Inside the magical world of Disney super runners

CNN — The sun won’t rise for hours in Celebration, Florida, but the party is already in full swing. Alexandra Willingham/CNN For Mike Flaherty, this year’s Princess Half Marathon marks his 99th Disney race. Then he added the Tower of Terror 10-miler, the inaugural half marathon in Disneyland Paris and the fabled 48.6-mile Dopey Challenge, which he calls the “Super Bowl of runDisney.” For Flaherty, it isn’t just the fun medals and the potent Disney atmosphere that gets him excited about his next race. Courtesy Mike Flaherty Take one of his most memorable race weekends: In 2017, the half marathon portion of the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend had to be canceled due to bad weather. “Then when you throw all of that onto one of the largest vacation properties on the United States and you add in an atmosphere of running, camaraderie and fun, it’s a winning formula.” The climax of the Disney Princess Half Marathon comes alarmingly early in the race.