* From: Sandy Rhee
* Event Details
“This is the worst idea. Ever.” This is how my husband described my signing up for the Panic In The Dark race months ago. Back then, it seemed like a good idea to get a package deal for both Panic and the Blizzard Blast and besides, all my friends were doing it, so why not? I’m a huge chicken. THAT’S why not. I would sooner get a root canal with no novocain than ever go to see a horror movie. And, I’d see a horror movie before I would ever step foot in a haunted house. When I say I’m a chicken, I am really giving myself a lot of credit.
So, last night was finally the night for the race. My anxiety started to build about a week ago and it was at its peak yesterday when we were called to the start line. SmithFest started the entire thing off before we even got to the starting line. We were led through narrow hallways and into a briefing room for instructions. Before the instructions were even finished, the zombies were there in the room. One crawled around startling people as they stood waiting to go out the door to the bus. Luckily, I had a team of Spahtens with me who realized exactly how panicked I really was and they stepped up to help shield me for the entire race. (Thank you Jasmine, Jim, Kandice, Hannah, and Stacey!!!) On top of that, they never once poked fun at Amy and I for being scared even though we clearly gave them ample opportunity!
I must admit that many of the race details completely escaped my attention. After the race, people were asking what I thought of the staticky televisions and I couldn’t even remember seeing any TVs at all! Also, Amy says she may have left clutching fingertip bruises on my arms but I don’t remember her even grabbing me. What I do remember is “Watch out. Two on our left.” and “There’s one hiding on top of the bus to reach down through the vent, so be careful!” My team watched out for us like you wouldn’t believe and it was because of them that I was able to make my way through this race while meeting my four goals. Those were: 1. Don’t punch anybody. 2. Don’t hyperventilate. 3. Don’t pee my pants. And 4. Don’t cry. Well, I almost met all four goals. Anxiety got the best of me before we even started and I got a little teary. And, after the race, I punched Paul Jones several times. Of course, he REALLY deserved it. Technically, I didn’t break any of the rules though because they
only said we couldn’t punch the zombies.
From the perspective of someone who is truly a scaredy-cat, this race was amazing. The course was varied and the obstacles had some nice Halloween/spooky twists that made it fun despite the fright factor. There are a lot of people who would laugh at the idea that the race was frightening because there are a lot of people who don’t scare easily or even like to be scared. I certainly don’t begrudge them that! For some of us though, this was difficult run to do. My hat is tipped to Fred and his group for hitting a good balance for us. I really had a good time, even though I seriously doubted I would. I also felt an added sense of accomplishment for having done something I really didn’t want to do.
For those who wonder why Paul deserved to get punched… At one point, we ran through a school. Paul stopped long enough to explain to some of the zombies that I’d be coming a few minutes behind him and that they should watch for me in particular. Kandice inadvertently pointed me out in front of said zombies while warning me that they were there. A few feet past them, all I here is “Run, Sandy, run!”. I don’t think I’ve ever run that fast in my life. Thanks, Paul. Jerk.
* Race Details
* Rating
Average
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* From: Amy Lillis
* Event Details
Panic in the Dark was an amazing race! It is a nighttime, zombie infested OCR run by SmithFest Events. The event begins at Lowell Auditorium where we were able to be indoors. To me, this is a huge benefit since early November can be very, very cold. It also meant that, although the race was held at night, there was plenty of light while we weren’t running, and there were actual bathrooms. Clean, flushing, toilets; plenty of toilet paper; sinks with running hot and cold water; paper towels; mirrors. Sometimes it’s the small things that make me happy.
Then there are the big things. NE Spahtens was the biggest team and we were definitely made to feel special. Not only did we have a table set up with 2 Panic in the Dark banners with our team name on them and “Biggest Team 2013” along with an Edible Arrangement, the race went to the amazing step of crafting special tee shirts for us. They have the typical Panic in the Dark logo on front and our team’s logo and “Biggest Team” on the back. Awesome!!!
Additionally, there was food and drink available at reasonable prices, plenty of gear to buy (including long sleeved tech shirts), and there was a guy doing zombie makeup for anyone who wanted it. After the race, they had a band playing and tables set up with lots of little candies and Halloween trinkets.
* Race Details
I should start this by saying that I am a huge chicken. I’m afraid of being in the woods at night and I am definitely afraid of people jumping out at me. I’m not specifically afraid of zombies because, let’s face it, they don’t actually exist. Yet. However, a good makeup and actor can easily scare me. This race was on my list because I promised myself that I would step outside of my comfort zone this year and this definitely met that criteria.
The “Panic” really started almost as soon as our wave was called. After we went through “security”, which checked to see that we were all wearing a number, we were brought to a holding room to hear the safety instructions. It was on a video and there was a lot of giggling by our group (sorry, Fred, but it was kind of funny). Then the video cuts to tell us that the zombies are on the loose. Before we know it, they are in the room with us. We were led through a maze of hallways, meeting more zombies on the way, and out onto the bus.
