OCD FOR OCR

For the second year in a row I am going to be running the fun and scary Panic in the Dark 5K nightmare family fear run and obstacle course and am very much looking forward to it. I thought it would be a great idea to talk to the race director Fred Smith and find out what he has in store for this year’s course/event.

• Interview with Fred Smith:

 Do you have plans for any new obstacles this year?

Fred: We never let out our new ideas for Panic in the Dark, we will have new scenes and obstacles but where and what they will be. Be Scared!

Do participants need to bring headlamps?

Fred: We provide a headlamp for you that you will return after the race. 

Please explain the difference between the Family Fear 5K Trail Run and the Panic OCR.

Fred: The Family 5K will run around the obstacles and be more of a haunted trail run that you can bring your children too.

Is the Panic in the Dark “Unlimited-Lap Option” part of the New England Spahtens #racelocal miles competition?  

Fred:  Yes, the unlimited lap option is part of the #racelocal this year.

What separates Panic in the Dark from the other Zombie races?

Fred: Panic in the Dark is different from other races because of the raw night feel we give, we don’t try to sugar coat things… we put you in a school, playground, ball-field, track, cemetery and play off the natural setting other than trying to create cheesy type scares. 

Last year’s finisher medal was one of my favorite medals of 2015, will this year’s medal be as nice?

Fred: This year’s medal is similar to last year but we blacked it out and added some Awesome features including a silhouette of one of our scariest zombies.

Is there anything else you would like to mention?

Fred: We are very proud of the hard work all our staff and volunteers have put in to build this race along with keeping a reasonable price range and at the same time being named to the Scariest Runs list in Runner’s World Magazine!

• My final thoughts:

I have participated in several races/events put on by SmithFest Events and Fred and his team always put on a great race and total event that includes a fun pre and post race party that are good times for racers and families of all ages. One of the things I like best about Panic in the Dark is racers can run or walk the course at their own pace and not have to worry about being chased by the zombie actors like some of the other Zombie OCR races I have participated in and having to risk both injury and inappropriate groping.

If you are local to the Lowell, Massachusetts area, I suggest bringing your friends and family and running the event on November 5th as it’s not to late to register.

Article Written by: Walter F Hendrick (OCRSandy)