A few months ago, an outbreak of flesh eating zombies was witnessed in Nuvali, Laguna. There were several survivors, but also a lot of casualties. Last July 28, these zombies returned for round 2. This time however, they picked one of the busiest and famous places to feast – at Fort Bonifacio Taguig. To make things even worse, the zombie attack happened at 6pm. The darkness was their ally.
Last July 28, over 7,000 runners faced hordes of zombies head-on at the second installment of the anticipated thrill run. And if running from the undead wasn’t terrifying enough, participants had to endure the uncertainty of the night… and even withstand the strong winds and rain!
This is one event wherein people actually WANTED to be chased by zombies! The first Outbreak in Nuvali was so successful that registration for part 2 immediately closed only after 8 days! Wow! Excited much? The organizers even added 10 more waves to this scary and exciting zombie outbreak , making it a total of 35 waves as compared to the first one’s 25!
Outbreak Manila: The Rules
To those unfamiliar with Outbreak Manila, the objective of the run is similar to flag football wherein the other team tries to steal your flags. The difference however is that the runners here are the “victims” and need to run as fast as they can or strategize their way to the finish line and away from the zombies. Those who are able to finish the race with at least 1 flag intact are considered the survivors.
Here are some other DOs and DON’Ts for Outbreak Manila: BGC
These rules were laid out by the sidewalk just before the starting line for runners to see. I love how humorously the organizers put it!
Outbreak Manila – Fort Bonifacio
The zombie run itself took place right behind Mercato… and I could honestly say, the organizers picked a REALLY GOOD spot.
When I first heard that the 2nd installment of Outbreak Manila would be done in Fort Bonifacio, my first reaction was, “Why?”. The zombie run in Nuvali was fun because of the small roads and tall grasses that made it feel like we were in a horror movie, so why pick Fort this time around? I was imagining the normal race routes often used in Sunday Runs which goes along c5, High Street, etc. However, instead of doing that, the organizers of Outbreak Manila stayed near construction sites, hills and other possible “dead” zones. I loved it!
Outbreak Manila – What’s new?
I guess one of the main differences (which really made the run all the more exciting) was that it was done at night!
The chaos started from 6pm till 12midnight and continued amidst the heavy downpour!
More Obstacle Courses
In Outbreak Manila 1, I remember only coming across 2 obstacle courses – the garter and the maze. Both obstacle courses were still used in Outbreak BGC with just a few minor changes.
The garter obstacle course was extra large this time, and zombies were awaiting dinner on the other side!
In addition to these, runners also crossed what I’d call the “wind chime” obstacle course wherein they had to pass through huge wind chimes which swung and rung as they tried to get through!
Imagine getting hit by that! These runners really didn’t mind, as long as they survived!
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Outbreak Manila – Race Route
My favorite thing about this being a night run is how creepy the abandoned streets were! There were a few areas with no runners (yet) but SEVERAL zombies! These areas were crazy scary – if that even makes sense. I felt like I was in an actual zombie apocalypse and I was the only survivor!
See? Creepy right??? Especially with the abandoned jeeps and buses with matching fliers scattered all over and the wind blowing them away!
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There were even burning barrels along the race route that added drama to the entire zombie apocalypse thing! Hands down to the organizers!!!
There was also another part of the route that was close to being PITCH BLACK with around 4 to 5 speakers on the sidewalk. These speakers were used to obviously scare runners… (or maybe just me?) as sound of people screaming and zombies growling were emitted! Creeeeeeeppppyyy I tell you! Freaking scary!
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And if that wasn’t enough, as it started to rain, all these areas got 10 times scarier!
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Outbreak Manila – Zombies!
There were A LOT more zombies in Outbreak BGC, however, I did feel that the costumes of the zombies in the first Outbreak were more diverse! Everyone had their own zombie personality then, as compared to this one where most zombies simply sported normal clothing and added white face paint and fake blood. Still, there were those “zombies” who went the extra mile!
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Besides the zombies, some runners also decided to join in the fun and put on their own little costumes! I’m loving everyone’s creativity!!
Oubreak Manila – Results and Discussions
I’m sure most of you, like myself can’t help but compare Outbreak 1 (Nuvali) and this 2nd Outbreak. I personally think both had gimmicks I wish were also included in the other. One part I missed from Outbreak Nuvali though was the zombie guts! It was fun to “pretend” to be zombies for a while! However, Outbreak Fort was A LOT MORE REALISTIC. As I’ve said earlier, I really felt like I was in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Overall, I think the run was pretty successful! The zombies (and organizers) obviously enjoyed scaring the crap out of everyone, and I enjoyed watching it take place! The reactions were priceless!
Check out the zombie on the right photo closely watching a runner that passes by! He’s giving her the look!
In Outbreak BGC, I also think there were more injuries – unfortunately. I saw a bunch of people falling down and trampling over each other. The medics were literally running here and there to “rescue the survivors”! You can’t blame people for panicking and running into each other, I just hope it could be prevented.
Check out the zombie chef on the right helping out an injured runner. Aww, how sweet… (MUNCH!)
Well, I guess that’s it for now!! That was my Outbreak Experience. How was yours? Do share! I’m sure the organizers would love to hear what you thought of it!
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