It's said that Louisville loves zombies, and the great turnout for the first annual 5k zombie survival run was further evidence. Over 500 people turned out to run the race, while about an 8th of that turned up as zombies. All proceeds benefit The Alley Theater.
I joined in the fun as zombie medusa, taking full advantage of my tail to try to trap runners. The runners had red flags velcro-ed to their belts and it was our job to try to steal them as they passed. It got a little precarious at times. Runners would forcefully hit our hands away or grab our arms to move them away from them.
"There's something psychological that kicks in," said one runner. "I didn't think I would react like that."
Other runners grabbed their flags and moved them as they ran by. Some runners banded together to protect their young. Despite these defense mechanisms, a majority of runners lost all three of their flags before they were even halfway through the race thanks to some very tricky zombies.
"I bent over like I was tying my shoe, " said a zombie participant dressed like a jogger. "I watched for people coming behind me through the opening between my arm and body. As they got close, I jumped up and turned, grabbing their flags."
Frisbee field had an array of treats for participants. Roobie Red Tea (a locally owned organic tea company) handed out free tea, Bearnos supplied pizza, and Frostitution Baked Goods had a baked good tables set up next to the free massage tent provided by Louisville School of Massage. There was also a concession stand and plenty of photographers. One of the attractions also provided free polaroid pictures to runners posing with zombies. The Alley Theater, a low budget progressive theater, really pulled a great survival trick with this event thanks to help from many sponsors like Blue Mile running store, who now has a new store in the Highlands.
