ORLANDO, FL. — There were only two of them here now, but the other two were on their way. A quartet of first-time Disney Princess Half Marathon runners from four separate cities across the country were meeting for the first time at the starting line Sunday morning.
Their friendship started online with a Peloton group and now they were going to motivate each other in person and on the ground.
“We decided to use this race to meet for the first time,” said Kyra Norris, who made the trip to Orlando from Las Vegas. “Peleton brought us together, but Disney made us a family.”
Standing next to Norris was Tieshia Jones, who made her way to the meeting spot from her home in Arizona. “This is a two-fold celebration,” Jones, a breast cancer survivor, added. “We’re excited to get together.”
The third member of the group, Gary Cox, who also runs with a men’s group, Black Men Run, in his native Baltimore, showed up minutes later. “We travel as a pack,” he said.
One of the pre-race announcers shouted into his megaphone, “The hard part was getting here and you’ve already done that,” and this group was almost there.
Why people run Disney is always different. There are stories of breast cancer survival, weight-loss journeys, family get-togethers, first time trips to Disney, and people that just love to run. People like Yuri Ramirez, a native of Cuba that now lives in Orlando. She has run “five or six” Disney Princess Half Marathons and described her reason for being here again this year as simply for the love of running. And princesses.
“I love running, I love Disney, and I love runDisney because it’s very organized,” Ramirez said. She was wearing a white runDisney race jacket with 2022 on it. An experienced runner, Ramirez said she recommends this race to friends who want to find a fun race to do. Especially if they love princesses. “I love princesses too,” she said with a big bright smile.
One of the largest women-focused race events in the country, runDisney races allow participants to run through Disney theme parks while they are still empty. So there were many reasons to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon today or any of the other runDisney race weekends, which includes the Springtime Surprise race weekend on April 13-16. Nearly 170,000 people will have participated in runDisney race weekends this year, according to data provided by Disney. Their reasons are both different and similar.
People from across the country and around the world made their way to the starting line on a dark and cool Sunday morning. Among the thousands in attendance were 165 runners who have earned the distinction of being “perfect,” after having participated in each and every of the Disney Princess half marathons.
Kay Hughston and Tess Roberts of Fernandina Beach, Florida were not among the “perfect runners” trying to stay warm an hour before the race began. The friends were a part of a group of female runners that wanted to take on the challenge of a half marathon together.
“This is an opportunity to be in this with our other sisters,” said Hughston, who wore an Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. pullover over a pink tutu and running tights.
Roberts, who used to live in Atlanta, said she loves Disney and has run a number of half marathons, but this was her first Disney Princess Half Marathon. “We love Disney,” she said.
A few feet away from them was Karen Bourne. Wearing a Princess Tiana outfit and working on a quick bite before the race, Bourne looked every bit the part of a princess.
“I wanted to come here to celebrate our Black princesses, ” said Bourne, who was in Florida from Silver Spring, Maryland. This wasn’t her first runDisney event, but it was her first Disney Princess Half Marathon. “I wanted to see what it was like. I wanted to get the energy and the positivity,” she said.
With Princess Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog” being featured all around the race grounds that morning, it would be hard for a Black woman to not be motivated. There were a number of Princess Tiana look-alikes amongst the runners on hand.
One of those Tiana lookalikes was Vee Johnson, whose dreads popped out over her shiny tiara. Johnson made her way to the Disney Princess Half Marathon from San Antonio, Texas and said she was here to advocate for veterans mental health.
“I want to inspire those who are suffering from mental health issues,” said Johnson, a veteran. “I also wanted to learn new habits and do new things.”
This was her first runDisney half marathon. “I think running is a way to cope with mental health issues, especially for post-discharge veterans,” she said.
The same could be said for Alicia Frank, a Brooklyn, New York resident, and avid runner who was making her Disney Princess Half Marathon debut on Sunday. This race was on her bucket list and this weekend was her first time at Disney World. Running became a way for Frank to get out of the doldrums of COVID.
“I needed something to do in a bad part of my life so I started running 5Ks, and 10Ks and then I moved on to half marathons,” she said. That bucket list of races included the world famous New York City Marathon, but she checked that off her list last fall. Now she was on to Disney for the Disney Princess Half Marathon.
Former college basketball player Crystal Cleveland and her sister Jasmine were here too. A native of New Jersey, Crystal ran her first Disney Princess Half Marathon last year following the death of her grandmother. “I said that if I get in I was going to run,” explained Cleveland about last year. She completed the half marathon with her grandmother in her heart and this year the sisters will do it again as a team.
Atlanta native Robin Alexander stood by a large 13.1 and posed for her photo. Not a runner by nature or sport, Alexander was all smiles as she made her way to the starting line. “I have never done anything like this in my life,” she said. The 61-year-old grandmother said a friend raked her into applying and here she was. “At this point in my life I might as well try,” she explained.
From first timers to veteran runners, from breast cancer survivors to mental health advocates, there are so many reasons to run Disney.
Brittany Dobbs and Brittanie Denis were preparing to make their way over to the starting line. Dobbs, an Atlanta native and Florida resident, and Denis, her friend from Hawaii, who now lives in Florida too, were both dressed as versions of Princess Tiana. Denis’ neon green race top and matching tutu glowed in the dark of that morning. “She’s the one that signed me up for this,” Denis said. “I love to take on new challenges.”
Dobbs, who started running 5Ks to stay in shape a year ago, said she wanted a challenge that was a bit longer than three miles. “I wanted something to top it off,” she said.
Whether running 13 miles with friends, family, or with the ghosts of loved ones, the Disney Princess Half Marathon was full of stories.
What’s Next: Registration for the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon weekend opens March 12. Go to runDisney.com to learn more. Registration fills up quickly.