Me and Anthony, survivors

(Originally published June 9, 2013)

No, not the Christina Aguilera song lyrics, but from the infestation horde of zombies.

The genre of survival horror generally, and zombie apocalypse specifically, is very hot these days. Everything from video games to movies to t.v. series have their foot in it. For the most part, it’s a very successful cash cow, and I am all about it as a fan. So it seemed like the next step to incorporate a 5k run around the idea of saving your ass from zombie hordes, actors dressed up and positioned strategically around the course. In some ways, this is the closest most of us would get to actually testing out what it would be like if you really did have to save your ass. Of course, the terrain was fairly controlled, but there are a few notes to take from this race.

Navigating the barbed wire

Run For Your Lives!, which touts itself as the original zombie run (not to be confused with the Philly Zombie Crawl, which is focused more around bar hopping than running, but this might be splitting hairs to some) that incorporates the classic running, obstacles, mud, and teamwork with the added random threat of having your life taken away by zombies. The rules are simple: you get three “lives” in the shape of plastic strips that hang off your waist, and are easily removed by a zombie grabbing it. If you get past the finish line with at least one life, you are considered a “survivor”; if not, you are “infected”. The only difference being the medal you receive as well as the pride of shame of making it past the finish line alive or not. The real fun of this lies in how you interact with others around you when it comes to saving your own ass or helping someone else.

When confronted with a narrow gauntlet of a half dozen zombies and very little elbow room, and you don’t know which ones are stationary, walkers, or runners, your mind starts to think about minimizing your exposure to their grabby arms. This is where a combination of skills really take hold, like dexterity, agility, speed, and luck collide.

• “Do I stay with the group to minimize my exposure and maximize their (zombies) distraction?”
• Should I take the long, very muddy path on the left with less zombies but more mud and less traction? Or stay on firmer ground to the right and deal with the larger headcount?”
• “Do I stay in the middle of pack, which could be the safest zone?, or the rear of the pack, hoping they get tired by the time I pass them?”
• “Do I use someone else as a shield and live with the guilt?”

All of this goes through your head in about a half a second. It really is exciting in many respects because you can actually see how people react when it comes to saving their own skin versus a stranger. There are a few altruistic ones, but mostly expect to be shoved, tripped or blocked by others, intentionally or unintentionally, in the scramble. Spatial awareness is very crucial at this point in time but cannot save you from all possible variables. And in the end, that’s a big part of the thrill, at least for me. I’m by no means a doomsday preparer, or even a survivalist, but I am interested in how I would handle myself given the nature of such a panic. And this is as safe an environment as you can get.

Of course, just because you’ve lost all your lives doesn’t mean it’s the end. Some people are generous and will give you a life flag from their own stockpile. Some you will find along the path that have fallen. Or, if you’re fast enough, you can retake some that are piled up near where the zombie clusters are. See, once they grab a handful they have to put the flags down somewhere. This is usually in a pile just outside of the designated running lane. And if they’re lazy about it, and you are quick enough, swipe!, you can have a life again. I don’t see it as cheating in this respect because if the theme of this race is survival then you do what you have to do to survive. So in this case, it’s right as rain.

Anthony and I, before the apocalypse

As an actual obstacle course, this isn’t in the same league as other regular 5k players (Spartan Race, Warrior Dash). No timer chip, far less stationary obstacles, and an emphasis on teamwork over individual prowess. The atmosphere is more fun than competitive, and a wonderful opportunity for people who are new to the scene to get a feel for it without feeling intimidation.

The grinner in these pics (taken by my lovely wife, Sherri) next to me is a friend from high school. Anthony and I have known each other since 10th grade, reacquainting each other about four years ago. In that time, he has lost well over 100 lbs., and as a treat decided to try and run this with me after hearing me talk about it incessantly all day. I was more than proud of him to give it a shot. He is now prepared to sign up for a second one this year. I definiely feel elated to have brought him into this world.

Who’s next?