Claremont’s zombie run is back, with a new name and more zombies than ever! It’s now called the Dead Garden Run and the zombie outbreak is scheduled for Saturday, May 2 at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, beginning at 7 a.m.

J6 Events is repeating this event following the wildly successful Claremont Zombie Run in May of last year. The event was attended by 2,800 runners and thousands of dollars were raised for the beneficiaries, Botanic Garden and St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

There was a lot of apprehension leading up to the inaugural zombie run last year. As Eric Garton, director of visitor services at the Garden explains, they were doing something that was entirely unprecedented in allowing thousands of people to use the winding pathways of a botanic garden as the race course for a themed fun-run. However, by carefully educating participants on the importance of preservation and care for the garden, organizers and participants were able to get in and move out without leaving a trace. Runners were very respectful of the habitat and there was a great team of volunteers to insure no impact was made.

The second annual zombie run in Claremont is coming up soon. This is the opportunity for new and returning participants to try their zombie survival skills by attempting to make it through the zombie-infested garden without losing their flag belt. A percentage of the proceeds will once again go to the garden itself and to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. The Red Cross will also be onsite with their bloodmobile to take blood for a great cause.

Those interested in participating in this event can register at www.deadgardenrun.com. Use the code DGRUN2015 to get a $15 discount on the registration cost.