The Princess Half Marathon is 13.1 miles through Walt Disney World — one of the most iconic runDisney events and, for many runners, the most ambitious race they've ever attempted. The combination of the theme park setting, the entertainment on-course, and the finisher medal makes it worth every training run to get there.
The good news: 19 weeks is enough time to go from minimal running base to a confident half marathon finish, as long as you follow a structured plan and don't skip the long runs.
How long does training take?
The Princess Half Marathon training plan in Glass Slipper Run is 19 weeks, 57 sessions. That includes warm-up weeks to build base fitness, progressive long runs, back-to-back weekend sessions, and a taper week before race day. If your race is in February — when Princess Weekend typically takes place — training begins around early October.
What does a typical training week look like?
A standard week has three runs:
- ✓A midweek drill session (e.g. Tuesday): shorter, focused on cadence and running form
- ✓A midweek hill or Magic Mile session (e.g. Thursday): building strength and tracking pace
- ✓A weekend long run (e.g. Saturday): the main session, progressively longer each week
Rest days are deliberately built into the plan — they're as important as the runs. Training adaptation happens during recovery, not during the runs themselves.
What are back-to-back runs?
From around week 12, the plan includes back-to-back weekend sessions: a long run on Saturday followed by a shorter but meaningful run on Sunday. These are the most important sessions in the programme. They simulate the fatigue your legs will feel on race day — your body learns to run on already-tired muscles, which is exactly what race weekend demands.
Do I need to already be a runner?
Some base fitness helps, but the 19-week plan starts at an accessible level. If you can walk for 30 minutes without difficulty and have done some occasional running, you're ready to begin. Complete beginners with no running experience at all are better served starting with the 5K plan first to build base fitness before stepping up to the half marathon.
What pace will I run?
The run-walk-run method means pace is less critical than in a continuous-running plan. Your Magic Mile times — periodic one-mile time trials built into the plan — help you understand your current pace and calibrate the right walk-break timing for each session. Most first-time half marathoners using run-walk-run training finish between 2:45 and 3:20.
The runDisney time limit for the Princess Half Marathon is 3 hours 30 minutes (16 minutes per mile). Runners using run-walk-run training typically finish well inside this window.
The most important thing to remember
The biggest mistake first-time half marathoners make is skipping the long runs. The midweek sessions build fitness and form, but it's the long run that builds the mental and physical endurance to sustain 13.1 miles. Don't swap long runs for shorter sessions. They are the sessions the plan is built around.
Getting started
Glass Slipper Run is free to use and requires no download. Create an account, enter your race date, choose the Half Marathon plan, and your full 19-week schedule is generated around your timeline. Log every run as you go and watch your Magic Mile times improve across the programme.