I got into the mix to experience firsthand the fear and screams of the survivors from being “hunted” down by those dreaded zombies, while I personally documented and captured the horror-fun action on video.
On Dec 31, 2016, Malaysians spent their final night of the year with the thrill of battling zombies into 2017. The event also turned the National Botanical Garden of Shah Alam in Selangor into a scene right out of a zombie apocalypse horror movie!
Run For Your Lives (RFYL) is a 3-5km zombie-themed obstacle-adventure run series brought over from the United States since 2011. It was for the first time introduced to Malaysia back in 2014. It has also been held in Sweden, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and now in Malaysia!
Let me brief you on it very quickly so that you can better prepare yourself before the next night of the living dead makes a comeback sometime in the future, who knows. Time is of the essence here, so do take heed.
The Zombies
Monkey Theory, the RFYL organizer of Malaysia, is the world’s premier zombie-infested 5K (five kilometres) obstacle course whereby participants assume the role of either a Survivor or a Zombie in this one-of-a-kind event filled with thrilling chases, rocking music by performing deejay and a kick-ass dance party finale.
The Obstacles
You’ve played video games. You’ve watched the movies. You’ve even followed seasons of TV series. Now’s the time to put what you know into practice.
Maybe you fancy your chances of reaching the Safe Zone for supplies through a zombie-infested 5K route laced with demanding obstacles? Or perhaps you prefer mutating into one of the “running dead”—zombies hell-bent on stopping the Survivors in their tracks? Either way, here’s your chance to Run For Your Lives! Or, Run For the Time of Your Lives! 🙂
Part obstacle course, part music festival, and a full-on encounter with “the running dead”, RFYL promises a fun day (and night) with friends, colleagues, and evil ex-bosses alike.
The Chronicles
2014
On December 13, 2014, the first-ever zombie apocalypse invaded Kuala Lumpur, attracting a whopping 7,000 participants to Malaysia Agro Exposition Park in Serdang. The zombie-infested fun run consisted of thrilling obstacles such as Blood Pit, The Ladder, The Crawl Fence and many others. Many survived the apocalypse, while many also failed to save themselves from being “eaten alive” in this thrilling run.
The idea behind the highly anticipated Run For Your Lives Malaysia is that a zombie apocalypse has plagued the world, and so, participants were given the choice to take part as a Survivor or a Zombie in a gameplay that is generally simple – the survivors have to outrun the zombies that hunger ‘capturing’ & ‘eating’ the humans. Besides chasing zombies, survivors also have to battle gruelling obstacle courses.
2015
Catching on the deadly virus, Penang was soon invaded on May 16 at its Botanical Gardens for the very first time – attracting about 1,500 participants from the small island to again experience the world’s most thrilling run.
The 2015 edition round was accompanied by obstacles such as Blood Pit, Smokehouse, Holey Trap and many others throughout the 5km route. The gamification of this exciting and thrilling run is to give participants the chance to choose between being a Zombie (chasing and catching humans) or a Human (running away and escaping from the zombies).
2016
In 2016, Malaysians got the opportunity to experience the first ever zombie “Running Dead” (Night Edition) in Malaysia! This time, the virus continued to spread and found its way back to Kuala Lumpur, breaching the city’s first line of defence. Run For Your Lives Malaysia 2016 was hosted on New Year Eve’s, Dec 31 accommodating about 7,000 participants! They came from different ages, levels, and experiences who showed skill and courage during the run. There was also a fantastic sense of camaraderie along the course.
This time around, I’m told myself, “I’m goin’ in!” and so I did. I got into the mix to experience first-hand the fear and screams of the survivors from being “hunted” down by those dreaded zombies, while I personally documented and captured the horror-fun action on video.
Check it out below and see for yourself how extremely exciting and thrilling the experience was on the night the dead arose from their graves for their still very alive human dinner, and how the survivors strived to escape and stay alive to not end up on the zombie night menu:
2017-2022
The Z-Virus for Run For Your Lives Malaysia 2017 was safely contained and zombies were prevented from coming into existence to this very day. However, this may not be the end of the story just yet…
Monkey Theory advises us to be wary of new outbreak warnings by following their Run For Your Lives Malaysia Facebook Page so that we can better prepare ourselves before the next zombie invasion in Malaysia. Until then, no signs of an outbreak, it seems. But don’t relax too soon… we may be safe for now, but the question is, until when?
The COVID-19 Coronavirus
Meanwhile, our battle against our current very real enemy, the COVID-19 coronavirus, is as real as it’s going to get.
- Get vaccinated as soon as it’s your turn and follow local guidance on vaccination.
- Keep physical distance of at least 1 metre from others, even if they don’t appear to be sick. Avoid crowds and close contact.
- Wear a properly fitted mask when physical distancing is not possible and in poorly ventilated settings.
- Clean your hands frequently with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Dispose of used tissues immediately and clean hands regularly.
- If you develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19, self-isolate until you recover.
Stay informed. Stay prepared. Stay safe.
Good job. Good article.
Thanks for the feedback, and thanks for following my blog for future posts.