Getting ready for the 2-mile run, a zombie prepares to go on the chase. (Dustin White photo)

Dustin White
Editor

A scene out of a zombie apocalypse, Mandan served as ground zero. A group of caged zombies would be set loose on runners, as they navigated the two miles course at Sunset Park. With additional zombies hidden along the path, only the agile, or particularly clever, would survive.

Nearly 100 runners would test their survival skills along the path on Saturday, Oct. 29, during the first Mandan Zombie Run. Only a few would remain uninfected until the end, as group after group of zombies impeded the path.



Some would rely on speed to not only outrun the horde of zombies, but also sneak past those waiting along the path. Yet, others relied on their brains, or at least candy brains. Handing out candy gummies, two individuals were able to negotiate their way through the course.

As the final runners passed through the gates to the safe zone, zombies followed close behind, hoping to infect those who remained untouched. Yet a few would sneak past.

Just in its  first year, the event brought in $810 in proceeds, after expenses. For Chad Hatzenbuhler, the event organizer, it was a win. 

“I was shooting for $1,000, but for the first year, and with planning having been less than two months, I think it was success,” Hatzenbuhler said.

The real winners of the run though was the Dakota Star Gymnastics. As a local event to benefit recreation groups in Mandan, the 2016 profits from the Mandan Zombie Run will be donated to Dakota Star.

“I’m happy to bring something new into Mandan, and have it help out local groups,” Hatzenbuhler said. “I hope to see it grow as the Fourth of July has in Mandan, and have Halloween be our next big thing.”

Photos by Dustin White