Another runDisney weekend is almost here and I hope you Princesses are ready! One day I’ll get back for this fun, festive, and fearless weekend of Disney Princess running but for now I’ll just have to cheer you on from afar.
So let’s jump in and take a look at the courses.
Princess 5k Course Review
The 2022 5k course is a call back to past years, it’s also the exact same as the most recent Wine and Dine and WDW 5k’s so if you ran either of those races, you get to run it again! Some changes to note if you ran the Princess 5k in 2020, runners enter World Showcase before Norway instead of after, runners exit and make a loop backstage around Morocco and France, and you will get more Future World time instead of finishing all backstage/through Guardians construction!
The start area will look familiar to those who have run the 5k or 10k at the Princess Marathon Weekend in the past. While the bus drop-off and security check location was a suprise for 2022 WDW Marathon Weekened, this start area map is very clear that the resort drop-off, parking, and security will route all runners to the front of the park to go through bag check. You will get dropped off in the normal Epcot resort bus area or park in the parking lot and then you will walk through the park entrance security before heading to the regular staging area.
The course takes a bit from the 2018 and 2020 5k maps and feels like a classic Princess 5k course.
- Start is in the Epcot parking like in past years. Princesses will then run along the edge of the parking lot, then backstage to the cast member parking lot, and under Test Track.
- Runners enter World Showcase between Mexico and Norway near where Donald used to do his meet and greet.
- Then you will run around World Showcase until Morocco where you will go backstage.
- Runners will reenter World Showcase via the area near the new Remy ride in France.
- Runners will head over the bridge between France and the UK (the Channel if you will) and then exit to backstage near the Skyliner station.
- After running backstage, runners will enter World Showcase near the Showplace Pavilion before running in front of Canada.
- Runners will then take the path between Canada and the Imagination Pavilion before running in front of the Land and the Seas with Nemo and Friends.
- You will then run to the front of the park, underneath Spaceship Earth, and then exit backstage.
- The finish looks like it’s in the usual place in the parking lot!
This is a classic course and will feel great if this is your first run back since COVID cancelled in-person racing. Remember you will be required to wear a mask on buses before and after the race so plan ahead. Also, there were plenty of people wearing masks in the corrals in January so don’t be shy is that’s what will make you feel comfortable, I wore mine up to and beyond the start line for each race.
Another thing noted on the map is that after the 5k the resort buses will pick up on the opposite side of the parking lot so that they can leave while the race is still going. This is a HUGE plus compared to past years where we needed to get the final runners beyond 1 mile before anyone can leave on a resort bus, the new placement allows them to leave immediately with runners as the finish.
See more info in the official digital event guide: https://guide.rundisney.events/ (this link updates for each race and no longer has Princess 2022 information)