2017 Disney Princess Enchanted 10k Race Recap!

Happy Wednesday! As promised, I am sharing a race recap today giving you every ounce of detail regarding the Disney Princess Enchanted 10k which I LOVED! If you missed my video of the race you can watch it in this blog post! Enjoy!

I will first tell you how I got into this whole crazy running thing, and then I will recap the race!

First, let me start off by saying that I felt that a 10k was a PERFECT distance for a Disney Race. It was challenging to train for, but not totally life consuming. I never had injuries or felt bad after training for this distance. Plus, six miles is right about the point I start to get bored with running, so a 10k (6.2 miles) is the perfect distance for me. This allows enough course space for plenty of characters to appear without it feeling rushed or too drawn out and long. If you are a beginner you can TOTALLY handle this race. A year ago this time I went to Magic Kingdom and saw tons of women wearing their medals and told my family, "next year, I am running one of those races". Now at the time I am sure I thought they had all ran a 5k or something. Not an entire half marathon. I hadn't run in years and wasn't up to speed with this whole world of racing. I went home that day and did all my research and decided I would sign up for the 10k even though I couldn't even run a mile. The next day, I started training and come registration day I was sitting at my computer ready to go. I ran two 5k's leading up to the big race and that really boosted my confidence. There were obviously some times when I didn't go go go all the time and fell behind training (I.E. wisdom teeth surgery, doggy passing away, holiday traveling, sick), but for the most part I stuck to a schedule and slowly saw progress. It became addicting and I noticed my mood was better each day I started it with exercise. I bought the right gear, listened to a good playlist, and just kept running. After almost a year, I could run a 5k no problem and was prepared for a 10k. This doesn't mean I wasn't a nervous wreck before the race though. I could barely eat the night before and morning of the race. I however finished in plenty of time and worried for nothing. I hope this is an example to anyone considering taking up running. You don't have to be a certain size, gender, or type of person to run. You just have to sign up, and put one foot in front of the other until race day. There is no shame in speed walking either. In fact I love it. It is way less pressure on your body and still great exercise. 

Now on to the actual race recap!!

We woke up at 2:30 AM. Yes. I am NOT an early riser so this was the hardest part for me. We live about an hour from Disney so if you stay on Disney property you might get to sleep in until 3:30 AM #luckyyou 

We left the house at 3 AM to beat any traffic we might run into (which we never actually did, I hear the traffic is worse on Sunday) and arrived in plenty of time. I ran into a friend at the race and chatted before making my way into the corrals at around 5 AM. I stood and paced like a nervous crazy person for 20 minutes and then my corral (corral A) made it's way to the start line. The announcer yabbered on for 10 minutes and then the countdown began and the fireworks shot off and I was off and running. There is nothing like that feeling!

Not long after the start, runners passed underneath an overpass which had Moana waving and cheering us on. This was wise on Disney's part to put a popular character in the course but not available for pictures. Her line would have been crazy long. The first three miles were on back roads but had plenty of entertainment including opportunities to meet Elena of Avalor, Tinkerbell, and the Old Hag from Snow White. There was also I think two water stops and restrooms along the way.

After the half way point, things started to pick up. This is when you enter the world showcase at Epcot and see it all lit up beautifully. There were two men on stilts which was pretty cool. There was several cool characters once you enter the world showcase and they are perfectly spread out. There was Dopey, Marie, Pinocchio, and the Genie from Aladdin. You also run along the boardwalk before reentering Epcot. Minnie was a little after the five mile marker. Her line is always the longest. There were about two water stops in the last three miles.

Also, right before the six mile marker I stood in line to take a picture in front of the Epcot ball. This is always my favorite shot of people from this race! I then ran past the six mile marker and straight to the finish line for a dazzling medal!

There were a TON of photographers on the course after mile three. You will definitely have a few good shots from the race!

There is nothing quite like the finish of a runDisney race. Eveyone you pass will congratulate you and make you feel like superwoman. This race is truly amazing and waaay to much fun :)

I hope this inspires you to sign up for a race yourself. Have a great hump day!!

xoxo