Students in the Lipscomb Run Club will race in a Zombie 5K this Saturday at the riverfront.
Three undergraduate students and two graduate students plan to participate in the Zombie Buffet 5K, a benefit event for the Nashville Rescue Mission. The race will include runners and zombies who chase them. If the runners get caught, they will be transformed into zombies and begin to pursue other runners.
Dominique Jacoy, graduate assistant for wellness, is head of the Run Club and said the race should be fun for everyone involved.
“I love wacky stuff like this,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. The only thing is that my team has been training really hard for a 5K, but when someone else is chasing you that’s a whole other story.”
Jacoy said she thinks the race might be a little scary for participants but should have a good turn out because of its unusual nature.
“The fun races always attract a lot of people,” she said, adding that it benefits a good cause as well.”
The Zombie 5K starts at 11 a.m. and aims to raise $100,000 for the Nashville Rescue Mission. The race is sponsored by Backyard Burgers, 96.3 Jack FM, The Score, Greater Nashville House and Home, Fleet Feet Sports, Hob Nob and Bloc 434 Productions.
Jacoy said Lipscomb’s running club started in September with 17 people. The initial participants determined how competitive they wanted the club to be and when they wanted to practice. The team runs at 6:30 a.m. two days each week and once on Sunday afternoons.
“It’s a dedication level they probably didn’t realize they were getting into when they started,” Jacoy said but she explained that the group has become a “tight knit, close family.”
Due to schedules, homework and other commitments, there are only about four members who regularly attend all practices. Jacoy supports students in putting their school work first and reminds the group that even though they are a team, “life comes first.”
Jacoy, who ran competitively during her undergraduate studies at Concordia University in Portland, Ore., said running is healthy and satisfying.
“Running is the most enjoyable sport to me because, not only do you run for other people, but it also has satisfaction in the form of self improvement,” she said. “I can go into any race not trying to beat other people but to beat my own time.”
Jacoy said participating in a running group teaches teamwork and encouragement.
“Being part of a team is what really shaped me as an individual,” she said. “You’re a family with your teammates.”
Jacoy encouraged students to consider joining the club, regardless of running ability, because it provides opportunities for improving health and developing friendships.
“It doesn’t matter how good they are,” she said, “if they have the desire to improve themselves, it doesn’t matter the starting point. It starts out being just about running and then it ends up being about so much more.”
Video by Caitlin Selle