I’m pretty sure that Biff Bam Pop’s followers have figured out how much I love zombies, right? Well, this year, on April 7th, Philadelphia will be invaded by Zombies! Yep, the apocalypse is scheduled to take place right smack in my hometown and those pesky little zombies will be arriving hungry for brains. Will I be there fighting the famished horde, you ask? After all, I’m a member of the Zombie Squad, and I have my own katana, but sorry, my little zombie snacks, I can’t run and chew gum at the same time, so my grandsons, Josh (age 16) and Nathan (age 10) and I will be playing the part of zombies instead, yeah!
This big event is taking place in South Philadelphia, site of the FDR Park. I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Director Carrie Snyder, one of the people responsible for promoting and pulling together The Zombie Run. So let’s find out a little bit about the upcoming apocalypse, right after the jump.
Marie Gilbert: Hi Carrie, thank you so much for joining me. Tell us a little about yourself.
Carrie Snyder: Before joining Dave and Andrew, I had met them at other Philadelphia events. I was the Director of the Ragnar Relay Series, and my other race projects included the ODDyssey Half-Marathon and the Yuengling Light Lager Jogger.
Marie Gilbert: What was the inspiration behind Zombie Run – Philadelphia?
Carrie Snyder: Dave Feinman and Andrew Hudis, the brains behind this project, called me in to direct and promote the race. We wanted to base the race on something that was popular at the time, something from a movie or TV show. With AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” we found the perfect venue with widespread popularity. Everyone loves zombies.
Marie Gilbert: How is this race different than other races?
Carrie Snyder: Our race focuses on a story, like a Disney World ride, we’re creating an alternate reality. The Zombie Run creates a running narrative on a racecourse designed like a Hollywood apocalypse movie set, helicopters and all. Participants either run the course as Zombies or living Zombie prey.
Marie Gilbert: Since my grandsons and I will be zombies, who will do the make-up on us?
Carrie Snyder: Professional make-up artists will be on site to transform warm-blooded runners into blood sucking, flesh eating zombies. Some of the artists have worked on the yearly Eastern State Penitentiary Halloween Terror Event.
Marie Gilbert: Who will the race benefit?
Carrie Snyder: The Zombie Run benefits Active Heroes, a volunteer-led charity helping veterans, active duty military and their families. A portion of the proceeds from each event will also be donated to a local charity.
Marie Gilbert: Philadelphia is the place this event will launch from, but how many cities are involved?
Carrie Snyder: Right now, there are 11 cities, but we plan to have 16 in 2013, more will be added on and you can check them out on our site, thezombierun.com
Marie Gilbert: Why did you pick this particular park (my favorite) for the Philadelphia Zombie Run?
Carrie Snyder: The Franklin Dell Roosevelt Park is a beautiful gem and is part of the larger Fairmount Park System. This green oasis which is located at 1500 Pattison Ave, is not only home to the American Swedish Museum, but has walking and running trails, 20 tennis courts, 8 ball fields, a rugby field and a golf course, and for our nature lovers, wetlands, fishing and bird watching. Best of all because of its location, this park can be reached by the Broad Street subway and bus line and it’s close to the main highways.
Marie Gilbert: I want to thank Carrie Snyder for appearing on the Biff Bam Pop! site and spreading the news about the upcoming Zombie Run. My grandsons and I are very excited to be participating in this event and we are practicing all our zombie moves and shuffling. But, for all my little zombie snacks who live near the Philadelphia area, yeah I’m talking to you, New Jersey, Delaware and New York, come and watch the race, or better yet, become a runner, because we zombies will be there looking for fresh brains to munch on.
Pics Marie! Pics! I’d love to see the make-up and hear how the day went…what’s inside a zombie’s mind as it chases the living, anyway? 🙂
Don’t worry, I’ll be snapping away as I shuffle along. I also have my ghost hunting friends there to take pictures. I’ll probably be the oldest one there, so what will most likely be going through my mind is, where is the rest stop? 🙂