Months and months ago I came across the Zombie Survival Dash 5k. I saw they were coming to St Louis and I was SO excited because I thought “Finally, a run I can convince my husband to sign up to run with me!” (He has run 2 other 5k’s before this one, but this was the “first” one I got him to agree to!) The registration fee was pretty steep for a 5k at $75, but for something as cool as a Zombie run I finally agreed. $150 later I had high hopes for this race.
Fast forward several months and race day is almost here. Despite the constant posting of Zombie pictures on their facebook page, I hadn’t heard from them since we registered. I didn’t want to drive the hour plus to the race and have issues with registration so I had to call to verify we were all registered. Race morning came and we bundled up, piled into the Chevy tahoe and headed out. After an hour in the car we were finally around the race area, but had a hard time locating the actual race site because of their lack of signage. After a few u turns and trackbacks we found the race site and were surprised to find out there was a $10 parking fee. This wasn’t mentioned in any of the sites or pre-race information (we didn’t get any pre-race information at all). While parking is pretty par for the course when it comes to adventure runs, paying $75 a person to run the race along with the spectator fee for those who were not running it just seemed to add up to a lot. Once on site the registration tent was easy to find. Since we were in the first wave there wasn’t a line. We checked in with Big River Running and got our bibs with no problem. We then had to go to another line to wait for our swag bag and sign our waivers. The waivers had no actual line to sign. We got our flags out of our bag and began to look for the starting line. We walked around for 15 minutes asking vendors, volunteers, and other runners where the starting line was supposed to be. Finally we realized they had yet to set it up! Once they got it set up we were ready to go.
We ran into a trail into the woods and were immediately met by a hungry group of zombies. There were some pretty cool zombies out there! I lost my first flag pretty quick thanks to the creepy clown zombie. Some of the zombies were a little aggressive, but I’m sure the runners were aggressive back. I know I wasn’t, I gave up my flags pretty easily. It did turn into a fun game of cat and mouse a few times. The course was actually pretty challenging with lots of debris, trenches, and uneven terrain. I loved the feeling of being challenged! At one point I fell into a post hole, thank goodness I wasn’t injured! There seemed to be a bit of miscommunication the “Rules of Engagement” as there were pretty aggressive confrontations from runners and zombies alike throughout the whole course. It was a bit confusing the way the course was marked out, I wasn’t ever really sure we were heading the right way. There were few obstacles on the actual race course, which I didn’t mind at all, but the ones they did have were all swarming with zombies. I wouldn’t have minded that if it didn’t seem so dangerous to do so, like the tire wall where you could easily slip and fall back into the trench trying to escape a zombie. I gave my flags away at those obstacles in the name of safety. The race seemed to go by pretty quickly as we rounded the barrel maze and up to the final 3 obstacles.
There was a rope climb over huge steel cylinders. The zombies there were very helpful! They actually gave us good instructions for getting over and down the obstacle. The next was a huge wooden A-frame. The zombies here were very aggressive. It was already dangerous as it was, but trying to avoid zombies on the way down made it even more so. At one point my sister actually fell down the last 2 rungs trying to avoid them! The last obstacle was a climb under a wire fence through a mud pit. As I crossed the finish line I looked up at the clock – 34:00 something. NO WAY. I know my 5k average and 35 minutes is pushing it for me while running on flat straight paths. There was no way that I just walked/jogged an obstacle trail course in 34 minutes. Turns out there was a rather large portion of the trail we didn’t get to because it wasn’t marked out properly. Once past the finish line there was no water, no gatorade, no bananas.
All in all I will say we had fun. It was a great idea in theory but just was not executed well. I understand new races will have hiccups and growing pains, I’m willing to work with that. My main issue is the fact that this cost our car of people $310. For that kind of money I expect a lot. Had the entry fees been cheaper I would have been more willing to overlook these issues.
I did like that they had the National Guard out there, they had some cool obstacles at the end, the zombies were (mostly) fun, and it was great to make memories with my husband and sisters. I’m not sure that I would run this race again.
Check out the husbands recap here on his blog The Traveling Monster
Have you ever done a Zombie run? What is the most unique themed race you’ve heard of?
About the author
Welcome to my blog! I’m Courtney Norman, the dreamer behind Journey of a Dreamer. I’m a twenty-something wife to Mr Dreamer, Mom to Little Dreamer, a CrossFit addict, and runner on a journey to lose weight and live my dreams. I believe that to live big you must dream big and that everything is better with sparkles. 
That’s a really cool idea but I’d expect something more for that much money too. Hopefully they got a lot of feedback this year. I think it’s cool these kinds of races are getting creative and hopefully drawing more people in to this stuff!
I love that it does bring people in who wouldn’t normally run a 5k. I think they did learn a lot this year as you do anytime you start something new.
