Zombie Run: the race where you have to finish alive (with both lives)

In short A Zombie Run is a fun run, often at night, where every runner wears flags that act as lives. Zombies try to grab them. The idea was born in the United States in 2011, it has editions in France, and we love it. Even if, for Leg Up, it's the worst race possible.

The rule: your belt is your life

Forget the training plan, the target pace and the GPS watch beeping every kilometre. In a Zombie Run, the only thing that matters is around your waist: a belt with flags held on by Velcro. Each flag is a life.

On the course, zombies (volunteers, made up with an often worrying talent) have one mission: to rip them off. In Maintenon, in the Eure-et-Loir area of France, where the town hall runs a Zombies Run, every runner starts with two flags. Two lives, not one more. Once the zombies have taken them, your race is over.

The rest of the rulebook is short:

• No timing, no ranking. You run, you walk, you scream, you hide behind a friend: anything goes.
• Starts are in small waves, so everyone gets their share of fright. In Maintenon, two to six runners set off every minute on a 5 km loop.
• You don't touch the zombies. And zombies only touch the flags. At the Breizh Zombie Run, in Brittany, any physical contact between players is forbidden, except with the belts.

And at the finish? A hot drink, some food, and the pride of having saved your skin. Or at least one flag.

Where it comes from: Maryland

The idea took shape in the United States. In October 2011, near Baltimore, two organisers launched "Run for Your Lives", a 5K with obstacles and zombies. Every runner wore three "health flags", one on each side of the waist and one at the back. About 12,000 people turned up for the first edition. The following year, twelve races were planned, from Austin to Toronto.

Even the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) joined in. They already had a "zombie apocalypse preparedness" campaign, a roundabout way of teaching people to get their homes ready for any disaster. So at one edition in Georgia, CDC staff dressed up as zombies and chased 2,500 runners. Public service at its most committed.

And in France? The zombies are here

You don't need to cross the Atlantic to flee the undead. Several French races use the concept, each in its own way:

• The Maintenon Zombies Run (Eure-et-Loir): 5 km at night in the woods, with zombies, clowns and "other creatures that leap out of the dark". Two flags, no timing, and three editions so far.
• The Breizh Zombie Run (Ambon, Morbihan): a night orienteering version in the forest, with a medieval storyline inspired by Evil Dead 3. Survivors set off in teams with a map and must find as many hidden markers as possible, while zombies try to take their belts. The 9th edition is announced for Saturday 21 November 2026. A red-light head torch is recommended, so you don't dazzle others (and see the horde coming).
• The Chatel ZombiRun (Châtellerault, Vienne): no flags here, but a 10 km and 5 km road race after dark around Halloween, fancy dress strongly encouraged. One euro from every entry goes to a local mutual aid charity.

Other editions exist, often run by town halls, clubs or leisure parks, in October or November. Dates change from year to year: always check with the organiser before you sign up.

If you'd rather have zombies in your ears

There is also a version without fake blood: the app Zombies, Run!, released in 2012 and created by the British studio Six to Start with novelist Naomi Alderman. You become "Runner 5", you listen to a story during your run, you pick up virtual supplies, and every now and then zombies give chase: speed up, or lose your loot. The project raised over $72,000 on Kickstarter, five times its goal. Proof that plenty of runners speed up better when something is after them.

Why it's great training (really)

We're joking, but a Zombie Run is interval training in disguise. You jog, a zombie appears, you sprint, you change direction, you jog again while looking over your shoulder. Coaches call it fartlek. Zombies call it dinner.

A few survivor tips:

• Save some energy. The first zombie is never the last. If you burn everything in the first kilometre, the third one will get you.
• Watch your feet. At night in the woods, the tree root is more dangerous than the zombie. A head torch and trail shoes help.
• Run in a group. It's not very heroic, but a zombie can't grab every flag at once. Statistically, you're in with a chance.
• Fake them out. A step to the left, a burst to the right: the average zombie is slow, but not always stupid.
• Enjoy it. Nobody here is looking at your pace per kilometre. It may be the only race of the year where you can stop to laugh.

Why you won't see Leg Up at a Zombie Run

Let's be honest: for us, it's the worst race on the calendar.

The idea of Leg Up is that a runner rents a bit of calf to a brand for a race, wears its temporary tattoo, and that tattoo gets seen by spectators and photographers. A Zombie Run, though, happens at night, in the woods, by head torch. Your tattooed calf would be about as visible as a black cat in a cellar.

And even if we found a spectator, they'd be dressed as a zombie, busy chasing you, and not really in the mood to read a logo. As for the proof photo with a clearly readable bib, we're not sure who would come and take it in the middle of the horde.

So no, Leg Up won't be at Zombie Runs. We keep our tattooed calves for daytime races, with crowds and photographers. But we hope you have a great time. And come back with both lives.

Sources

Rules and dates come from the event pages at the time of writing. The organisers' information prevails.

• Zombies Run (Maintenon), Miles Republic (in French).
• Breizh Zombie Run, GoTrail (in French).
• Chatel ZombiRun 2026, TrainerDay.
• To Some Runners, Zombies Are A Killer Motivator, NPR, 4 September 2012.
• Run for Your Lives, CDC Public Health Matters blog.
• Zombies, Run!, Wikipedia.