A zombie-themed fun run...in the middle of the night...at a world-class theme park? It was every zombie fan's dream!
BEFORE MY RUN IN ENCHANTED KINGDOM, I HAD A BLOODY WARM-UP OF WALKING
October, 31, 2012 - I already left home from Nuvali at around 5:00 PM. Rode a tricycle that I thought it would take me at least to Walter Mart, but there was a change of plans. There was a hellish heavy traffic already that started from Laguna Bel-air. It took me 45 minutes for me to decide whether I should walk from that point on or not, because the traffic wasn't moving an inch at all. I walked while wearing combat boots, and carrying a heavy knapsack filled with extra clothing and a DSLR camera.
Approximately 6:30 PM, I was already in Sta. Rosa Exit. I contacted my running buddies if where were they during that time. They told me that they were in a car, stuck in Sta. Rosa Exit. I told them that we should meet up. I found the, hopped in, and took a bit of rest. They told me that SLEX was also having heavy traffic.
Finally! We arrived at our destination round 7:45 PM. 15 minutes left before our wave started to run, so we hurried inside. We saw a lot of participants wearing costumes like military soldiers, Tron-inspired costumes, superheroes, and monsters. Some of the sponsor booths gave us extra lives if we sign up, or "like" their Facebook pages.
A participant cosplaying as Slender Man. Don't mind the guy on the left.
Suddenly, there was announcement telling us that it was already our wave's turn to start. Oh shoot! We didn't have time to surrender our bags to the baggage counter, so we had to run with them.
The emcee briefed us the rules, and what to expect. After that, the air raid sirens had sounded, and we were off! First, we had to run around the theme park's parking area going to the main entrance. The entrance had some zombies, and the path was really narrow considering the bars and the turnstiles there. I already lost one life because I was too slow due to the extra baggage I was carrying.
Zombies! Zombies everywhere! We were running wild. I was really thirsty, but I didn't have a water bottle with me. No water station to be found either. We kept running until we reached a grassy area that was not part of Enchanted Kingdom anymore.
I was separated from my running buddies. I didn't know if they went ahead of me or they were lagging behind. Once again, I was alone and I needed to be with other groups to increase my chance of survival. The area was so dark, so we threaded carefully. There were dimmed lights, and creepy sound effects to keep us on our toes.
After the grassy part area, we reached the go kart racetrack. I spotted a water station. Hooray! Drank 3 cups of water and splashed two more into my face to freshen up. There were a few zombies on the racetrack, so I managed to traverse without losing a life.
We were back on the main area of the theme park, once again.
After two years, I found this picture of me taken by an official photographer of the event.
Poor girl. You had no idea that there was a zombie right behind you. Minus one life flag for you!
Even though the zombies were just actors, some of the runners were really scared. Double thumbs up to the make up artists, and the acting skills of the zombies.
There was an area (somewhere in Rialto) where we had to walk like a zombie in order to survive. Seems like Deadpool just escaped the area.
I already had one flag left, and it was the extra life I got on a sponsor booth. I came across with the undead nun. Fearing that she might get the flag, I approached her, quickly took her hand, put it on my forehead and say "Mano po, sister." After that I quickly fled the area without losing the last flag.
I was almost at the finish line, but first I had to go through the haunted house.
Ffffuuuuuu...the haunted house???!!! I'm a fan of ghost hunting videos, but I'm not definitely a fan of haunted houses in theme parks! I never went inside one before until that fateful night. The runners were piling up at the entrance, so the marshals only allow five people per group to go inside. My head was down, and my eyes were half-closed. The place was scary. I looked up a bit and I saw a scary portrait of woman there that was looking at me. BANG! There was a slam coming from the piano.There was a zombie standing in a corner right beside of the entrance of the LRT. Wait, LRT? Inside the house? Anyway, I saw the exit and quickly picked up the pace. I got out, and saw the finish line. Finally I survived!
Finally reunited with my running buddies. I was actually ahead of them. We finally claimed our bragging rights. We got a medal and a shirt that says "Keep calm and RUN THE OUTBREAK IS SPREADING!"
It was one of the best Halloween events that I have ever experienced so far in my entire life. The Outbreak Manila team had outdone themselves once again.
DISCLAIMER: Most of the photos here are not mine, so credits to their respective owners.
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