No need to fear the walking dead at Zombie Survivor in Cochrane
Zombie Survivor is a to-die-for event that takes place every year at the Cochrane Ag Grounds and if you want to take advantage of Early Bird pricing, Friday, April 1 is your deadline. And that’s nothing to do with April Fools.
The early bird discount is 25% off the regular registration fee of $80 a person for runners/walkers and $40 for folks who don’t want to run but would like to be volunteer zombies. Both types of participants can join as a team.
What is Zombie Survivor?
Picture if you will thousands of people running for their lives – or deaths – in search of brains. Participants will run through a mud-filled 5km course with various obstacles and objectives that they must meet with team members. As a participant, you will have three flags which keep you alive during the race. Zombies along the course will try to snatch your flags away from you as you travel the course, but some of the challenges along the way will allow you to pick up more flags to keep you alive. You can still finish the race if all your flags are gone but your “death” will affect your finishing time.
Those who volunteer to be a zombie will have their makeup professionally applied.
The 2016 edition of Zombie Survivor will go July 23 and 24 at the Ag grounds. Last year about 1,000 people participated and this year organizers hope to have 5,000 people over the two day event.
Special pricing is also available for those who just want to participant on one of the two days. Saturday is the Zombie vs Survivor event and Sunday is Villain vs Hero event. This event was added based on participant feedback. Also last year, people arbitrarily showed up to the Zombie event dressed as super heroes. Costumes are optional but add to the merriment.
Organizers are also promoting the event as a “staycation” type of holiday weekend, encouraging people to come to Cochrane and either stay in a local hotel or to camp nearby.
As a fundraising event, Zombie Survivor will be supporting charities in the Cochrane area that assist Canada’s veterans and first responders. Organizers are reaching out to armed forces personnel to get folks involved with some of the races. Blackthorn Airsoft is a local business that sets up an airsoft shooting range, incorporating it into the festivities.
The organizers are also hoping to stage flash mobs to advertise the event, particularly in Calgary.
Zombie Survivor is open to everyone aged 14 and older. There are family runs too which are scheduled earlier, which will include kids 12 and 13 years of age accompanied by someone 18 or older.
On July 23, the event will go from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on July 24 it will to from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., all at the Ag grounds in Cochrane. A party is also slated for Saturday evening.
Check the Zombie Survivor website for information and to register.