When we arrived at the park, we were told that a horde had just passed through. We got started and were immediately met by zombies on the first stretch. The best thing about this was that, although they were able to be in our way and come right up to us, there was no physical contact allowed between zombies and racers. I was fully in panic mode, but I had a great team keeping me in tow and I felt safe(ish) most of the time. The race continued through the park and even went through a building (maybe a school?) and a bus, all the while zombies coming out both where we expected them and where we certainly didn’t.
Many of the zombies were great actors and were really scary. A few were less great actors, but I was glad for that because it allowed me to unclench for a minute. Zombie Santa did make me a little sad.
The terrain was not terribly difficult, except that it was dark and there were places where it was really uneven. The race did a great job of arranging things on the ground in some areas so that we had to watch our footing and couldn’t look for zombies.
There were a few obstacles. A few walls, a ladder, an inflatable (which housed the scariest zombie of the whole race), tires to run through, pumpkins to carry, a maze of wires wrapped in spider webs, and a very long tunnel. The obstacles weren’t terribly difficult, but they were just another distraction while looking for the zombie threat.
All in all, Panic in the Dark delivered exactly what they promised and they did a really good job of it from start to finish. I came home with an awesome tee shirt, a glow in the dark medal, nightmares, and fun stories to tell. There’s nothing I’d change about this race and, despite the fact that it scared the pants off of me, I’m ready to go back next year.
I’d like to give a special thank you to my battle buddy, Sandy Rhee, who held my hand the entire time, and to Kandice, James, Hannah, Stacy, and Jasmine who formed a protective shield around me and Sandy.
* Rating
Excellent
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* From: Corrine Giordani
* Event Details
Parking was easy and very close to the venue. I had no problems. The Lowell Auditorium was a great place to host the race. It had plenty of space, real bathrooms and a nice spot for an afterparty. Check in was fast with no backups. The swag ROCKED!! Panic gave us the greatest race shirt evar! Since we were the biggest team instead of the regualr race shirt everybody else got the Spahtens got special Largest team shirts with our team logo on the back. This was a great idea, I know I will be wearing this shirt a lot!!
We also got our own space, biggest team banner and an Edable Arrangement Fruit Basket. I love this race!
* Race Details
The race was a crazy good time. I have never done a zombie style race or a night race so this was really special for me. It was a really fun course, the zombies did a good job (damm you zombies who hide in leaves!) and lots of fun creative obstacles. I had a great time! See you next year 🙂
* Rating
Excellent
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* From: Jessica Wohlen
* Event Details
Location/Parking: Located in the heart of Lowell, which I’m not overly familiar with, it took us a few minutes to figure out where we were going. The GPS gave us a little trouble, so we just followed where people were heading to and managed to figure it all out. We chose to park in the parking lot across the street from the Lowell Auditorium for a reasonable $5. Once we were parked, it was easy from there!
Facilities: Since everything was staged in a building we had most of the comforts of home. Indoor plumbing (always a bonus), a warm place to hang out (a wonderful thing in November!), and plenty of space to sit/stand/dance/hangout.
Vendors: All I can say for certain is that Core Power and the Air Force were on site. Since we were setup right next to the Core Power table we definitely had our fair share of samples!
Schwag: Awesome medals and “Special for the Largest Team” Tshirts
* Race Details
This race was themed from the get go. Walking up to the registration point there was a caged zombie, a couple zombie meandering around the front steps, and a sign on the door that said something to the effect of “Enter at your own risk!”
When we got called for our heat, we went through a pre-race instruction which again set the tone for the event. It was much like the Disney pre-ride situation. From there we were off and through a section of Lowell Auditorium (and some Zombies) to find our way out to the bus. A short ride and were at Shedd Park.
I have to say Shedd Park was perfect for this race. A dark park, in the fall, a few days after Halloween – WIN!
While not overly challenging – running, crawling, walls, carrying a pumpkin, and dodging zombies – this was super fun and well themed race!
I went into this not knowing what to expect, but hoping for at least a somewhat fun event. My expectations were exceeded. I’m hoping there’s another package deal for Panic/Blizzard 2014/2015 because I’d really like to do this one again!!
* Rating
Above Average
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* From: Chris Meusel
* Event Details
I don’t recall getting any pre-race details. I got all details from the NE Spahtens Facebook page. I also had difficulty finding where I needed to go since I’d never been to the Auditorium. The parking sign would have been better if it said “PANIC PARKING”. Maybe a sandwich sign by the gate “PANIC PARKiNG AHEAD 2 miles on left”. And a sign at the fork in the road.
* Race Details
Awesome. Maybe a couple more red ground lights where the footing was really crappy. Solar driveway lights? Tons of fun.
* Rating
Excellent
