Question about the Marathons

I have decided I want to enter one of the WDW Marathons in 2013. I have been looking on the WDW website, but unsure if I should do the 1/2 marathon in January or the Princess one in February. I have never run a marathon before and will be training throughout the year. Which is better?

It is something I just want to do for myself (haven't even mentioned it to my family yet.) I am hoping to make a family trip out of it.

I would love any input from those of you who have done this in the past.
Thanks
Donna

I did the Marathon Weekend Half as my first half last year, and it was awesome. It follows the same course as the Princess, which is pretty flat, a nice bonus. And there are all kinds of magical things along the course - car shows, special characters, a run under the castle!

I think the major difference is going to be in the "girliness" of the race. The Princess has more female participants, so the things you see along the way are going to be more targeted toward that audience, i.e. all of the princes from the Disney movies. Also, because there are more females, from what I understand the times are not as fast for corrals. Also, since the Princess is not coupled with a marathon, it may make a difference in the runners racing.

I think either one would be a great first race. Like I said, the marathon weekend one in 2011 was my first, and it was awesome. There are fireworks for every corral, the whole Today show crew running the race, and Captain Jack's pirate ship. What can be better than running through the Castle at the break of dawn?

It just depends what kind of event you are more looking for: if you want more of a Princess experience (even the bibs say Princess and your name, and the medal is a crown) or a Mickey/Donald experience (the bibs say your name but have the character on it and the medal is Donald). Either one would be a great first half and you'll have a blast.

Oh yeah - one other thing to consider. The WDW Half is usually on Saturday; the Princess is on Sunday. Don't know if that might affect your plans...

Thank you so much.
I might do the Princess for a couple of reasons. I think it will be easier for us to go in Feb with work, and I would be more nervous with the hugh popularity of the main one in Jan. I might not be so overwhelmed by the smaller Princess race.
Donna

I would concur with disneyrunchick. I did both the Donald ½ and the Princess ½ in 2011.
I preferred the Donald, only because the entire resort seemed to be in a 'race buzz' sort of mood, with all the events of Marathon Weekend. For the Princess Half, since there were less participants, it was less abuzz around WDW.
And to say that there are more women for the Princess is a severe understatement. It is a women focused race. I believe there was about 5-7% participation by males in the 2011 Princess.