This piece is going to be written about the fun, OCR-ish zombie infested Run For Your Lives event. I’m going to mention both venues I’ve done this race in because even though they were held in two different cities and at different dates, they were similar enough that I can talk about them both here.
If you’re a fan of zombies, and want to see if you would survive the zombie apocalypse, then this is the race for you. It’s a fun little 5k where the purpose of the race is to SURVIVE! You start the race off with three flags around your waist (your lives) and as you progress through the course, you have mobs of zombies chasing after your “lives” to try and turn you into into the undead.
What happens if all three lives get taken while you’re running the course you may ask? Don’t worry! You still get to finish the course, but instead of being listed as a survivor, you are infected and the “virus” only starts to course through your veins only after you cross the finish line. So please don’t be that guy; tell your friends you tested positive for being infected.
The first Run For Your Lives event I participated in was over in Clermont, FL back in November 2012. I was really excited about this event because I had heard so much about it before and I am an avid zombie lover. Just a heads up, this isn’t your average mud run/OCR that you would think, it should be called the Run For Your Lives Sprint, because you’re basically, as the the title implies, running for your life the entire event. I remember the only time I got a breather was in between the zombie mobs. So at this event they started you off in at three gates, one was titled Appetizer (1st wave), Main Course (2nd wave) & Dessert (3rd wave). Of course, I was in the main course section because I was in my piggy costume yet again. Anyways, as soon as you’re let out, you encounter your first zombie mob and what a rush that was. I was already winded 1 minute into the race because I was sprinting and dodging and weaving trying to keep my lives. At this event, I’m sad to say, I didn’t survive. I lost my first flag at the beginning of the race; another runner stopped short because she got freaked out by a zombie that jumped at her and I had to stop because she was right in front of me and another zombie came out and grabbed my flag. I lost my other two flags along the course. IT really didn’t matter though, I had a blast. It was a lot of fun. The one thing that upset me though was the fact that they claimed there would first aid kits you had to look for on the course. A first aid kit is essentially another life so you could “survive” the event. They didn’t have have it set up for the earlier waves, not sure if they were for the later ones.
The Miami event was basically the same as the Clermont event, the only difference really being the venue and the amount of zombies. I remember there being a lot more at the Clermont event. Both venues though had awesome zombies with funny costumes that had me laughing through the whole course. There weren’t really “obstacles” per say, but things you had to get around through the course. The slide into the pool of “blood” at the end is a fun one though. And one cool thing they did different at the Miami event was that you got a different medal depending on how you finished the race. If you survived, you got a survivor medal, if you died, you got an infected medal. At the Clermont event everyone received the same Run For Your Lives medal. I managed to survive the first wave I ran this time around! I wanted both medals though, so I ran another wave with friends and just kept giving my flags away. Same thing happened though in this event that happened in the Clermont event, no sign whatsoever of the first aid kits that they listed on their site. Oh well, it was still a fun event.
The Pros:
-Not your average mud run/OCR
-A lot of fun for the whole family
-Zombies, zombies, zombies!!!
The Cons:
-Not your average mud run/OCR
-You’re sprinting the whole time
-The zombies (Now I have this here because most zombies are douches. On the site they list the zombies as either walkers, crawlers or runners; at both events all the zombies were runners. They’re hungry for your flags and they will chase you down even if they are out of their pre-determined zombie zone.)
-Extra Lives: On their website Run For Your Lives posts about having emergency packs on the course which contain an extra “life” for whoever may find it. Problem is at both events I ran the first waves and they didn’t have the lives set up on the course. If you’re going to post about having them set up on the course, set them up so everyone (even the first wave) has an equal opportunity to survive through the event.
Tips:
-Practice sprinting before this event.
-Practice dodging, ducking, dipping, diving and dodging!
-Gear wise: Costumes are always fun, especially because there was no water or mud obstacles (other than the slide into “blood”), you’re fine with just shorts and a t-shirt. Wear proper running shoes though!
Samurai Piggy 