‘Walking dead’ create the run of a lifetime
Zombie Survivor event to put participants through the paces
Calgary and surrounding areas have seen some pretty disastrous events in the past few weeks. But just when we thought we were in the clear, it appears something potentially more treacherous is lurking around the corner — a zombie apocalypse.
Luckily, this impending catastrophe is a well-planned and seriously fun five-kilometre obstacle run called Zombie Survivor. On Saturday, up to 3,000 participants will be running for their “lives” (like flag football, they try to preserve three flags that are attached to their waistbands) as they make their way through a spooky and challenging course on the Cochrane Agricultural Society’s equestrian track.
There’s no way around the fact that the undead are hot right now. If you have yet to hear of AMC’s mega-hit TV show The Walking Dead, you have clearly been living under a rock. Heck, even Jane Austen has had recent rewrites involving revived corpses.
So it was really only a matter of time before the health and wellness field attempted to capitalize on the trend. Enter local entrepreneurs Adil Hooda and Kyle Fitzgerald, who are looking to bring the success of similar events based in the United States to Calgary runners and zombie enthusiasts alike.
“Local runners are just looking for something new, something beyond the pavement,” Hooda says. “It’s fun to get outside and do something different, but at the same time you want to challenge yourself.
“What’s more challenging than outrunning an army of the undead?”
So what can one expect from the Zombie Survivor experience? According to Hooda, two things are inevitable: physical challenge and a whole lot of fun. With almost a one-to-one ratio of racers to zombies, runners will have to be strategic to preserve those “lives.”
Race experience won’t necessarily be an advantage. It’s one thing to be physically able to sprint your way through the course, but it’s another to get to the finish line ahead of everyone else only to face a posse of 20 angry zombies who want your flags.
“The difference between this and other obstacle runs is that this is a true teamwork race,” Hooda explains.
“Every man for himself just won’t work here, it has to be you and your friends versus the race.”
Dead or alive, there will also be a great after-party, complete with beer garden and local food trucks.
There are still a few spaces available for both racers and zombie volunteers, so if you would like to test or sharpen your apocalypse skill set, this is the race for you. Hooda advises buddying up and doing a little strategizing beforehand. Though race “survival” rates are only estimated to be somewhere between 15 to 30 per cent, your chances are much better if you don’t try to go it alone.
“And when the going gets tough, well, frankly, it’s good to have a few human shields on hand as well,” he says.
For details and registration, visit zombiesurvivor.ca.