A 2012 Shippensburg University graduate on Sunday became only the third woman to win the Disney Princess Half Marathon and she did it the day after winning the Disney Princess 10K the day before.
Neely (Spence) Gracey won the half marathon in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Sunday, Feb. 26 - “marking only the third time in runDisney history that a woman was the overall winner,” according to runDisney.
Gracey, who now lives near Denver, Colorado, passed second-place finisher Michael Fussner “in the final stages, crossing the finish line just seven seconds ahead of him,” runDisney said in a news release.
Gracey finished the 13.1-mile course through EPCOT and Magic Kingdom Park in 1:15:55 followed by Fussner of St. Louis, Missouri, at 1:16:02 and Connor Brock of The Woodlands, Texas, at 1:17:39.
According to the Shippensburg University website, Gracey was a 10-time PSAC athlete of the year, five-time PSAC top 10 award winner, 11-time NCAA All-American and eight-time NCAA National Champion.
“I’ve never done back-to-back races like this before and so running the 10K yesterday and then prepping to run the half (marathon) today, I had to utilize some strategies that I’ve learned over my almost 20 years of running to really make sure that I was able to finish strong today and it paid off,’’ said Gracey in a news release.
Neely Gracey, a 2012 graduate of Shippensburg University, celebrates in a sea of confetti as she is crowned the overall race winner with a time of 1:15:55 at the 13.1-mile Disney Princess Half Marathon in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. The Colorado resident is only the third woman in runDisney history to be the overall half marathon winner. (Elisa White, photographer)Elisa White, photographer