{"id":3357,"date":"2012-10-04T05:00:37","date_gmt":"2012-10-04T12:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=3357"},"modified":"2021-02-03T16:29:43","modified_gmt":"2021-02-04T00:29:43","slug":"on-the-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/on-the-run\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Run"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Alex<\/a>
Alex (l), David (r)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some folks go to the gym or take an extra walk around the block when they are trying to stay fit and healthy. David Hull and Alex Lewis, employees in Yardi\u2019s Raleigh office, decided they\u2019d rather try to outrun some zombies.<\/p>\n

On a quest for improved physical fitness, the friends \u2013 who started their Yardi<\/a> careers together back in January 2012, David as an associate applications specialist and Alex as a commercial account manager \u2013 decided to try a unique fun run trend that\u2019s been sweeping the nation. Why just run when you can run with a zombie trying to chase you? Other obstacle-style events include even more dangerous challenges \u2013 the Spartan Beast, for example, features a fire pit jump, barbed wire crawl and electric fence. Participants must sign a waiver releasing liability in case of death to be able to race.<\/p>\n

Motivated in part by the popularity of the TV series The Walking Dead, zombie-themed events have sprung up all over the south, especially in and around Atlanta, where the dynamic drama is set and filmed. Involving obstacle courses, mud, and live zombies\/volunteers, flag belt-wearing participants attempt to make it through the course, typically a journey of several miles, without getting \u201ckilled.\u201d Make it back with at least one of your flags (out of three) and you\u2019ve survived.<\/p>\n

Alex and David decided to take on the Raleigh Zombie Escape at Panic Point <\/a>without doing much running at all. They\u2019d been training for several months on the Insanity workout, a rigorous high-intensity interval training plan that stresses the whole body. It involved intense cardio but not much distance running. Nevertheless, David and Alex decided to go for it and recruited a few other Yardi Atlanta employees to join them. They also agreed to volunteer as zombies after participating in the run, giving them a unique perspective on both sides of the experience.<\/p>\n

On the day of the race, they were surprised to find that the other volunteer zombies weren\u2019t messing around.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese people, they really take it seriously. I didn\u2019t really realize they would take it to that level. They wanted to get you,\u201d said Alex, who volunteers as a Raleigh firefighter in his free time.\u00a0 Approaching the packs of zombies, the Yardi team quickly learned it was better to run with a large group of other civilians in order to distract the walking dead and hopefully get away quickly, flags intact.<\/p>\n

\"Runners<\/a>Being on the offensive side of things turned out to be a good time, too. Splattered in fake blood and wearing tattered clothes to get in character, Zombie David and Zombie Alex quickly developed tactics to try to capture the flags of other runners. \u00a0David\u2019s technique was to wait until runners hit the mud near his territory, started sliding and trying to keep their balance then grab a flag. Alex\u2019s strategy was to act distracted and zoned out \u2013 zombie-like, if you will \u2013 and then leap into action when a careless runner got too close.<\/p>\n

They had such a good time on the course that they\u2019ve already made plans for another obstacle event, the Filthy Fun Mud Run<\/a> in Raleigh on Nov. 3. Proceeds from the event, which features an obstacle course designed by U.S. Navy Seals, are donated to Cradles to Crayons<\/a>, a national children\u2019s charity. But the friends aren\u2019t participating just for their own good \u2013 they want to motivate others, too. This time, they\u2019ve expanded their preparation to include regular running. Alex takes along his baby son in a jogging stroller on his runs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really want to put it out there for our office to try to get more people involved in being active, making activity and being healthy a way of life,\u201d Alex said. \u201cWorking in corporate environment tends to be sedentary, so it\u2019s easy to fall into that loop of not being active. This is a fun and exciting way of preparing for something \u2013 to give yourself a goal and go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

David, a competitive baseball athlete in high school who now belongs to multiple softball teams, agreed. \u201cWe\u2019re really hope to run as a bigger team and get other people involved. The entry fees and donations go to a good cause. It\u2019s a very good feeling to be happy, and healthy and productive at Yardi.\u201d<\/p>\n