Running from the undead

Residents who see hundreds of zombies running around Charlottesville on Sunday morning need not fear that the apocalypse is upon us, despite evidence to the contrary.

“The one concern I have now is the scope of this as it becomes really big … there’s a social phenomenon in having several hundred zombies run down your street,” city resident and filmmaker Brian Wimer, the organizer of the Danger Zombies 5K Run, said of the race. “I’m afraid that somebody at 8:30 in the morning down by Lexington [Avenue] or somewhere is going to stagger out of their house and see 100 or 200 zombies running down their road and won’t know what to do.”

Running in the 5K, in this case away from the undead and around downtown Charlottesville, is being done to promote Wimer’s new zombie movie and to also raise money for a local filmmakers organization and to bring local food into Charlottesville schools.

“You could tie it into what happens to people when all they eat is sugar,” Kristen Suokko, a city schools parent who has been involved in schools’ nutrition initiatives, joked about the event.

The 5K will start at Lee Park at 8:30 a.m. on a route that includes Court Square, around Martha Jefferson Hospital, the Belmont Bridge and the Downtown Mall. Wimer said running seemed to be a good way to promote his movie — “Danger. Zombies. Run.” — partly because zombies are creatures that people tend to run away from.

But also, Suokko said, “Anything that we can do to support a movement towards better offerings for our kids in the schools is a good thing, regardless of what it is.”

The race will feature two types — the runners, who will run throughout the city and get a bit of a head start, and the zombies, who will saunter after them in hopes of latching onto their flag-football ribbons, the 5K’s equivalent of obtaining brains. Staying true to zombie lore, if a runner gets caught by a zombie, they transform into one.

For the victims, race helpers will be on the sidelines with cups of fake blood handy, Wimer said, and prizes will also be awarded.

“The amount of interest that it has generated apparently in running circles, it’s gotten quite a buzz. Triathletes are going pretty bananas for it,” Wimer said.

Francesca Conte, general manager of the Charlottesville Running Club, said there are few opportunities like this for serious runners to get a workout in and still have a really good time. The running club is a sponsor of the 5K.

“I think it’ll be a great opportunity for serious runners to run with other people, which they often don’t do,” she said. “I think it’ll be so much fun for everybody out there.”

The run of terror will be filmed and will be a part of the DVD extras of Wimer’s new movie, so participants must sign a release form to be filmed. The feature-length film is being shown at the Paramount Theater on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. and also at the Downtown Regal on Nov. 5 at 11 p.m. as a part of the Virginia Film Festival.

For those who want to register the day of the run, cash will only be accepted — $20 for regular runners and zombies and $40 for deluxe zombies, who will be able to have professional zombie makeup done by a makeup artist. Wimer said he wants to get as many people, in all of their zombie glory, running around Charlottesville’s streets.

“Zombies are community, too,” Wimer said.