By Joseph Robertia
Braaaaains, braaaaains, and Gatorade.
Walking in the woods at night can be unnerving. On Friday, being in the forest will be a downright frightening experience, as the living dead will be walking and running during the Tsalteshi Trails Association’s Spook Night.
“This will make it different than just putting on your running gear,” said Carly Reimer, one of the organizers of the event, which will feature a five-kilometer Zombie Run for adults and a one-kilometer Trick or Treat Trail for boys and ghouls.
“We’ve always had a kickoff event around this time. Usually it’s an orienteering event, which can be challenging and a bit daunting for some people, so we wanted this to be more of a community membership drive separate from that. We’ll still have the orienteering event, but it will be closer to Thanksgiving,” she said.
Reimer said the idea for the zombie event came from a Tsalteshi Trails Association member who had heard about a similar event in Anchorage, in which runners dress like zombies to participate in either a half or full marathon. Stereotypical zombies, celebrity zombies, political zombies or even professional/career zombies are all welcome.
“We’re calling it a zombie run, and there will be a lot of zombies there, but people can dress up as whatever they’d like,” Reimer said. “I’ve called the local ski teams and encouraged them to dress up. I thought it would be good for them since their season opens the following Monday. It sounds like they’re pretty enthusiastic about the idea.”
However people dress, they should bear in mind that the course isn’t flat, so very elaborate costumes could cause problems.
“I’ve seen ski races where people come in costumes with capes or wings that get them tangled up,” she said.
The course itself will begin by crossing the soccer fields behind Skyview High School, then going backward up the Rabbit loop. The course then will take runners up and down the Wolf and Raven loops before finally coming down the Beaver loop to the finish line.
“It’s pretty hilly, but it’s hard not to be out there. We weren’t trying to make it too hard. We just chose these trails because lights could be on for participants,” Reimer said.
While the living dead adults take part in the run, kids 10 and under can take part in a search for candy.
Reimer said the organizers are soliciting sponsors to set up stations, so kids in costume can move through and get treats.
Registration for all events is 4:30 p.m. The run begins at 5:30 p.m., with an entry fee of $15 for those in costume or $20 for those out of costume. Prizes will be awarded to the top three male and female finishers in under-18 and over-18 divisions.
The trick-or-treating will take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m., with an entry fee of $10. Pets are welcome for either event, but required to be on a leash at all times. There will also be a prize awarded for the best pet in costume.