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
I’ve found that a lot of the smaller obstacle/adventure type races don’t really give the bang for your buck.
Nice post.
Tom
Yea, this was a spin off of Run for Your Lives, and while they gave it a good shot I don’t think it can compare.
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
thanks for the post. I thought it looked fun and this gave me some “real world” information. I totally agree with your statement that if it would have been cheaper it would have been easier to overlook the flaws of the race.
It really is all about getting what you think its worth out of it. a $30-40 entry may have been just fine… but $75? I could have run a half-marathon for that fee!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
I had thought about doing this one with my husband, but the cost was a little too steep. I’m glad we didn’t do it this year. Maybe by next year they’ll have worked out some of the kinks. Still, I like the idea of it, and I’ve read recaps in other cities where it is well organized and a lot of fun.
Ang recently posted..Virtuality and the Art of Three Mile Awesomeness!
They are planning on working out some of the issues and say they will be back next year… We’ll see! It is a great idea, I love the idea of playing “tag” while running, it mixes things up!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
Your recap really had me engaged. Sounds like major growing pains but at least you had a great time with your fam!
Kareen recently posted..Supporting Fair Trade Artisans & A Workout Tank Giveaway!
Thanks! There are some areas for improvement but we did have a good time. I love making memories like this with my family!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
Well, that’s too bad to hear about the kinks of the race. But it sounds like it has great potential. It’s thanks to bloggers like you that they can hopefully notice these things and improve for the future events! Great review.
Kammie @ Sensual Appeal recently posted..Weekly Recap: Best Body Bootcamp – Week 1
Thanks! I hope that they learn from their mistakes and come back with an even better event, because the idea was cool… just not well executed.
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
Sounds like it has the potential to be a great event. One of these days I will do a warrior or mud style dash.
Elena recently posted..Educational and Engaging Online Play
Oh yea, do it!! If you’re a first timer check out Pretty Muddy over at http://www.PrettyMuddyWomensRun.com – We are working on our 2013 schedule and hope to have more races in more places!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
WOW! What a race… I am not sure if I’d like Zombies chasing after me! But, maybe I’d finish faster!
Carrie A. recently posted..Pumpkin Pie Play Dough
It was fun! It made me run a little faster for sure!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
That is a lot of money for a 5k to begin with, then throw in unorganization and a not well marked course, I’d be mad. I hope you were able to provide event feedback at some point.
It’s sad because the idea is clever, and a lot of people would go for it because of the zombie idea. But, I am afraid it will scare others off from “real” events because of the mess.
Great review. SPA love!
It was pricey, and honestly, thats my biggest complaint. If it hadn’t cost so much I wouldn’t have expected so much out of it. It was a good idea that drew in a lot of people…. always room for growth I suppose!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
Wow sounds fun AND irritating! lol Id feel the same way though and I read the word aggressive a lot…that would have just put me off to the idea of running it again let alone the price. Hopefully the organization changes for the better! OR maybe they wanted it to be like real life where in the case of a zombie attack people would steal your money, attack you and starve you! lol Theres the upside! At least youre prepared
haha, yes! If it were a real zombie attack I would NOT have been running through the woods… LOL!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
Sounds like a fun idea but I don’t like the aggressiveness. It sounds almost like it was a free for all.
Angela @ Happy Fit Mama recently posted..Flying Leaves
There was just simply not enough instruction for the runners or volunteers. Some confrontation is to be expected in “game” of capture the flag – but it was a little crazy for my liking… which is why I gave away my flags early
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
I’ve never done one, but don’t think I would be willing to pay that much to do it.
Betsy recently posted..Magic Banana Review
Yea I wouldn’t pay that much for a 5k again. I would do more themed races for sure, but I would look more into their history before committing.
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
that is a pretty expensive race! but at least it was fun. hopefully they’ll get a lot of feedback and work out the kinks!
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean recently posted..Bean Bytes #12
Yes, they are working on it! They saw my post and reached out so hopefully they can improve on the rough areas and make it a fun race!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
Omg that looks really fun!!!
Linz @ Itz Linz recently posted..Runner’s World Cover
You would have rocked it out, Speedy Lady!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
I’m glad you made the most of the situation. This sounds like a huge lack of planning on their end. Have you thought about emailing them to let them know? My last 5k was $45 & all we got after was a bottle of hot water. No banana, no medal. Ugghh.
Mo recently posted..Organically Mo Meal Plan, October 29-November 2
I did email them and they offered me tickets to another event. I’m debating whether or not I’m going to attend, but it was a great effort to make things right on their end.
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
I’d love to do a zombie run!! Sounds like a blast!
