Several months ago Kirk convinced me to sign up for this 5k coming to Indianapolis on June 23rd. This race included obstacles and zombies. Yes, zombies. Somewhat new to the racing scene, it is an obstacle course 5 kilometers long with strategically placed zombies whose goal is to take your life (you are given 3 lives in the form of red flags hanging from your waist). If all three flags are taken then you are no longer among the living. You complete the race as normal, but you're not really of interest to the zombies.
I feared my lack of preparation and was feeling quite stressed going into the race. The starting line was divided into three lines according to your run pace; Appetizer (fast), Entree (medium), and Dessert (slow).
We ended up grouped up with some other runners which really helped. Of particular assistance were three random fellas I'll call Ninja, Hulk, and Headbutter. Ninja was dressed in all black and acted as our scout. He would give us hand signals telling us how many zombies were ahead, to hold, and when to run. The Hulk was massive and actually got on his hands and knees at a 4' wall obstacle and allowed the group members to use him as a step stool. The Headbutter would approach zombies with his head down allowing him to minimize the zombie's reaching distance. He got separated from our group and I later found out his spinning tactics actually took a zombie out, ouch! I felt sort of bad for some of the zombies because a few of those with no lives would actually link arms and attempt to form a barrier between the living and the zombies.
The last obstacle was some monkey bars over a pool of "blood" and "intestines". I was so worried about this because I had little confidence in my ability to make it all the way across or even reach the initial bar, it was pretty high up for some of us shorties! I was not worried about getting wet though. At that point we'd already run through creek beds, crawled through watery mud holes, and waded through a stream. As it approached my turn to go I was torn over whether I should even try it or just ease myself into the water and cross to the other side. Well, I tried it and made it halfway...hooray for small victories!
Thanks to Kirk protecting me on the last mile, I SURVIVED! He would bravely go before me and guard me as we approached a group of zombies. He even yelled at a couple of guys who were intent on stealing my last flag. It didn't help that I was running sideways and almost hit a tree while protecting the side where my flag was located. I ended up on the ground, but the zombie backed off after angry husband got angry!
I appreciate how this race can provide a different experience depending on your personality. A runner can push him/herself and run the course with a specific time goal. A roleplayer can enjoy the camaraderie of other survivers and thrill of evading zombies without worrying about time. I was feeling pretty good right after the race, but starting from the walk back to the car till now (a day later) I'm miserable! Ah well, at least I'm alive to tell the tale.
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