We’ve been on quite the recap roll, haven’t we? Picking up from yesterday’s Fit for a Princess Expo post, Sara and I were super excited for the 2016 Princess 5k! Oh, how I love this short but sweet race. Running through Epcot’s World Showcase before the sun rises will NEVER get old … and the medallions are really cute!
Our friends, Robyn and Angie arrived the evening before but they skipped the 5k, so on Friday morning, Sara and I were up super early and out the door to find a line of buses already waiting at All Stars Sports. We hopped on the first one and arrived at Epcot’s parking lot in plenty of time to meet up with friends, dance, and get character photos.
Sebastian! One of Sara’s favorite characters! The line was long, but this was an absolute must for us.
Ariel and Prince Eric had arrived while we were waiting for Sebastian, causing quite the line since this year’s Princess Half Marathon theme was Little Mermaid. We soon discovered that the line moved super slow because Ariel, sweetie that she was, chatted with each with each runner. Loves ya, Ariel, but we had a race to run, so chop, chop, chop! A runDisney official announced that they would soon be leaving once we neared the velvet ropes but thankfully, we got our picture in time.
Afterwards, we walked to the corral area, gave each other good luck hugs, and I headed to Corral A. It was filling fast but I found a spot in the middle right, since we would be turning right once the corral was led to the start line. Speaking of…
I had some Gu packed in my running belt but as usual, I forgot to take it and couldn’t, anyway, because I didn’t have any water. My goal for Tink next week is to be better with my pre-race fuel!
But it was too late now, because here we go!
My strategies for 5k’s are always the same: Warm up for the first half mile, then run fast, stop for a character photo. Run fast, stop for a character photo. Rinse, repeat. First up was an adorable Surfing Goofy, decked out in his finest swimwear, something I would later find out all the characters were because of the Little Mermaid Theme!
Sigh. I’m telling you, seeing Spaceship Earth lit up always gives me chills! No matter how many times I have done and will do this race, it will always be magical.
I’m fairly certain this is my first picture with both Daisy and Donald together! I’ve always loved Donald. Maybe because I always champion the underdog and Mickey has been stealing his thunder for years.
Okay, so I’ve recently discovered Team Shenanigans awesome podcasts … why has it taken me so long to find them??? If you haven’t heard of them yet, go here immediately … er, wait, no, after you’re done reading this.
Anyway. While on a long run over the weekend, I listened to their podcast about the Princess 5k and laughed when they talked about how it always seems as though the Genie is staring at their boobs in character photos. While prepping my photos for this post, however, it’s clear that Genie’s eyes are nowhere near mine. Sigh.
Okay, so funny story about the next photo. Up until this point, another gal and I seemed to always been near each other in character lines. We laughed about this while waiting for the Sebastian puppet so I waited for her after getting this photo, thinking we’d run together and be lifelong friends, but she disappeared on me. Sigh. Wasn’t meant to be!
Oh, and have I talked about the weather yet? No? Well, let me dial you in.
Get it? Dial? Telephone booth?
Okay, okay, that pretty much stunk. But the weather certainly didn’t stink like last year’s Frozen 5k with the freezing 28 degree temps. It was a tad chilly but I felt perfectly comfortable in capris and a long-sleeve.
Love this photo op that was outside of the Nemo ride!
After getting my adorable medallion, (pardon the blurry video screenshot,) I got my box of snacks and headed back to the family gathering area to wait for Sara. Since I knew she’d like another picture with Sebastian, I waited in line and she joined me after finishing.
Afterwards, Sara headed back and I stood in a long, long line for another picture with Ariel and Prince Eric. Worth the wait!
After a much needed shower, Sara, Robyn, Angie, and I checked out of All Stars, sent our suitcases on to Animal Kingdom Lodge, and spent the day in Animal Kingdom!
Stephanie and Kelly, my friends who I ran the 10k and half with, soon arrived as well as Shannon and her aunt, Susan. With our crew all there, we checked into Animal Kingdom Lodge, a resort that has been on my wish list for a long time!
Next up on our massive recap catch-up list is the Enchanted 10k! For now, all in all, I had a fantastic time running the Princess 5k, as always. Fun theme, lots of characters, nice weather, and cute bling makes me excited to register in July for 2017’s race!
Oh, and here’s my video recap from our YouTube Channel if you’d like to check it out!
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