Runner who suffered broken hip wins the Disney Princess Half Marathon

Lauren Passell crosses the finish line of the Disney Princess Half Marathon.

One year after after suffering a broken hip, Lauren Passell from New York City, won the Disney Princess Half Marathon at Disney World.

“I was afraid actually (to run again) but this race really pulled me through,’’ 30-year-old Passell, said in a news release. She couldn’t walk for four months after the injury, took disability leave from her job and didn’t run normally again for nearly a year. “When I was stuck on my couch (during her recovery), I would dream about running here, I would fantasize about it. I mean, for me to run through Disney, it means the world to me. I feel like the luckiest person in the world.’’

Passell beat out a field of 24,000 mostly-women runners with a time of 1:22:59. nearly 30 seconds faster than second-place finisher Heather Schulz of Orlando (1:23:28). Mariela Ortiz of Argentina was third (1:23:45).

More than 49,500 runners participated in the weekend event which included the Disney Frozen 5K, the Disney Princess Enchanted 10K, runDisney Kids Races and the Glass Slipper Challenge, which involved runners completing the 10K on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday.