Zombie Crawlers help 5K runners stay motivated through the streets of downtown Wichita Falls

Shoot the brain, kill the zombie.

The Wichita Falls Zombie Crawl and 5K Run was a bloodthirsty success, raising $7,450 over the weekend. More than 1,200 people, from the MSU and Wichita Falls communities, were in attendance.

Six hundred undead crawlers chased 371 runners in a 5K run down a city street route, which started at the Farmers Market at Eighth Street.

“We were very surprised by the participation,” said Crystal Adler, executive assistant for Downtown Wichita Falls Development. “We had a huge crowd before the event even opened.”

This Halloween event is one of the many ways Wichita Falls Downtown Proud, whose mission is to create awareness of downtown Wichita Falls, has tried to encourage students and the community to experience the urban atmosphere.

“Some people don’t even realize we have a downtown,” Adler said. “(Downtown Proud) strives to promote revitalization of our downtown through economic growth.”

Adler said events like the Zombie Crawl are an effective way to get people downtown and to notice what businesses offer in the area.

$250 of the proceeds was donated to the MSU Rugby team, who Adler felt needed the donations after being affected by budget cuts.

“The Zombie Crawl was awesome,” said senior Jason Fisher, who was a zombie at the run. “There were great costumes, lots of people, dancing and James Cook played. I’d never been to something like that.”

Photos by Hannah Hofmann