It is fun, like a huge game of tag LOL!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
Wow, what an adventure! Sounds fun, but yes- that is a lot of money if it’s not well organized.
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast recently posted..Breast Cancer Awareness and a Reebok Shoe Giveaway!
It was an adventure! I liked the obstacles a lot and trying to “out run” the zombies was thrilling!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
This looks so fun! I’d have to say that this is the most unique race I’ve heard of so far! Thanks for sharing your experience!
Danielle @ Clean Food Creative Fitness recently posted..Marvelous in My Monday!
It is a unique one. Another crazy one? Karaoke 5k – how random is that? It’s for real too!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
I LOVE Zombies – but don’t know if I’d choose to be chased by them..I’d hurt myself or fight back
I’ve had some friends do these in the dark…no bueno
Kat recently posted..Motivational Monday & Featured Sneakers #7!
Yea- it is hard to resist the urge to grab the nearest sharp object… thanks Walking Dead.
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
It looks like a blast but maybe a bit too aggressive for my tastes.
Dawn recently posted..Running to Obtain Clarity
Yea, it was a bit out there… but still fun!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
Oh that is steep for a 5k! I agree, high cost (which I will pay sometimes) but I expect a lot in return!
Sheila recently posted..Circus Polka Dot Afro Training
I think that is the general thought… higher cost = higher return. Guess they didn’t think so LOL
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
Glad you were able to have some fun out of it anyway! And I am totally jealous that you got a free car to test out!!
Jennifer recently posted..Gobble, gobble, run?
oh man, it was awesome! I almost cried when they picked it up last night!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
Holy smokes – $75 is steep! I agree that for that kind of dough you should be getting a first class experience all around.
But I’m glad you still had a good time!
Meghan @ TheMeghaMix recently posted.."Meghan" WOD (Birthday Part I)
Yea, it was kinda expensive… but we did have fun regardless!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
That sounds pretty crazy!! I haven’t done a zombie race before! I really loved your honest recap of the whole thing tho!! Thanks for sharing! Spa <3
Thanks for stopping by Jenna! I always try to be as open as I can. I hate mean reviews so I tried my best to be as honest and kind as possible!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
That looks totally fun!
It’s like a game of tag for grown ups!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
Thanks for posting this! I felt like I was missing out by not investing in a Zombie Race for my bday this year, but you made me feel a lot better about it
Kasey Shuler @ Well of Health recently posted..Redeeming the “To-Do” List
It is a fun concept, just make sure if you do invest that it is with a race that has a good track record!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
You are the first to enlighten me as to what a zombie race entails. The concept sounds creative and fun, though also stressful. I bet the zombies had a good time challenging the runners. Love your comments about forking over the flags for safety.
KymberlyFunFit recently posted..Foam Rollers: They Hurt So Good
Yea- As competitive as I am I was like here take my flag I’d rather not fall down this trench… LOL.
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
This looks really cool to watch. I freak easily so wouldn’t like zombies chasing after me. I would also have been worried about hurting myself on an obstacle if there was a zombie there. And my goodness that’s a lot of money that y’all spent!!
meghan recently posted..Weekend in Review
They weren’t as creepy as you’d expect, well most anyway… there was that one clown zombie that creeped me out… LOL
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
I love the idea of this race! And I’m super glad that you and your hubs were able to do it together. I do agree that $75/per person + parking fees for a 5k is a bit steep. I would hope that you would have atleast got some pretty sweet swag for that price. But at least y’all had a good time, and perfect in time for Halloween!
The Linz (Linzi’s Life on the Run) recently posted..Yoga Sculpt
Yea it was perfectly timed for halloween! Though a bit chilly it wasn’t bad once you started running!
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
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That is SO frustrating! For that kind of money, it’s not unreasonable to expect a lot – I had a similar experience with the Run for Your Lives Zombie 5k in MA (http://www.the-purple-giraffe.com/2012/05/run-for-your-lives.html) where they had a LOT of bugs to work out before next year. Frustrating to say the least after shelling out the cash!!!
Janine @ The Purple Giraffe recently posted..Mother Nature Hates Halloween…
Oh wow, I thought Run for Your Lives would have been more legit than this one, but seems like they had a lot of the same issues. Something about zombies I guess LOL
Courtney recently posted..Six Flags St Louis – #KeysToSTL
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It’s so frustrating when races don’t live up to the hype they promise! We had a terrible experience with the Hot Chocolate Run people in DC last winter and it made me realize how important it is to do local races!
Carly D. @ CarlyBananas recently posted..Runner’s World 5K and Half Marathon Recaps
You did a great job recapping it in a fair way. I would have expected more for that much money too though
Lynda @ Hit The Road Jane recently posted..Runner’s World Half Marathon Festival Day 1 Recap
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