I've been going to outdoor bootcamp for over a year now. I've finished my first 5k, and I've participated in several of the bootcamp's challenges and obstacle courses.
So, I figured that the Run For Your Lives Zombie Run would be a logical next choice.
On the 2nd day of the Zombie Run, Sunday, May 6th, two of my friends and I drove up way up to Amesbury, MA, to see how well we would do if/when the Zombie Apocalypse was upon us.
We were given 3 flags to wear around our waists. Once all flags were taken by zombies, you would finish the race as one of the dead/undead. But this didn't mean that you would start ripping flags off other runners.
The obstacle course starts you off in a dark tunnel with agate and smoke at the other opening. We went in waves, so the slower runners went first, then the medium runners, then the faster runners. I told my friends that I was definitely planning to be one of the slower runners. I also told them to just go for it and let me get behind them. But, in hindsight, I should have suggested that we finish as a group.
When the gates opened, we had to run up a steep hill to where the main course was. Immediately, we saw an open field, some parts had mud pits, some parts had wooden structures. All parts had zombies.
There was actually a lot more running than I anticipated. I mean, I knew there would be running. Rule #1, after all, is Cardio.
But I did think there would be more obstacles we would have to climb, or crawl under, or figure our way through. The biggest obstacle was probably the Day 2 mud that had accumulated in the course. I'm pretty sure that 2/3rds of a mile was all mud at one point.
I quickly learned, though, that it was best to jog a bit until you came across a bunch of zombies. The zombies weren't everywhere, necessarily, but they would gather in groups. In essence, when you were avoiding one, you were avoiding several of them. At this point, you just sprint across as fast as you can without getting your flag taken off.
I even managed to stay "alive" a lot longer than I anticipated. My strategy mainly focused on slowing down for most of the course, but sprinting with a group when I encountered zombies. I definitely utilized other people as somewhat of a shield as I ran through the zombie mobs. The ground was extremely uneven, so I got a bit nervous about tweaking my ankle, which I did a couple of times. But, that adrenaline rush really keeps you going.
The make-up job on the zombies was awesome! Some of it looked very detailed, and honestly a bit unnerving. Some of the zombies would break character when they saw that we no longer were a target. Some of the zombies didn't break character at all, and that was even more frightening.
What if there were real zombies out there who heard of the event and said, "Dude..we could totally get some brains here and people would think we were in costume....rraaaaaawwwrrrr..meeehh..brraaaaiiinnsss...."?
I wasn't really going to try to find out.
I'm actually really proud of myself for finishing this! All muddy, wet, and tired from falling into the mud, it felt great to finish it. I didn't know until the next day that I managed to get quite bruised from the event.
I'm so ready to do this again next year! But it also gives me courage to try for other challenges and 5k's. Hopefully, they're just as fun as this one was.
So, I figured that the Run For Your Lives Zombie Run would be a logical next choice.
On the 2nd day of the Zombie Run, Sunday, May 6th, two of my friends and I drove up way up to Amesbury, MA, to see how well we would do if/when the Zombie Apocalypse was upon us.
We were given 3 flags to wear around our waists. Once all flags were taken by zombies, you would finish the race as one of the dead/undead. But this didn't mean that you would start ripping flags off other runners.
The obstacle course starts you off in a dark tunnel with agate and smoke at the other opening. We went in waves, so the slower runners went first, then the medium runners, then the faster runners. I told my friends that I was definitely planning to be one of the slower runners. I also told them to just go for it and let me get behind them. But, in hindsight, I should have suggested that we finish as a group.
When the gates opened, we had to run up a steep hill to where the main course was. Immediately, we saw an open field, some parts had mud pits, some parts had wooden structures. All parts had zombies.
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| The photo will connect you to the Facebook photos from the event. |
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| From "Zombieland" |
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| I love that it looks like I'm about to bust into a Thriller dance... |
I even managed to stay "alive" a lot longer than I anticipated. My strategy mainly focused on slowing down for most of the course, but sprinting with a group when I encountered zombies. I definitely utilized other people as somewhat of a shield as I ran through the zombie mobs. The ground was extremely uneven, so I got a bit nervous about tweaking my ankle, which I did a couple of times. But, that adrenaline rush really keeps you going.
The make-up job on the zombies was awesome! Some of it looked very detailed, and honestly a bit unnerving. Some of the zombies would break character when they saw that we no longer were a target. Some of the zombies didn't break character at all, and that was even more frightening.
What if there were real zombies out there who heard of the event and said, "Dude..we could totally get some brains here and people would think we were in costume....rraaaaaawwwrrrr..meeehh..brraaaaiiinnsss...."?
I wasn't really going to try to find out.
I'm actually really proud of myself for finishing this! All muddy, wet, and tired from falling into the mud, it felt great to finish it. I didn't know until the next day that I managed to get quite bruised from the event.
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| that's just my right leg |
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| done and dead |
