What’s cooler than trail running at night? Doing it on a beautiful evening along gorgeous singletrack with 100+ members of your trail community on a course marked entirely with glow sticks… Pretty cool, right?
The good folks at TrailsROC.org recently ran their first ‘Ready, Set, Glow!’ Trail Race at the Dryer Road Park Trails in Victor, NY. And, by all accounts, participants had a blast!
Headlamps were required for the 7pm race start and the 5 mile trail loop (with “a couple of turns” – map below) was marked by over 250 glow sticks and 500 reflective flags the whole way. Volunteers actually raked the leaves off the entire trail beforehand, making the trail much more visible for the night race.
While it was a timed race, the emphasis on the social aspect and having fun (most were decked out with glow sticks, neon paint and clothing, etc. and enjoyed a post-race meal from The Soup Spoon), made it an enjoyable, low-key event for all involved.
QUOTES:
“Thanks to all who put this run together! It was ridiculous FUN and I’m in for next year, and the year after and… You guys ROCK!” (Sandy M.)
“That was a great race! So funky with all the glow sticks and headlamps. Trails Roc has done it again.” (Samuel B.)
RACE REPORT LINKS: Check out the pics + race report links below for a taste… You’ll want to sign-up next year!
– FROM COUCH TO IRONWOMAN: Let’s Glow Volunteer, “We had SO much fun last night. I don’t think we’ve had as much fun volunteering before, and that’s saying a lot since we have volunteered at some pretty cool events. It was amazing to see everyone having a fun time!”
– DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, FAIR WEATHER RUNNER: Ready, Set, Glow: Trail Running In The Dark, “One of the things I love about Trails Roc is how simple they are. They aren’t looking to make money. Instead they provide novel, social running experiences showcasing our region’s trails.”
– TRAILS2BREWS: Ready Set Glow Recap, “She looked at me and said “What about a night time fun run, with glow sticks and headlamps and music and a black light party, something that isn’t so crazy like what you put people through today.” Ready, Set, Glow was born.”
RACE RESULTS: Official Results – Ready, Set, Glow 2013 – Ultra Signup
All Images Copyright Ben Murphy, 2013. All Rights Reserved.
***Disclaimer: Ben Murphy (Founder, Publisher, Editor of RocOutside.com) is a co-founder of TrailsROC.org***
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