Runners who compete in runDisney events can be described in a lot of ways – “athletic,’’ “competitive,’’ “inspired,’’ etc. But, after seeing many of the 12,500 runners who ran in the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon recently, the best description is probably “creative.’’

Last weekend’s Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon featured some of the most lavish and awe-inspiring costumes we’ve seen here at Disney. From princesses and fairies to superheroes and more, here’s a collection of some of our favorite runner outfits from race weekend, as photographed by Matt Stroshane. Which one’s your favorite?

Speaking of last weekend’s race, Anton Van Zyl, our 2010 winner, wasn’t shy about going back for seconds as he repeated as race champion with a time of 1:13:14. Carrie Majeranowski was the women’s champion with a time of 1:26:10.

Tagged: WDW, Wide World of Sports Complex

Filed: Walt Disney World Resort

Several runners got the experience of a lifetime during our “Meet Up, Eat Up” at the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon this past weekend.

On a beautiful Friday morning as the sun had just begun to rise, the 25 participants received personalized instruction from renowned Olympic track coach Brooks Johnson as well as runDisney training consultant Jeff Galloway on the track at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, where Brooks trains several Olympic medalists. Once they had their strides fine-tuned, they were led on a short training run by two-time Wine & Dine Half Marathon winner Anton Van Zyl and last year’s women’s winner Melissa Wisner.

Then, Disney Chef Gary Jones – with some playful assistance from Chef Mickey Mouse – gave the group a cooking demonstration on how to easily whip up a healthy breakfast dish. At the end, the runners were given exclusive access to the event’s Health & Fitness Expo where they got first crack at all of the merchandise, apparel and fitness products before the expo officially opened.

It was a fun way to kick off the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend, which attracted more than 17,000 total runners. If you’d like to get in on the fun, look for more opportunities like it here on the Disney Parks Blog.

Tagged: Video, WDW, Wide World of Sports Complex

Filed: Walt Disney World Resort

UPDATE: Click here for a complete list of attendees. If you are on the list and did not receive a confirmation email, please contact us at wdw.sportsmeetups@disney.com.

Please note that we will not be responding to questions via this email address. If you have questions, please ask them on the Disney Parks Blog and we will do our best to answer them.

UPDATE: We have reached capacity! Thanks for everyone’s interest in the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Meet-Up Event, and appreciate your quick responses. At approximately 2 p.m. ET, we will send the meet-up attendees a confirmation email. If you are on the list and did not receive a confirmation email, please contact us at wdw.sportsmeetups@disney.com. By 3 p.m. ET, we will post a link to the complete list of attendees. Stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for additional unique opportunities in the future.

If you’re looking to gain tips and training advice from Galloway, he will also be available at the upcoming Expo on Friday at Noon and 7 pm ET, and Saturday at 10 a.m. and 3 pm ET. Also, there is additional Galloway training information at www.runDisney.com.

A year ago, runDisney hosted its first-ever meet-up event during the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend. This year we’re going to uncork another one, this time featuring renowned track coach Brooks Johnson – the 2010 USATF Coach of the Year who trains Olympic track stars such as former world record holder Justin Gatlin, David Oliver and Tiffany Ross-Williams – at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex here at Walt Disney World Resort.

And since it’ll take place Friday, Sept. 30 during the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend again, we’re spicing it up with a culinary twist – a healthy living segment with Disney Chef Gary Jones. Jones is a tri-athlete when he’s not serving as Dietary Chef at Walt Disney World Resort and will undoubtedly whip up something special while also offering nutrition tips.

That’s just the start. There will be plenty of other cool elements for the 25 selected participants, including appearances by Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon defending champions Anton Van Zyl and Melissa Wisner, and runDisney training consultant Jeff Galloway, plus a chance to go on a specially-designed 2-mile training run with them. In addition, the selected participants will have early exclusive access to the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Health and Fitness Expo before it opens to the general public that day.

Of course, there will be more surprises along the way, so for this opportunity to Meet Up and Eat Up, hurry up and RSVP right now to wdw.sportsmeetups@disney.com. Remember, only 25 qualified applicants will be selected to participate, so be one of the first to apply ASAP!

If you’re not one of the 25 selected this time, post your training questions for Galloway here and I’ll get him to answer a few of them on a future Disney Parks Blog post. Also, you can see Galloway at the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Expo and at future runDisney events.

For more information on the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend or to sign up to run a future runDisney race, visit www.rundisney.com. Also, follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest runDisney race information and for behind-the-scenes access to all things runDisney.

In the meantime, here are a few things you should know about the Meet Up and Eat Up:

• Qualified applicants will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis.
• A valid ID is required. Participants must be 18 years of age or older.
• Valid RSVPs must include your name. RSVPs that include more than one person or are missing information (e.g. incomplete names) will not be accepted.
• Admittance to the event is non-transferable and limited to the selected applicant; no additional guests please.
• The event and individual appearances are subject to change or cancellation.
• Because this is a running-oriented event, we ask that applicants be experienced runners, able to maintain a 12-minute per mile pace.
• Selected applicants attending the meet-up are not required to purchase admission.

We will send an email to selected applicants who sent their valid RSVP via e-mail before we reached capacity to confirm their attendance for Friday. We plan to send this email at approximately 2 p.m. ET today and we will also post a link on the Disney Parks Blog that will include a list of names of all selected runners. If you do not receive an email from us confirming your reservation and your name does not appear on the list of selected applicants, your RSVP was not selected.

Tagged: WDW, Wide World of Sports Complex

Filed: Walt Disney World Resort