Flee undead, exercise
CRAIG SAILOR
If you’ve ever needed motivation to finish a fun run, you might want to enter the Run For Your Lives on Aug. 4 in Onalaska. The penalty if you don’t cross the finish line: getting your brains eaten.
Hoards of shuffling brain-eating zombies will infest the 5K at the Burntridge MX Park, chasing participating runners as they navigate through a series of 12 obstacles. There will be mud, water and blood (though, hopefully, the blood will all be fake).
Originally held outside Baltimore, the Run For Your Lives event proved so popular it’s invading 12 new locations this year. Last year’s race in Maryland had 10,000 participants and spectators.
In the race, participants wear a flag football-like belt with three ribbons attached. Zombies will “attack” runners by trying to remove the ribbons. Successful runners must complete the race with at least one ribbon.
If all of a runner’s flags are taken, the runner becomes a zombie. Survivors and newly created zombies are invited to the Apocalypse Party following the event. It will feature live local entertainment, music, vendors, food, beverages and, yes, more zombies.
Prizes will be given to the top male and female runners in several age brackets. There also will be an awards bracket for military participants.
Run For Your Lives
When: Aug. 4, but the registration deadline is July 31
Where: Burntridge MX Park, 550 Johnson Road W., Onalaska
Cost: $87 for runners, includes an event T-shirt, one free beer, access to the Safe Zone, and 12-plus live bands playing at the Apocalypse Party. $32 for spectators in advance, $40 on race day, which includes access to the Safe Zone and Apocalypse Party.
Information/registration: runfor
yourlives.com
craig.sailor@thenewstribune.com
253-597-8541
