Running like a Princess

This was one of my wife’s dreams…….to run the Walt Disney Princess Half Marathon  . She ran it in 2012 (I tagged along as a “bandit” to photograph her at each mile marker). This year, I signed up to chase my Princess on her way to a PR (personal record).

Large running events begin with an Expo usually held 1-2 days before the event. This is where runners pick up their bib numbers, race shirts, shop the vendors and sign the waivers saying you or your dependents will not sue the race organizers if you die while participating.  This always causes me to wonder when furniture stores will begin requiring waivers for selling you a recliner….”extensive use of this device without adequate exercise may result in sudden death”.

We arrived at the Expo at opening and navigated a long line just to enter.

The Expo was full of vendors promoting their running related items.

My wife and a few billion other people headed straight for the Disney Official Race Merchandise booth. She shopped, giving me a chance to do one of my favorite things……..wonder around aimlessly looking for photo ops (on this day with my Iphone). One of those unexpected opportunities turned out to be meeting former Olympian and running guru Jeff Galloway (want to get to a finish line? Check out his training plans) who graciously posed with me. He’s the fast guy on the right.

Friends and family of runners spent a few minutes making signs of support and encouragement at the Expo.

Disney moved the Expo to a new location this year and somehow greatly underestimated the crowd levels. You’ve heard of organized chaos…….I swear I heard Yogi Berra walk by mumbling the words “unorganized chaos”.  26,000 other people were asking “Which line are you in? ”

Heading back to the hotel a few hours later,  we were pretty satisfied that we had survived this endurance event until we remembered that this was just the Expo.

Check back later for The Race…………