runDisney

Suffice to say, runDisney is a match made in Magical Mouse Heaven for me!

Disney races will always hold a special place in my heart – after all, the 2011 Walt Disney World Half Marathon was my first long-distance race! Since I already was committed to running its sister competition that September (the 2011 Disneyland Half Marathon) there were absolutely no excuses for me to lose momentum in training…

Another runDisney perk = awesome cheering squads to congratulate you!

I hadn’t planned on returning to Walt Disney World again in 2012 until the Wine and Dine Half Marathon in November, but when the opportunity presented itself for me to travel down for a quick girls’ weekend trip with my friend April, you better believe I jumped at it – it just happened to be the Princess Half Marathon Weekend 😉

One of the greatest things about that weekend (besides dressing up as Mulan and running 13.1 miles!) was getting the opportunity to connect with other bloggers, thanks to Running with Sass. I was so excited to meet some of my favorite ladies in real life, including Megan! 🙂

Next up was the Jingle Jungle 5K and the Wine and Dine Half Marathon – my hubby’s FIRST HALF and my first experience pacing someone. It was one of my favorite events ever and certainly was unlike any other event I have ever run – and just about two months later came my sixth full but FIRST Walt Disney World Marathon (2013) – an amazing experience, followed by the Tinkerbell Half Marathon (recap) and Neverland 5K (recap) a week later!

Labor Day Weekend brought me back to Disneyland for its first-ever Double Dumbo Dare – a new race challenge with a 10K on Saturday (recap) and half marathon on Sunday (recap). WHAT A BLAST!

In Fall 2013, I headed back to the east coast my first ever running of the Tower of Terror 10 Mile Race (recap) in October (along with its Happy Haunted 5K – recap) and a return to the Wine and Dine Half Marathon (recap) in November to round off a magical year of runDisney…and kicking off 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, where I took on the inaugural Minnie 10K (recap) and stayed at the all-new Villas at the Grand Floridian for the first time, followed by another first – my first Expedition Everest 5K as part of a team with my friend, Theresa!

Fall 2014, I returned for one of my favorite race weekends (the Wine and Dine Half Marathon and Jingle Jungle 5K) and in 2015, I participated in my first Goofy Challenge (recap HERE) and then rocked the Dumbo Double Dare at 24-weeks pregnant! I made my runDisney comeback at the Star Wars Dark Side 10K, had my sweet Abby join me in the fun for her first kids race during the 2017 Princess Half Marathon Weekend, and enjoyed my first race with my sister at the 2017 Tinker Bell Half Marathon.

Since then, Abby’s run another two kids races (this past one, Ellie joined and completed the diaper dash!) and I recently completed the 2019 Walt Disney World Marathon, paired with the Disney Cruise Line Castaway Cay 5K for the Castaway Cay Challenge.

It’s been a few years since my last runDisney event, but in 2024, I am returning to where it all started, with the 2024 Walt Disney World Marathon, where I am so proud to be cheering on my friend Theresa in her first half marathon (almost 10 years after we did Everest together!!) and I’ll be running my 4th Walt Disney World Marathon.

I am so incredibly excited to have these events to work toward and I look forward to sharing my adventures here. runDisney events may be pricier than others, but as they say “every mile is magic…”

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Some runDisney posts I’ve written: