Running runDisney With Modified Entertainment: What It Was Like
The 10K during the 2026 Princess Half Marathon Weekend experienced some modifications due to inclement weather. Find out what it looked like for these athletes.
Princess Half Marathon Weekend
The 2026 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend took place from February 26th through March 2nd. The weekend included a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Challenge (10K and Half Marathon), and yoga.
Themes for the 2026 celebrate princesses on their unique journeys. Princesses will include Merida, Moana, Rapunzel, and Belle.
During runDisney events, athletes can meet some very rare characters. Check out who was available during the weekend's events HERE.
WARNING Issued Ahead of 10K
On Friday, February 27th, runDisney issued a warning to athletes participating in the 10K the following morning. On the morning of the 10K, it was forecasted for heavy rain and the potential for storms.
runDisney informed athletes a decision on the event would be made by 8PM Friday night.
Shortly after 8PM, athletes were notified that the 10K would take place as planned however with modified entertainment. You can see the full notification HERE.
What Does Modified Entertainment Mean?
In the Reunion Lot, prior to the start of the race, characters would leave when it was raining. A video would play informing athletes that the characters would not be out due to the weather.
Race announcers and the DJs continued to inform athletes that the entertainment would be modified and characters may not be on the course with inclement weather present.
runDisney offered a modified entertainment experience for the 10K at Princess Half Marathon Weekend. Character meets during the race were all located inside of EPCOT.
Fortunately, the worst of the weather happened prior to the start of the race. Characters were still out, but it was a modified experience as runDisney had warned.
runDisney races usually have some sort of entertainment every mile or so. This includes DJ's, movie reels, and characters. The first several miles had no entertainment.
This all changed once you got into EPCOT! Disney strategically placed all of the character meets so that they would be under cover. This did make for long lines and stops that were close together. All but one of the thirteen character stops on the course were in EPCOT. At the completion of the race, the four character meets in the Reunion Lot were back out for athletes to take photos with.
I LOVED that runDisney was able to modify the entertainment so that characters could still be experienced.
Personally, with the predicted weather and the warning the night before, I was prepared for anything. I was anticipating a delayed start, a shortened course, or no entertainment at all. runDisney handled this event wonderfully, and made it a great event.
There are a lot of pieces that go into making these events happen, including the race crew setting up hours before the start. runDisney did a fantastic job monitoring all aspects and keeping everyone safe while still being able to have the 10K.
Did you participate in the 10K? Have you ever participated in a runDisney event that has been modified? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to share this post with your friends!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Heather loves all things Disney! She loves visiting her "home" as a Disney Vacation Club Member or participating in a runDisney event!
