” he said.
One of the pre-race announcers yelled into a megaphone, “It's been hard getting here, but we've done it,” and this group was almost there.
People have always had different reasons for running Disney. There are stories of breast cancer survival, weight loss journeys, family reunions, first Disney trips, and people who just love running. People like Yuri Ramirez, originally from Cuba and now living in Orlando. She has run the Disney Princess Half Marathon “five or six times,” and she said she came here again this year simply because she loves running. And the princesses.
“I love running. I love Disney. I love RunDisney because it's so organized,” Ramirez said. She wore a white RunDisney lace jacket with 2022 written on it. Ramirez, an experienced runner, said she would recommend the race to her friends looking for a fun race. Especially if you love princesses. “I love princesses too,” she said with a big, bright smile.
One of the largest women's racing events in the country, the RunDisney Race allows participants to run through Disney theme parks while they're still open. So there were plenty of reasons to run today's Disney Princess Half Marathon, or any of the other RunDisney race weekends, including the April 13-16 Springtime Surprise Race Weekend. Approximately 170,000 people will attend RunDisney's race weekend this year, according to data provided by Disney. Their reasons are different but similar.
On a dark, cool Sunday morning, people from all over the country and around the world headed to the starting line. Among the thousands of runners who participated were his 165 runners who participated in all of Disney's His Princess Half Marathons and received a rating of “Perfect.”
Kay Houston and Tess Roberts of Fernandina Beach, Fla., weren't “perfect runners” trying to warm up an hour before the race started. The friends were part of a group of female runners who wanted to run a half marathon together.
“This is an opportunity to be involved with other sisters,” said Houston, who wore an Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority pullover over a pink tutu and running tights.
Roberts, who previously lived in Atlanta, said she loves Disney and has run several half marathons, but this was her first time running a Disney Princess half marathon. “We love Disney,” she said.
A few feet away from them was Karen Vaughn. Vaughn looked every bit the princess in her Princess Tiana costume as she snacked on pre-race snacks.
“I wanted to come here to celebrate our Black princess,” said Vaughn, who was in Florida from Silver Spring, Maryland. Although this wasn't her first run Disney event, it was her first Disney Princess Half Marathon. “I wanted to see what it felt like. I wanted to have some energy and positivity,” she said.
That morning, the race venue featured Princess Tiana from The Princess, so black women couldn't help but feel motivated. Among the runners were several Princess Tiana lookalikes.
One of Tiana's lookalikes was Vee Johnson, whose fright was revealed above a shiny tiara. Johnson headed to the Disney Princess Half Marathon from San Antonio, Texas, and she said she was here to advocate for the mental health of veterans.
“I want to give courage to those who are struggling with mental health issues,” said Johnson, a military veteran. “I also wanted to learn new habits and do new things.”
This was her first Disney Half Marathon. “I think running is a way to deal with mental health issues, especially for veterans after they leave the military,” she says.
The same goes for Alicia Frank, a Brooklyn, New York resident and avid runner who made her Disney Princess half marathon debut on Sunday. This race is on her bucket list and this weekend was her first time at Disney World. For Frank, running became a way out of the coronavirus doldrums.
“I needed something to do during a bad period in my life, so I started running 5kms, 10kms, and then moved on to half marathons,” she said. Her bucket list of races included the world-famous New York City Marathon, but she crossed it off her list last fall. Now she was heading to Disney to participate in the Disney Princess Half Marathon.
Former college basketball player Crystal Cleveland and her sister Jasmine were also here. Crystal, a New Jersey native, ran his first Disney Princess half marathon last year following the death of his grandmother. Cleveland explained that last year he “said he was going to run if he came out.” She completed the half marathon with her grandmother's thoughts in mind, and she and her sisters plan to complete it as a team this year as well.
Robin Alexander from Atlanta took a photo while standing next to the big 13.1. Alexander, who was never a runner or an athlete, headed to the starting line with a big smile on his face. “I've never done anything like this in my life,” she said. Her grandmother, 61, was encouraged by a friend of hers to apply, and she ended up here, she said. “At this point in my life, I might as well give it a try,” she explained.
From beginners to veteran runners, breast cancer survivors to mental health advocates, there are many reasons to run Disney.
Brittany Dobbs and Brittany Dennis were getting ready to take to the starting line. Dobbs, who is originally from Atlanta but now lives in Florida, and Dennis, a friend from Hawaii who still lives in Florida, were both dressed as Princess Tiana. Denise's neon green lace top and matching tutu sparkled in the darkness that morning. “She's the one who signed me up for this,” Dennis said. “I love trying new things.”
Dobbs, who started running 5 kilometers a year ago to stay in shape, said she would like to try something a little longer than 3 miles. “She wanted something to supplement that,” she said.
Whether you ran 13 miles with friends and family, or with the ghost of a loved one, the Disney Princess Half Marathon was full of stories.
