Where's Coyote?
I am off for Disney World to run in the Princess Half-Marathon this weekend. My knees feel like I have four flat tires and have been driving on the rims for 20 miles, but I am running this last time with my daughter.
We started running this race together a number of years ago and the first time we ran was something of a breakthrough for my daughter -- the experience dedicating herself to a goal and the confidence she gained from achieving it led to many knock-on benefits, so much so that it became the core of her college essay.
That essay began with the story of she and I making our first tutu together. At the time, I did not even know what tulle was, but we watched a YouTube video about how to make a tutu without sewing and we eventually got it done. She ran the whole race, as she has ever since, with a tutu and a tiara on. (By the way, I am always amazed at the niches in the Internet that I never knew existed. This is the video we watched to make the tutu -- it has 2.4 million views! We basically followed this process except we used a piece of underwear elastic for the waist band rather than ribbon). My job is to cut the tulle into strips -- we make them twice as long as she wants the skirt, and then my daughter ties them to a piece of elastic in the middle, so two strands hang down.
The challenge has increasingly become to use different colors than any past tutu. The last one looked more like a skirt. This one she wanted to be shorter and puffier, more like a ballet tutu. It is hard to capture it well in a picture to get the detail but this is the result:
Not to worry, your humble correspondent will be in costume too. I have some great Darth Vader running gear I will be wearing. I wore a rebel pilot outfit last time. Disney really hit on something with these runs -- they have 8-10 different ones now. The Princess half-marathon is still the most popular and sells out in about 45 minutes. It was as hard to get a spot in it as it is to get Comicon tickets. But given the popularity, there are whole web sites specializing in themed and costumed running gear. I love capitalism.
PS -- I am still amazed she takes on all this extra weight and drag for fashion. When I have to run this far, I am tempted to cut off the ends of my shoelaces to save weight.
PPS-- Here was the first one, at the finish line (a little worse for wear)
Dan Wendlick:
In what was possibly the most or least ironic posting of the year, Disney sent out a warning that temparatures would be unseasonably cold for today's Frozen 5k. I'm also told that the races run at WDW are popular as qualifiers for the Boston Marathon and others that require seed times as the courses are as close to dead flat as anything anywhere in the country.
February 18, 2015, 11:46 amTanuki Man:
"waste band?" WASTE band?
February 18, 2015, 12:50 pmcoyoteblog:
oh good lord.
February 18, 2015, 12:58 pmMatthew Slyfield:
Things you can't unsee.
February 18, 2015, 7:20 pmjdgalt:
I've heard from other sources that Disney parks have a very strict rule -- no coming in in costume, or even wearing items that show a fictional character, unless it's a Disney character. Maybe the policy isn't enforced for the race, but I'd at least ask.
February 18, 2015, 8:09 pmDan Wendlick:
The costume thing has been relaxed. The basic rules now are nothing that conceals your face, interferes with your vision, could be a hazard to others, be deemed offensive or overly revealing, or could be confused with the actual face characters. During the Halloween parties, even duplicating the face characters is permitted, so long as you don't sign autographs or pose for pictures with people from outside your party. They even have a fashion blog about how to create looks inspired by various characters but still appropriate for the park.
I know I've seen plenty of Bart simpson, Cat-in-the-Hat, and DC comics character t-shirts, even though the theme park rights to them are owned by other companies.
February 19, 2015, 11:23 amCoyote Little Sis:
Not sure if I am more proud of my brother or my niece. We've come a looooong way since the Contemporary was the only place to stay and we had to use ride tickets. Hugs to both of you!
February 20, 2015, 8:16 amEconoMichael:
Just to add to Dan's response, runDisney actually encourages the costumes for their races. They can be as elaborate and close to an actual park character as the runner can stand to run in since they're run before the parks are open (outside of the January marathon).
February 20, 2015, 2:37 pmEconoMichael:
Have a good run and I hope your knees come out of it alright! My wife and I have run several runDisney events with more planned; crowded for sure, but some of the most fun friends and family can have running together.
February 20, 2015, 2:41 pm