Shea Zablan from Alabama Wins the 2024 Disney Princess Half Marathon on a Girl’s Trip
Shea Zablan, a Birmingham, Alabama runner, unexpectedly claimed victory as the first female runner to cross the finish line during the RunDisney Disney Princess Half Marathon presented by CORKCICLE at Walt Disney World Resort. This accomplishment was part of her annual girls’ trip with high school friends who chose Disney World for the adventure.
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Despite being a first-time participant in a runDisney race, Zablan finished impressively with a time of 1:21:18, outpacing Leah Foley of Goodrich, Michigan (1:23:38), and Sarah Humble of Salt Lake City, Utah (1:24:43). The event allowed her to combine the joy of running with the enchantment of Disney’s theme parks, creating a magical experience for the Birmingham runner and her friends.
“Running through the parks was definitely a joy,’’ said Zablan, who spent Sunday afternoon enjoying EPCOT with her girlfriends. “I think also there was music everywhere. I’m not used to that at other races. There were people cheering every 100 meters apart. There was always someone all around. It was nice.’’
On the men’s side, the race for Michael Fussner of St. Louis, Missouri was a wonderful journey of redemption. After nearly winning the race a year ago, he hoped that a little Disney magic this year would create the fairytale ending that narrowly eluded him last year. Bolting to the lead early, he cruised the rest of the way to become the first male finisher (1:15:11).
After coming in second place last year, Fussner said of this year’s race: “You want to win. I mean, you get the confetti and everything. It’s awesome.’’
Reality TV star Matt James of Miami, Florida made his runDisney debut, running the entertainment-filled course in 1:27:32, which was 10th among male runners. James enjoyed the race so much that he said he would likely return next year for the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend in January where he plans to do the Dopey Challenge – running the 5K, 10K, half marathon, and full marathon on consecutive days for a total of 48.6 miles and six medals.
Heather Sealover of Bossier City, Louisiana, who won the wheelchair division last year, was the top wheelchair finisher (1:02:53) again this year followed by Linden Williamson of Seguin, Texas (1:05:37) and Nicholas McCoy of Boerne, Texas (1:18:31).
Sunday’s half marathon was the final race of the three-race weekend that included a 5K and a 10K, plus a Disney Fairytale Challenge (10K and the half marathon). The event ends Monday with a yoga event in front of Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom. Next up is the runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend (April 18-21), the fourth and final race weekend of the runDisney race season at Walt Disney World.
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