2 touching stories from upcoming Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend
There are more than 53,800 runners expected to participate in the 10th annual Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend starting Thursday and stories of inspiration are fueling many of the runners.
Here are two of those stories:
Two storylines that have emerged from this weekend’s races include:
Carol Perry from Pewaukee, Wisconsin watched as her sister, Teresa, a member of the local triathlon team, was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016.
Teresa underwent chemotherapy and radiation, as well as colon resection surgery. To celebrate Teresa’s courageous fight with the disease, Carol had a plan. They would participate in the Disney Princess Half Marathon.
And they are not coming along, a group of 12 “princesses,” made up of friends and family – many who have never attempted a half marathon – will be running with them to help celebrate Teresa’s courage.
Cara Koprowski of Longwood, Florida met her friend Amy while working as an elementary school teacher following her family’s move to Washington state in 2007.
The pair became instant friends and Amy, an avid runner, inspired Cara to start running after Cara’s recover from back surgery. In March 2017, Amy passed away. This Sunday, Cara will run the Disney Princess Half Marathon, her first runDisney race, and second long-distance run, in honor of her friend.
More than 45 countries will be represented this weekend with 25,000 runners expected to participate in the half marathon, 13,500 in the 10K, 13,000 in the 5K and about 2,300 taking part in the kid’s races.
This includes 226 “perfect” Princess runners, those who have participated in every Disney Princess Half Marathon.
The runDisney Health & Fitness Expo begins Thursday at noon. All three races have 5:30 a.m. start times.
