Windsorites devour the zombie virus

by Hailey Trealout

The rank smell of rotting flesh filled the air as chaos lifted in all corners of the earth. The undead were unleashed on Malden Hill, taking mercy on no soul who entered.

A morning rain fell, leaving deep pits of mud that could devour anyone who enters, cars sat abandoned in the marsh. Screams of remaining survivors were heard in the distance followed by hungry groans for brains.

Shawn Lippert, the founder of undead Unleashed, organized the 5K run for anyone who dared to face the apocalypse. The course was filled with 10 obstacles, a horde of 111 flesh eating zombies and a “life back booth” where runners were challenged to eat cow tongue or “zombie guts” to get an extra life.

The race is a mixture of flag football and tag, giving runners and zombies an idea of who was ‘zombie meat’ and who was a survivor.

One of the zombies, formerly known as Catherine Thomson McGhie said she loved life as a zombie.

“As a zombie, we had rules we had to follow,” said McGhie, while still keeping in character. “We weren’t supposed to grab people, we’re supposed to just grab their flags. We were not supposed to go in the obstacles themselves, we didn’t want to make it hazardous for the runners. It was all about making it fun.”

Nursing student Mandi Lundy completed and survived the zombie run.

“I survived the zombie apocalypse and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” said Lundy. “I’ve done a lot of 5K runs before, but the obstacles and having people chase you plus the adrenaline is the scariest thing ever but it was a lot of fun, I can’t wait for it to come back next year.”

The money raised for the event was sent to Transition to Betterness, a non-profit organization that helps keep those diagnosed with terminal illnesses as comfortable as possible.

“The money will be going towards Transition to Betterness’ new Stephanie and Barry Zekelman Wing at Tayfour Campus for our supportive care unit,” said Nadia DiDomenico, the fundraising coordinator for the Transfer to Betterness. “There are 18 rooms, fully refurbished with a family kitchen and family meeting area. Those rooms will be servicing patients and families who are battling cancer and other illnesses in Windsor and Essex.”

If you stand atop Malden Hill, now the gravesite for those who were consumed, you will see the stumbling horde heading for London and Toronto, awaiting another group of Windsorite survivors to brave another attack next year.