So I really love analyzing and writing about courses. I did a deep dive into all the WDW Marathon Weekend maps and really enjoyed sharing my thoughts and now I want to do the same for the Princess Half Weekend maps.
At a glance, these courses look like the exact same 5k, 10k, and Half Marathon courses as WDW Marathon Weekend 2020 but let’s take a closer look!
You can check out the full event guide here: 2020 Princess Half Marathon Weekend
Princess 5k Map
This year there are 3 corrals which will have mini-corral releases. Each corral will be walked over to the start line so if you are in A you’ll want to be in your corral by 5am, the race starts at 5:30am, to make sure you can walk over with your corral instead of with corral B.
At the corral entrance area there will be volunteers checking that you have a bib so make sure to have that visible when you get to this area.
5k Start and Staging Area
2019 Princess 5k
2020 Princess 5k
Most of this route is the same from past years except you will not run in Future World at all and instead be routed through a boring backstage area to the finish
So let’s look at the main changes:
A: The route takes a more direct route through the backstage area. It will not feel very different but you are taking a slightly different path.
B: You enter World Showcase between Norway & China instead of between Mexico & Norway.
C: You will run backstage in a slightly different route but you will enter World Showcase in the same place as in 2019, at the Canada side of the United Kingdom pavilion.
D: You then run all the way across the front of World Showcase and exit between Mexico & Norway and run backstage.
E: From this point on you are running through a really boring construction area (if they don’t change anything from WDW Marathon Weekend)
Princess 10k Map
It’s another early morning for the 10k with a start time of 5:30am. There are 6 corrals this morning but they will still be released in mini-waves to spread out runners. If you are in Corral A you should aim to be in your corral by 5am to make sure you can walk to the start area before they release corral B. At WDW Marathon Weekend, I was in corral B and we were released around 5:05am to get to the start chute.
Again, you will need to show your bib at the Corral Entrance to the volunteers since only runners are allowed beyond that point.
10k Start and Staging Area
2019 Princess 10k
2020 Princess 10k
From 2019 to 2020, the 10k map has only changed again around where you enter and exit World Showcase. You will also run back into the Epcot parking lot, like the first mile of the Princess 5k, which will also mean there might be a delay to when the buses can start leaving to take runners back to their resorts. If you need to make a quick exit I highly recommend using Lyft from the Epcot parking lot.
So let’s talk about some of the main changes:
A: At this point you take a sharp turn to go to the Epcot parking lot rather than continuing on the road. Up to this point, the course will be pretty crowded and long lines for characters.
B: A slightly different path through the backstage area, it won’t feel different from past years but technically it is.
C: You will enter World Showcase between Norway & China rather than Mexico & Norway.
D: You then run across the front of World Showcase and exit between Mexico & Norway. You don’t run through Future World at all.
E: This is where the boring construction area begins. If the finish is like WDW Marathon Weekend, they will all be lackluster compared to past years.
Princess Half Marathon Map
For the Half Marathon, you will need to budget extra time to walk to the start line. For WDW Marathon Weekend, this walk felt more crowded and longer but I’m sure it’s about the same as past years. There are 8 corrals which will be released in mini-waves to spread out runners. Again, at WDW Marathon Weekend, it look 45 min or so to send off all the corrals.
runDisney recommends you get to the start area by 4:30am for the 5:30am start and be prepared to wait 10 or so minutes to get through bag check depending on when you get there. I’m not a “you must be on the first bus” runner but you should be on the bus by the times posted at your host resort. Be prepared for traffic if you are driving yourself!
Princess half marathon Start & Staging Area
2019 Princess Half Marathon
2020 Princess Half Marathon
So the course for 2020 is very similar to 2019, you will still enter the Magic Kingdom gong under the train station and will run backstage in Epcot behind the Seas, the Land, and enter Epcot near Imagination. You will bypass all the other areas of Future World and exit Epcot between Mexico & Norway before taking the really boring finish again.
Let’s talk about some of the key changes:
A: The route through the Magic Kingdom parking lot is slightly different and feels a little more twisty compared to 2019. For WDW Marathon Weekend they had some Christmas reindeer and Christmas Duffy in this area so hopefully they’ll have some rare characters for you too!
B: Instead of running through the Fantasyland Expansion, you will run by Winnie the Pooh and back out through the Castle.
C: You enter Epcot in front of Imagination after running behind the Seas & the Land.
D: You run across the area between Future World and World Showcase (WS), I actually really enjoyed running the path to WS because the view of the American Adventure was beautiful. You exit Epcot between Mexico & Norway.
E: You then run through a boring construction area making what used to be an awesome finish to a rather lackluster one.
2020 Princess Finish Area
The finish area for all the runs is the same. The biggest change is that the gEAR Check is in the middle of the parking lot area so you will need to walk across after finishing to get your stuff. Also, you can see in the maps that the 5k and 10k routes run in the same area as the post-race resort transportation. If you need to make a quick getaway I highly recommend taking a Lyft from the regular Epcot rideshare pickup location in the parking lot near the monorail station.
So that’s it for the changes to the 2020 Princess Half Marathon Weekend course maps.
Which races are you running? What are you looking forward to?