Royal Koehler Family at Disney 5K
Perfection. It’s hard for me to define Disney’s Royal Family 5K race without quoting Mary Poppins; it was “perfect in every way.” Last weekend, I ventured back to what I consider to be the healthiest vacation destination on earth to enjoy more athletic adventures. runDisney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend brought in about 30,000 people of all ages, races, genders and fitness levels to do one thing: enjoy the fruits of their labors which come from pursuing physical fitness. In a way that no other race promoter can, runDisney somehow makes putting one foot in front of another a magical experience, especially when it comes to their 5K races. The 5Ks are short enough that most folks without major booboos can handle them, but not so long that anyone really has to struggle. The Royal Family 5K in particular, allows racers to venture through EPCOT Center at their own pace, which is a really beautiful experience on a cool Florida morning at 7:00 AM. It’s not timed, so there are no winners and no losers, and you’re actually encouraged to slack a bit as Disney characters line the route inviting everyone to stop and take photos.
The Princess/Royal Family theme was not lost on virtually anyone. I’d say at least 75% of the participants were wearing a: tiara, tutu, sparkly something-or-other, or a complete head to toe Disney costume. The amount of men dressed as Snow White was both shocking and hilarious at the same time. Absurd! Even I, donned a tutu and a crown. I wanted to feel silly, but quite frankly, I was the most normally dressed princess at this ball. More fun than my tutu, was the gorgeous pink and blue doozy my friend Melissa made for my 9 year old daughter, Ginger. In full disclosure, Ginger is not in love with running. She’s a fit little lady, but has told me more than once that running is “not her thing”. Fortunately, Disney made Ginger a happy race participant as opposed to the cranky-pants she would have been were we at any other 5K on the planet. It was a delight to cross the finish line with her. My 6 year old son, Parker, is an avid running thanks to our Morning Mile program and has already run a Disney 5K. He couldn’t wait for the fireworks to launch signifying we could go and he paired with my husband to knock this 3.2 mile loop out in 38 minutes. Not bad for little legs.
As a fitness pro, this race made my heart skip many beats. Nothing makes me want to cry tears of joy more than seeing so many people of all fitness levels enjoying exercise. I ran next to men in wheel chairs, elderly couples, groups of morbidly obese adults committed to losing great amounts of weight by the next Princess Weekend, little kids, pregnant Mommies and more. Disney creates an environment where everyone feels welcomed, everyone feels like they fit in and everyone feels successful. If you’ve ever even had the tiniest sliver of interest in participating in a race, becoming more fit, having athletic adventures as a family or finding a clever excuse to vacation, sign up for a runDisney 5K race immediately. What type of fitness activities does your family do together?
Next Up: I Ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon without Training … and Survived!
Check out this video: Why Kids Love Disney 5K Races
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