The running dead will invade Buffalo Gap March 28 for the fourth annual Buffalo Gap Historic Village Zombie Run.
The 5K run attracts hundreds of participants from all over the state. Runners begin the race with three flags on their waist and attempt to make it to the finish line unscathed by zombies with at least one flag remaining.
Anyone is eligible to participate in the run as long as they pay the registration fee. The zombies are composed of volunteers who are part of law enforcement personnel, military, the fire department or hold jobs in the medical or first responder field.
The run started in December 2012 as a fundraiser for the Buffalo Gap Historic Village, a museum that portrays the last 50 years of the Texas Frontier.
Katie Moorehead, assistant site manager of Buffalo Gap Historic Village, said the village is an important marker in teaching current and future generations about the closing of the frontier in Texas.
“This kind of event attracts a wide variety of people to the village who may never had come down just to learn about history,” Moorehead said. “Zombies are associated with surviving the Apocalypse, which isn’t all that different from life on the Texas Frontier. The participants get to engage with history in a different way than just learning the facts.”
Andrea Wilson, a nurse at Hendrick Medical Center, is a Zombie Run veteran who has participated as several different zombie personas, ranging from a zombie nurse to a zombie bride.
“The Zombie Run gets people to come out to a part of Abilene, even a part of Texas, that they may never think about visiting,” Wilson said. “As a native Abilenian, I love the thought of people coming to Buffalo Gap to learn where Taylor County got its start. While they’re here, they visit the shops and restaurants which is always great for our local economy.”
There is also a 1-mile Zombie Run with “friendlier” zombies designed for children.
The registration fee is $35 for individuals or $100 for a team of four.
For more information, or to register, visit https://www.buffalogap.com.
