But I'm assuming that most of you reading about this weren't actually there and so care less about the details of the execution than the experience itself. While I was disappointed with some of the organization, the event itself was a blast, and I would definitely consider doing it again.
My husband and I signed up to run this together, and we got up bright and early to drive an hour into the middle of nowhere in order to register for our 10am wave. It's pretty chilly here in Missouri right now, so we did some warm-up and then hung out in the car until it was closer to our start time. While we were waiting, we saw lines of zombies headed out to take their places on the course. It was a creepy sight.
Watching the zombies file into the woods from the car. In real life, that would probably be a sign to stay out of the woods. |
My flags, before we parted ways. |
Before the race--smiling and clean! |
I tore my calf muscle a few months ago and wasn't able to run for almost two months. I've run a few races since then, so I was hoping it would be good to go, but all the lateral movement had it acting up, and I was afraid it was going to tear again. While there weren't any zombies around, we walked for part of the path.
But we didn't have long before we entered another "infected" zone. We also started to encounter some obstacles. We ran through tires, around barrels, and up hills. There was a series of a zombies in a row and I managed to get past the first four, but the fifth one--a guy in military gear--grabbed my second flag.
I was pretty sure I was going to lose my last flag as I approached a pile of tires with two zombies on it. I started to run past and the zombie (a "pregnant" (not really) zombie with a fake baby in one arm) blocked me completely. I pulled back and re-evaluated how to get over the hill, but my husband was on the other side and I didn't want him to lose while he was waiting for me. So I just went for it, thinking I wasn't going to make it. But I did! The zombie lunged for me but lost her balance and tripped over the tires. I kept running but hit a patch of mud and slid for about six feet like I was on a skateboard. Amazed that I'd stayed upright, I had no time to celebrate my fancy footwork as the next fifty feet were jam-packed with zombies. My husband and I were side by side and facing a line of zombies in the middle of the path. He went left, and I went right. The zombies parted trying to leap for us on either side and we both made it through with our single flags!
My empty flag belt after the race |
I guess I can take some solace in knowing that we became zombies simultaneously, fighting together 'til the end!
He's more stoic about his defeat. |
Even though I didn't "survive," I survived! This was the first obstacle course race I'd ever run, and I was very intimidated going into it. I don't run very fast, and there were definitely a lot of younger, fitter people around me.
But this race taught me that my body is--to put it frankly--pretty amazing. I dodged zombies, climbed tires, dove through mud, and felt pretty damn impressive. This particular race was kind of a mess, organization-wise, but I'll definitely be looking for some more themed obstacle runs in the future.
Congrats for doing it at all! Your account was very exciting. I'm glad you had a good time.
ReplyDelete