O is for Outbreak Missions 2

To those who know me personally (or visit my blog often lol), me participating in fun runs– especially Outbreak Manila— is not something new anymore. I’ve joined the first few Outbreak events, back when their motto was “don’t think, just run.”

But this recent Outbreak was a bit different from those I’ve participated into. It wasn’t just zombies everywhere… it was a quest to find the cure for these flesh-eating flag-stealing zombies.

Last April 5, my sister, college friend, and I ran for our lives in Intramuros, Manila for the Outbreak Missions Operation Stronghold. This was the second part of the mission, with the first one held at Filinvest Alabang. Sadly, I wasn’t able to join the first one because, well, I was broke. Haha.

(My sister, me, and my friend DJ)

Anyway, it was so exciting for us because Intramuros is a very historic place (aside from the fact that DJ and I spent our college years here lol) and it was the perfect venue for a zombie apocalypse. Plus, I got the chance to “dress up” again. Haha.

(Story: I was cooking and went downstairs for a bit to buy some eggs when… the zombies… hahaha)

Everytime I participate in Outbreak, I always dress up as a regular person. On my first time, I ran in pajamas. Second time, I went as a news reporter. For my third time, I decided to don a bathrobe with a towel on my head. Hahaha.

In Outbreak Missions 2, we had to form a group of 10-15 members. Luckily, we found some kids and a young couple. We named our group “Team Rainbow” (I dunno, the kids chose that name lol).

(Team Rainbow!)

Overall, it was a great experience– despite some minor glitches that we experienced. For example, we were supposed to find glow sticks in order to complete a task, but they were already hoarded by the ones before us. Because of that, we were cut early from the story and we never found out the end of it. Sad.

Oh, one more thing: some parts of the adventure were a bit disorganized, like the glow sticks incident… and the part where we almost suffocated inside Fort Santiago (I think?). But other than that, the event was cool.

Pictures speak louder than words, so here are some snaps:

(After the run. Photo: Outbreak Manila)

(With them zombies hahaha)

(My dog tag! I still prefer the usual “human survivor” medal, though)

I’m a bit excited for Outbreak Missions 3. I hope it’s more organized and waaaaaay better than the previous ones. Still, kudos to the organizers and brains behind Outbreak Manila! You guys still rock. 😉

(Yup, that’s me. Can’t believe they captured my run (and smile) perfectly. Haha. Photo: Outbreak Manila)

Oh, this is an A-Z Blogging Challenge post, obviously. 😛

Happy blogging (and running)!
Jane

Outbreak EK: Just Like Zombieland

(Photo: juice.ph)

Date: October 31, 2012

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I’m so glad to share my 2nd experience with “zombies” with you, people. 🙂  Last time, I was able to run for my life because I won a free race kit from Gala magazine. This time, I sort of covered the whole event. Pretty awesome, huh? Thanks so much, Gala!

As you can remember, I donned my comfiest pair of pajamas (complete with hair rollers and a pillow) in the last Outbreak. Well, this time, I dressed up as a newscaster “who was doing a coverage when the zombies suddenly showed up.”

Why? I don’t know. Hahaha! No seriously, I was running out of ideas for my costume and the reporter thing seemed like a pretty neat idea, since I’m a Journalism student, after all. 😉

(Just us, doing an “interview”  Meet my very good friend, Cindy!)

Anyway, the 5K zombie-infested run was super cool, like my past Outbreak experience. I got to escape some zombies with my friend Cindy and her high school buddies Ken, Pauli, and Razaele, who won the Best in Costume award for Wave 15 with his attention-grabbing Slenderman getup. (He was practically one of the most famous runners that night, lol.)

(Me and Cindy posing with her HS friends Pauli, Razaele and Ken)

Adding up to the awesomeness of the zombie run was the fact that it was held at Enchanted Kingdom, which is probably one of the most-loved amusement park in the country. I mean, who could’ve thought of holding a 5K sprint inside a park full of ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and other rides? It was just like the movie Zombieland… and it was so lifelike because when zombies get the chance conquer the world, no place will be spared.

(With the super creepy and silent zombie nun   Photo: Kenneth Velasquez)

(Just us, taking a quick break from all the running and posing for a photo op! Photo: Kenneth Velasquez)

(Yay! We’re “Champion Survivors!” LOL. Photo: Booster C)

All in all, it was just mind-blowing. I didn’t mind the wounds and bruises that I got when a group of people behind me got excited and accidentally pushed me to the ground (those wounds lasted for weeks and left some scars, ugh!). I also didn’t care about the fact that, because of my injury, I wasn’t able to run and protect my flags… so when I came across a bunch of zombies near Harry Houdini’s shop, these ruthless rotting humans gladly took all my flags. I was left with zero flags, two bruises and three wounds.

But, even though I came out of EK “dead,” I still emerged sweaty and energetic, which were more important to me than having my flags intact. Because this is, after all, a 5K run.

And oh, let’s not forget the medal!

