How to Find Your Disney Age

The "can we fit four people all over 5' 7" into one teacup" tradition

A friend asked me why I'd decided on a Disney half marathon as my recovery goal. Why not one of the many, less expensive races closer to where I live?

Hi, my name is Jenna, and I am a Disney addict. My family loves Disney. Even stating that seems silly, because anyone who knows us understands this to be true. My mom visits the parks annually, with the rest of us tagging along as often as possible. Quotes from various movies get thrown around the house, and anyone with a shred of wisdom quickly realizes that a game of trivia will not end well for them. Depending on my mood, I have different Disney movies that are my go-tos, or that are associated


In fact,  my parents sent me a get-well card that I got in the mail yesterday. In the inside, my dad had written "I hope your recovery goes as fast as Mom finding Mickey Mouse ice cream bars at Disney World." That's right folks, we even quote Disney in get well cards.

My dad, acting his Disney age on our trip to Disneyland in 2012

A common tip shared by my family is how to calculate your Disney age. You simply add the digits of your age together. So, if you are 27, at Disney you are supposed to act like you are three. Now this doesn't mean you refuse to eat anything green or demand to be pushed around in a stroller, but it does mean that you forget that you look "silly" or have things to worry about once you leave. It means, while you're at Disney, you let yourself imagine and dream and play, something we far to often forget to do in our day to day lives.

All of this is my way of saying that when I realized I wanted to run a half marathon, doing it at Disney was a no-brainer. To me, it is quite literally the most magical place on earth, and if you're going to run thirteen miles, it may as well be there.