Get your costumes and your gumption ready for some scary fun during the first-ever Zombie Run Race for the Animals 5K at Whole Life Fitness in Batavia, owner Jessica Pratt and fellow organizer Amanda Curtis say.
Whether you’re a marathon runner or just love a good Halloween activity while helping out a good cause, this event promises a little something for everyone, from children to adults, they said this week. It’s set for 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Whole Life Fitness facility, 624 E. Main St., Batavia.
“So we’re getting everybody there at five o’clock to have some kids' stuff — we’re doing face painting for them, we’ve got grab bags, we’re doing some tattoos, and we have cider and doughnuts for after,” Pratt said. “The Volunteers For Animals will have a table that they’re setting up, and we’ll also have a raffle, some door prizes and a 50/50.”
The race is a benefit for Volunteers For Animals, a nonprofit based in Batavia and working out of Genesee County Animal Shelter. Pratt has been a longtime member and, in addition to having four dogs, has fostered mama cats and at least 40 kittens for the organization, she said.
So putting on an event to help support them was a “no brainer,” Curtis said, emphasizing “pun intended” for the zombie-themed run.
“The Zombie 5K is a family-friendly event that provides a fitness opportunity with spooky fun. We are encouraging participants to dress up as zombies or in costume, and to keep everyone on their toes, we will have zombies hiding along the route,” Curtis said. “We have even invited the homeowners along the route to participate in the fun while also giving them a heads up that the zombie hoard is just for fun--not the apocalypse.”
The Zombie 5k will begin and end at Whole Life Fitness, taking participants along the Dewitt Recreation Area and meandering through Elmwood and St. Joseph Cemeteries, so who knows what they may encounter. Pratt and Curtis were keeping mum about those details.
“We are so excited about this event. We have a costume contest for the kids and adults with prizes for the best costume. Runners who win in their categories will receive medals or ribbons,” Curtis said. “For all participants and volunteers, we will provide apple cider doughnuts and apple cider.”
VFA member Angela Knisley also organized the group's fundraising events and said members would be present with information about the cats and dogs available for adoption and about the organization and its various programs.
“We really appreciate this fundraiser being held for us and are looking forward to a fun time,” Knisley said. “We are supplying three door prize baskets that will be raffled: one dog-themed, one cat-themed and a generic one.”
Pratt is a woman entrepreneur who has been busy running multiple businesses and unable to spend as much time volunteering for the animal nonprofit, so “promoting and supporting VFA through a fun event with a wide reach is the next best thing,” Curtis said.
“We are also hosting a food drive at Whole Life Fitness for VFA, providing another opportunity for those who want to give but are unable to attend the Zombie 5K,” she said. “At the moment, we haven't decided if this will be an annual event. We are considering this a pilot year; if it succeeds, we will do it again next year.”
The registration fee is $22 per adult without a T-shirt and $12 per teen without a T-shirt. The deadline to receive a guaranteed T-shirt has passed. Each ticket includes entry into the race, a chance to win awesome prizes, and access to all event activities and food. Extra T-shirts will be for sale at the event. The fundraising goal is $5,000.
To register, go HERE.