Yea, I know they’re just for finishers and were given to ALL runners (with flags or no flags), but it’s still a symbol that I was part of this historic run and something to remind me that “I survived the Outbreak— again!”

(Yours truly with Cindy and Pauli (and Slenderman creeping from behind, haha)… and our medals, of course!   Photo: Kenneth Velasquez)

I would love to survive another zombie apocalypse soon! 🙂  Well, after they’re done with Cebu, I hope they can conduct another night run here in Manila… or somewhere nearer. Great job, organizers of Outbreak Manila! You’ve done it again! 😉

P.S.: Please grab a copy of Gala magazine’s December-January 2013 ish, with Vice Ganda on the cover. If you want tips on how to survive the next zombie run, read the article (Outbreak EK: Survival of the Fastest, the Fittest, the Most Vigilant… and the Most Creative) written by yours truly. 😉  Thanks!

(Photo: Gala magazine)

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This blog entry can also be seen on meekalexyproject.wordpress.com. Follow us there! 🙂

Outbreak BGC: Survival of the Fittest, the Fastest, and the Sneakiest

(Photo: angkulet.com)

Outbreak BGC, held at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila

Date: July 28, 2012

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This is not my first time to chip in a running event (I joined the Manila Bay Cleanup Run 2012 last July 15), but I’m a real newbie to this “zombie apocalypse” run thing. And what does a newbie has to say about it?

Simple: mind-blowing, super exhausting, very unique, intense, and a total killer.

Just a little info about this zombie run: Outbreak Manila was inspired by “Run For Your Lives” and its first ever race was held last April 14 at Nuvali, Laguna. (I was there but wasn’t able to participate) Now, following the colossal success of the first leg, the brains behind Outbreak made the 2nd one a “night run” and took the suspense and adventure at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. And oh, they have this famous tagline that says, “Don’t think, just run.”

(With my running buddies (Gala mag friends) Cindy and Ate Airiz ;>)

Basically, this was my first time to experience being chased by hordes of flag-stealing (not flesh-eating) zombies, and I really enjoyed it!   Though I nearly gave up after just a kilometer (the route was 5K) because of leg soreness, blurry eyeglass vision, lack of oxygen, and the heavy rain (yes it rained moments after our wave’s gun start!), I still found the event very amusing. Yes, I was so nervous at first, but then I started to enjoy it, like I’m really part of an actual zombie apocalypse.

(My get-up: a comfy sleepwear, complete with a pillow and some unattended rollers on my hair. Hahaha!)

Okay, so now based on my experience (yes!), I will share some important tips to beat the outbreak.

Survival of the FITTEST: In order to emerge victorious at the end of the race, you must have a healthy heart and strong muscles to back you up. In short, you need some cardio exercises, man!   When you’re fit, you’re sort of immune to long runs and heavy breathings, so your chances of survival will automatically increase. I’ve had my share of oxygen shortage because I don’t do my aerobics session every day, but I noticed that I can actually run farther without having to stop to catch my breath. So get your body moving and your heart pumping– it’ll do you good.

Survival of the FASTEST: Of course, if you’re aware that a bunch of zombies are already running after you, what would you do? Run fast… faster… and, yeah, fastest (lol). To get past the creepy zombies, you must run like the wind, because if you’ll just walk and goof around, these after-life creatures will devour on your brai– oops– flags. These flags are important in Outbreak Manila because it signifies your life– when you run out of flags, you’ll be pronounced “dead” and you won’t have any bragging rights anymore (haha!). And really, if there will be a true zombie invasion, would you just walk past them? NO. Value your “life” and run for it.

Survival of the SNEAKIEST: Yes, this is so true (hihi). This is just a mock zombie apocalypse, so the “zombies” won’t really hurt you (physical violence is not allowed in Outbreak Manila). In that case, you can find a way to sneak past them just so they won’t get your flags. How? It’s up to you. Runners are unintentionally advised to think fast and be wise, so I really don’t know about your sneaky plans. But to tell you the truth, I’ve had my share of effective tricks to beat the zombies.   I’m not going to tell you (secret!), but they’re really foolproof, because even though I’m actually within reach, they didn’t get my flags. Yeap, I can be that sneaky!

(Me and the Gala team before reaching the finish line… wet look! Photo: Outbreak Manila)

(Wet and tired after the 5K run!)

To sum this whole thing up, I emerged with ONE flag (haha, so much for the tips lol) and the bragging right to say that I really survived the outbreak. Cool enough? Yes. But add the awesome freebies and the experience itself and you can actually say “super mega cool!”

To top it all off, I will never forget this running event. The experience was just so amazing that I’m planning to join the 3rd leg– as a zombie.   So freakin’ radical!

(Cool “I Came. I Ran. I Survived.” shirt ;>)

Special thanks to the Gala Magazine team for providing me my race kit and for being my official buddies during the race. It was really nice to see all of you again.

To know more about Outbreak Manila, click here and here.

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This blog entry can also be seen here: meekalexyproject.wordpress.com. Follow us there! 🙂