Sunday February 21 was Disney’s Princess Half Marathon. N and I ran it for the first time. It was a lot of fun and we feel super accomplished. Or at least I do, as this was my first time crossing the finish line!

The Expo

The Expo for the Princess was very similar to the one for the WDW Marathon that N and I went to last year. It takes place at ESPN Wide World of Sports.

There are several buildings at the Expo and each has it’s own purpose. You start out going to one building where you check in, hand in your signed waiver and ID and receive your bib, gEAR bag ( a clear plastic bag that you can check at the race with your belongings) and race information.

Next, you head to the Jostens Center to collect your race shirt and enjoy the expo.

At the expo you can try out and purchase all kinds of fun new running and Disney gear, win prizes, meet fellow runners, hear speeches about health and running and immerse yourself in the fantastic RunDisney atmosphere. Specialty items can be purchased at the expo such as the New Balance Disney running shoes.

N and I enjoyed several booths and spent quite a bit of money. Highlights include:

• Chiquita Banana (a frequent sponsor of RunDisney races) – we got a free banana and play a cute game.
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• Luna – Luna bars are really flavorful energy/protein bars by the Clif Bar company. At the expo Clif usually offers a tasting of some of their new products and this time it was the Luna Bar. Yummy!
• KT Tape – KT Tape or Kinesiology Tape is awesome! It is a body tape that can be applied to any muscle, ligament or tendon area to provide support and help avoid injury. Runners commonly apply it to the knees and ankles (the most common areas to be injured by running).                    The booth at the expo is always extremely packed, as the staff will tape up any desired area. The first taping area is free but any additional ones require the purchase of a roll of KT Tape. N and I both got taped up. I on my knees and N on his foot.                                                                                     N had hoped to get his knees taped as well but sadly we forgot and he wore jeans to the expo which made accessing his knees impossible. So I taped them for him Saturday night.
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• Meeting – As usual with the expo there were tons of people there. While so many of us waited in line for the KT Tape, we were all talking and making friends. One of the people that we met in line was one of the hosts of a Disney Running Podcast that I listen to, previously the Mickey Miles Podcast now renamed the Mickey Miles and More Podcast.
• Dr. Cool – Dr. Cool is another find from last year. After using it all year N and I knew we wanted more. N used it on his knee for most of the year as a post training assist and it helped him a lot. So we bought 3 more.
• RooSport – This was a new product for us from this year. RooSport makes a fabulous beltless pouch that can be used to carry almost anything from ID and Passport to Phone to energy bars. The pouch comes in two sizes, we got the bigger ones because we wanted our phones to fit. The pouch folds over the edge of the fabric and has a really strong magnet which holds it in place. It doesn’t shift at all! We each got one and are so happy that we did.                                                                     It has two zippered compartments and one open one so it can fit a lot. For the race I loaded the pouch with my phone, headphones, salt pills, Sting Waffles and mini Clif Bar. It all fit with no problem and it stayed exactly where I put it, safe and secure for the duration of the race.                                                                                                                                                                                        Not only is this great for a run, but it can also be used in lieu of pockets for normal every day use. This is especially beneficial for me as I wear skirts only and most skirts sadly come without pockets. N loved it too! The RooSport pouch allowed me to go without a purse for the entire trip! We love it!!
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There were a few things that we wanted to do but sadly ran out of time such as meeting Jeff Galloway again. That was a highlight of last year and we had planned to meet him this year again but there was a long line so we couldn’t make it happen.

There are also many photo opportunities such as specialty Disney or race backgrounds like this.

I wore A the whole time in my trusty baby carrier. As with most crowded venues, no strollers were allowed in the expo.

Just like last year, we had to leave long before we wanted to. There was so much more we wanted to do and see but we had to head back to the resort and prepare for Shabbos.