Recap: Disney’s Fit for a Princess Expo 2014

Sorry for the crickets here — I’ve been playing catch-up after our Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend trip, but now I’m ready to share all of the finer details of my Glass Slipper Challenge experience with you guys!

I’m going to kick off my Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend recaps with a look at the expo. :)

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Our flight arrived in Orlando around 12pm, and we proceeded directly to Disney’s Fit for a Princess Expo at the ESPN Wide World of Sports…where we were greeted by these fine gentlemen.

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Since it had already been open for a few hours, I was sort of expecting to find mass chaos — since runDisney has become a bit notorious for NEVER having enough race merchandise in stock to please the masses, you can imagine my surprise when I was met with this: DSCF8691

Not only did they have tons of official merchandise, but there was hardly anybody in the runDisney area at all. Everything in the booth was calm and organized, and there was absolutely no line to check-out. It was all a VERY far cry from the disaster that was last year’s expo at the Coronado Springs Resort (here’s my recap from last year, in case anyone wants to relive the madness). I’m sure there was a fair amount of nuttiness going on over in the New Balance booth (and I’m also sure they ran out of all kinds of stuff later in the day/weekend), but since I had already suffered for my 2014 runDisney sneakers during the Dopey Challenge, I got to skip it this time.

Sooooo…yeah…after I picked up a number of princess-themed items, from shirts to wine glasses to a new tiara (since I broke the one I bought last year), my sister and I made our way around to some of the other booths. And various photo opportunities, of course. :)

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What’s most fun about the Fit for a Princess expo? Well, let’s just say if you happen to be female and even remotely interested in all things cute and sparkly, then you will find no shortage of wares to meet your every running need.

I picked up some white sleeves from my pals over at Team Sparkle — I’ve never worn racing sleeves before, but thought they were essential for my Elsa costume so I thought I’d give ‘em a try. I liked the way they looked, but they are DEFINITELY better suited for cold weather, that’s for sure.

I also paid a visit to BeeCause Charms (obsessed with them — I have a charm for every Disney race I’ve run on my New Balance Minnie sneakers now!) and my usual runDisney expo haunts, including Bondiband, Raw Threads, and Sweaty Bands.

What’s funny about Disney expos is that, for the most part, people tend to save the whole picking-up-of-the-race-bib thing for last…you know, the actual reason for attending a race expo in the first place. :)

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I waited until we were done shopping to get everything we’d need for our racing adventures that weekend, and I have to say, I don’t love the race shirts this year. The 10K shirt is cute, but the others are pretty “blah,” IMHO. The quality is decent, though, and they ARE women-cut shirts — meaning I WILL actually wear them — so I guess I can’t complain too much.

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Also, I would have to ask that perhaps runDisney starts offering tech “I Did it!” shirts — I’d definitely get a lot more use out of them that way! (Of course, that didn’t stop me from picking up both shirts to wear around the parks after the races). :)

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Since last year’s Princess was my very first half marathon, the 2013 expo — despite the issues caused by its relocation to Coronado Springs — was ridiculously exciting. Everything was shiny and magical and I was SO thrilled to be surrounded by rows and rows of goodies to support my brand-new running obsession.

Now that I’ve run more than a dozen half marathons since then — including a bunch of other runDisney races, of course — and attended my fair share of race expos, I can still safely say that Princess is quite possibly my absolute favorite race expo overall. Not only because it offers tons of girly goodies, but also because the vibe of the experience really is all about FUN.

Whether you’re running with your sister or your mom or your best friend, it’s the ultimate girls’ weekend…and, well, what woman doesn’t like shopping…? ;)

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What’s your favorite part of a race expo?

Ladies, what are some of your must-have “girly” running essentials?! :)

 

 

Comments

  1. I always look forward to going to a Disney race expo for the same reasons you mentioned. I agree with you on the race shirts. I thought the 10K one was cute but not loving the gray PHM one. I thought it could have been a girly color like pink or purple. I wonder if they are going to start making them all more neutral colors since a good handful of men are starting to run these races too? Do you mean your I DID IT shirt is not a tech shirt? I knew the GSC I DID IT’s were just cotton, but they did have tech shirts for the PHM. They even had them for sale online the weekend after the race. Also, I love your friend’s blue 10K shirt that she is wearing in MK. I wish I would have seen that one!

