OCD FOR OCR

After an absence for a few years, due to conflicts with major races, out of town, karate tournaments, weddings and such, I was pleased to be able to stick around town for Run of the Dead. In its 8th year, Run of the Dead is the definitive zombie run in the Syracuse area and is a perennial favorite among local OCR fanatics and anyone else looking for a good scare just in time for Halloween. In previous years, I have volunteered as a zombie and had just as much fun doing that as I do years like this when I choose to simply sign up and run the race.

• Registration and Festival

Check in was “ba-da-bing-ba-da-boom” fast and efficient for myself, as I signed up and paid online. There was same day walk-up cash and carry registration offered as well. One of my friends who ran with me, decided last minute to join in the action and had just signed up that way, and also commented on how fast and efficient the volunteers were getting him registered, so you just can’t argue with that.Another difference between my recollection of Runs of the Dead of years past and this weekend’s installment, was the ability to purchase additional flags for your belt.  Your registration included two, but for a dollar a piece you could purchase more and increase your chances of being a “survivor” and “winning” the free finisher beer.

All proceeds went to Wilderness Search & Rescue so I reasoned it was either buy 3 additional flags or pay $3 or more for a beer afterwards. I lost two of my five flags in the race so it was a good gamble. Others loaded up on flags, such that their belt almost looked like a skirt and I’m sure it tantalized the zombies all the more. 

The festival area had a couple food trucks; a cupcake truck, and a truck from local favorite Limp Lizard Barbecue. I think Limp Lizard’s “street taco,” (basically taco fixings served in an individual serving bag of crushed Doritos and eaten with a fork), were especially a smash hit. The post-race after party was a blast, with a bonfire and lots of foods to pick from, including rotisserie chickens, no question, everyone ate well.As noted above, a free finisher beer or other beverage was also provided, but unfortunately, one selection was completely out (by the time the twilight heats finished) and another selection was almost tapped out as well.

• Pre-Race MC:

We were summoned to the start line by none other than Syracuse Sports Association president Andrew Cherock, an old friend from my CrossFit gym. He and an assistant went over the ground rules, basically be careful and don’t roundhouse kick or put an arm-bar on the zombies, if I recall correctly. The show stopper in the start corral though, was a kid who reminded me of a zombified version of Bobby Hill, who worked his way through the crowd, while snarling and growling at us as we got in our final stretches and set our GPS watches.

• The Course 

The course started on the grounds of the Syracuse Sports Association, a local entity that operates a plethora of adult rec sports opportunities, ranging from flag football to kickball and even to Cornhole leagues among other things. Soon after the start, zombie survivors found themselves going into the woods and were tasked with wading through some chilly, deep water while approaching the first obstacle, a medium wall.There was about a dozen obstacles in all, some of which I recall from prior races there, such as monkey bars and low crawls through pipes and some new additions such as a Z-Wall and a slip wall, where you had to lower yourself down the other side (think going over an inverted wall backwards). The real attraction here, were the zombies!  Without them, this would be a flat, easy course that honestly would not really stand out beyond the plethora of races out there. But with the zombies, and with running in a twilight heat, you have an experience unlike any other.

Every zombie volunteer did a great job staying in character and interacting with runners. They varied in how aggressive, they were in trying to grab the flag, and each brought their own flair to the part of the course they were assigned to. I want to especially give a special shout out to the Howdy Doody looking zombie with a smiley face balloon. He stood still and we incorrectly assumed he was a statue until he jumped out at us with the creepiest laugh a zombie clown could muster.My only beef with the course was that there were a couple areas in the open (on the football/kickball fields) where the string was difficult to see in the dark and I actually ran into it. It was actually clearer on where to go when we were out in the woods, thanks to the use of glow sticks, spotlights in strategic locations (which often added to the eeriness of it all).

• The Bling:

All finishers were given a spiffy square medal. If I recall correctly, the medal is a new addition. The only downside was that it was given to us in a bag at the check-in, which seems a bit anticlimactic. I had to go back to bag check and fetch my belongings so I would have the medal for the picture with my group of Central New York OCR enthusiasts. The finisher shirt was the best yet, with the comfy cotton blend, I relish and no scratchy screen print.

• Overall Feeling:

I know there are other zombie obstacle races out there, but I have not had the opportunity to try them to compare to Run of the Dead. But I can say, I had a blast with this frightening twist on OCR. It was like part race, part haunted house. You can’t go wrong with that. The beer situation left a little to be desired (they’ll bring more next year, I’m sure of that), but I had fun both during and after the event. All told, this was the best Run of the Dead, I have experienced yet and its near perfection, so I give it 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Article Written by: Brian Kellogg, OCR Aficionado.