Zombie running!!!

In this summer's quest to run a lot of different fun 5K races, I've signed up for not one, but TWO zombie theme races and I'm feeling pretty excited about them. The best part is that they're just a week apart.

The first one is the Zombie Run, being held in Magnuson Park on August 17, 2013. Here's the spiel:

We hope you like to run, because the post apocalyptic playground you’re about to brave offers no protection. At the starting line, you’ll come across a flipped tanker, the source of the toxic compound. After the first kilometer, you’ll enter into a military-controlled apocalypse zone. Beware, this is where your dash from zombies will begin. Around kilometer 3, you’ll make it to a vaccination hydration center. The vaccine will fail, and you’ll have to continue to sprint from zombies. The last 2 kilometers are a free-for-all, as you charge towards freedom. Zombies are everywhere. Helicopters circle overhead and military personnel distribute facemasks for safety during your final steps.

This one sounds pretty awesome -- not an obstacle run, but like running through a movie set. One has the opportunity to run with a "life balloon", which the zombies will try to take. I sure do hope the balloons are pink, like good fresh brains...

I'll be running this one with Wil, and we'll try to survive as long as we can -- by getting our inner Darryl on. That said, I'm more interested in enjoying the scenery than attempting to post a fast time, so if we're bitten, we're bitten. Either way it should be a blast. To be totally honest, we might not have signed up for this one if we hadn't gotten a Zozi deal... on top of another Zozi deal (2 registrations for $25? Sign us up!!!). But the location is convenient (actually IN Seattle, not miles away) and the time is fantastic (11am? Great!) so we're in.

The following weekend I've managed to get Suz to sign up with me for the Run For Your Lives 5K... but not as a runner, as a "shuffling zombie". This run is really an obstacle course, with the additional obstacle of avoiding zombies. So besides a "blood pit", a dark "smoke house" and a maze, runners will face fast running zombies and a large shuffling zombie horde. I'm not gonna lie, I originally wanted to be a running zombie. But all three shifts were already sold out. So instead I decided to shuffle... which means we just slowly try to block the human runners.

I'm excited about this event because it means a day to hang out with Suz, PLUS we are going to be transformed by "professional makeup artists" into zombies for the day. And at the end of our shift, we will be given beer. Sweet.

I love the idea ot seeing zombie life -- or death? -- from both sides in such a short space. Okay, does anyone have any tips for avoiding zombies? Or for catching runners?