    • Jennifer says:

      AGREED! The colors were just…yucky. I loved the shirts last year — much more “feminine.” I guess it makes sense, though, that those handful of male runners would prefer to wear a grayish shirt as opposed to something pink. So, it seems that the disneystore.com website has tech versions of all the “I Did it” shirts after the races — I did see that! But by the time I get home from a Disney race-cation, I’m always too broke to buy anything else, haha. :-D

  2. I LOVE race expos, and runDisney expos are without a doubt the best ones out there! I agree though that the PHM expo is definitely #1! The glitz and glamour is so much fun :0)

    I think you’re the first person who said that the runDisney merchandise didn’t run out by the time you got there. I am glad you got everything you wanted! The tech shirts this year are gorgeous, too! I so wish I could have gone!

    I hope your sister enjoyed the expo experience as well!

    • Jennifer says:

      Thanks, Lauren! Agreed — there’s nothing like a Disney expo, and the Princess is just FUN.

      Yeah, it sounds like we beat the crowds…I know I lot of people were coming into the expo later in the day on Thursday as we were leaving. It may not always be a good thing for me to have access to EVERYTHING they have to offer, though…haha. We both definitely enjoyed ourselves, let me put it to you that way! :-D

  3. My one “girly” accessory is Sweaty Bands. I have so many wisps to deal with, I need a good headband to keep my hair in place. The last one I bought was customized for my Frozen costume, but I’ve got a few sparkly ones from past purchases.

    • Jennifer says:

      Agreed! Love Sweaty Bands. I still don’t have one of the sparkly ones, but I saw a bunch of women wearing them during the race, and I wanted one so badly! Super cute!

  4. I thought the race expo was exceedingly well organized. I went first thing in the morning on Saturday and there were literally maybe 15 other people there at the packet pickup and it wasn’t crowded at all at the expo hall. Then I went back later in the afternoon expecting chaos and while it was more crowded it wasn’t bad at all! Definitely enough space to walk around, browse products, etc. without feeling claustrophobic!

    The only thing I really considered buying was an “I did it shirt’ but ended up against it since it wasn’t a tech tee. They should definitely start offering them in tech material!

    I agree that the shirt is underwhelming for the Princess Half, but I have worn it at least once already :) I wore it to work last Friday! The color could be better though.

    PS: How is everything going for you now that you’re back home? Getting back into your running groove, or taking it easy? Either way I know you’ll kick ass at the marathon! ;)

    • Jennifer says:

      I would totally agree. Disney knows how to keep things organized! As far as the tech tee, I know what you mean…I always love having the “I Did it” shirt, but I just don’t get a whole lot of use out of them…whereas my running shirts I pretty much wear to death.

      Oh, believe me, I’m still totally rocking my Princess shirts, whether I love the color or not, haha. I always practically live in the race shirts for a few weeks after, not gonna lie.

      Thanks so much for asking. I have another post on this coming up after I’m done with my recaps! Long story short, I’m still struggling. I’m looking forward to the marathon, and I know I’ll be fine, but the fact that I still don’t have that urge to get out and run is still bothering me. I’m chalking a lot of it up to the weather because I am just so SICK of snow and ice — this has been one of the worst winters we’ve had here in I don’t know how long. I’m hoping after the pressure of the marathon is over and I have some fun (SHORTER) spring races to look forward to, and things thaw out a bit here, that I’ll get back into my groove and find my passion for running again. In the meantime, I’m doing the best I can and trying to be more diligent about cross-training and mixing it up, so I’m spending lots of time at my karate studio these days. Either way, I’m not giving up! :)

  5. I agree with you, Disney Expo’s are always my favorite! :D I was shocked to see a low crowd on Thursday, too…and plenty of official merchandise still on the shelves! Great recap! :0)

    • Jennifer says:

      Oh, for sure! Disney expos are the best. As we were leaving the expo later in the afternoon, I saw MASSIVE amounts of cars coming in, so I guess that’s when the crowds started to arrive…must have just missed ‘em!

  6. YOu are a Disney race rockstar, girl! Seriously, I am impressed. I always get my race bib first thing immediately at an expo because I am a big dork like that.

    • Jennifer says:

      Haha, thanks, Amy! Oh, believe me, I’m a dork too — at “normal” race expos. The Disney race expo is just a whole different animal…haha.

  7. That picture of you guys in front of the castle is so great!

Mentioned Elsewhere:

  1. [...] are my recaps from the expo and the Enchanted 10K, in case you missed [...]

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