The zombie apocalypse is coming to Charles County, but fear not: These zombies will have hearts of gold.

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), Charles County Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 24 and Charles County Correctional Officers Association (CCCOA) are hosting a Zombie Invasion 5K on Sun., Nov. 17, at Laurel Springs Regional Park in La Plata to raise money for Special Olympics Maryland. The invasion is a fun, family-friendly event in which participants “transition” into zombies before completing the 5K. It is not to be confused with a zombie chase, in which participants run from zombies.

Registration will be open between 8 and 10 a.m. During the registration period, volunteer makeup artists from the Port Tobacco Theater and local high school drama clubs will help the participants make the transition into zombies by applying zombie makeup. Participants may also “zombie-fie” themselves. The 5K begins at 10 a.m.

The zombie participants can choose to run the 5K as a race or to take a more leisurely, family-friendly, zombie-like pace. Strollers are welcome. The start times will be staggered to allow faster zombies to lead the way. The race portion for runners will be conducted using chipped timing. The runners may obtain their registration packets from the FOP Lodge located at 10285 Rosewick Road in La Plata on Nov. 15 from 6-8 p.m. or on Nov. 16 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

The cost to register is $25 for adult zombies and $20 for child zombies between 11 and 17 years undead. There is no registration fee for zombies 10 years undead or younger. Zombies may register online at http://zombieinvasion5k.com.kintera.org/ and those who register before Nov. 8 will receive a T-shirt. T-shirts are available in adult and youth sizes. Only a limited supply of T-shirts will be available during the race-day registration so zombies who want to secure a commemorative T-shirt are encouraged to register early. Zombies may register as individuals or as zombie teams.

A light lunch will be served when the zombies return to the park. After the 5K, the CCSO, FOP and CCCOA will present awards for the 5K race to the top zombie finisher in each age category, the overall top female zombie finisher, the overall top male zombie finisher and the top fundraising zombie team. They will also hold a zombie beauty contest.

The CCSO has a map of the infected area – the 5K route – on its website. The right westbound lane of Rosewick Road will be closed to traffic during the race to protect the runners and walkers. It is not expected to significantly impact traffic. Zombie police officers will provide traffic direction.

Citizens with questions about the event may contact Sgt. Proctor at 240-299-5207 or proctora@ccso.us. Those who would like to make a monetary donation in lieu of participating in the 5K may mail it to Charles County Sheriff’s Office/Attention Sgt. Proctor/PO Box 189/La Plata MD 20646; be sure to indicate the donation is for Special Olympics Maryland. Local businesses interested in donating services may also contact Sgt. Proctor. For more information about Special Olympics Maryland, visit www.somd.org.

Media Contact
Kristen Timko
301-609-6538
timkok@ccso.us