Night Time Is The Right Time - Being comfortable at night running for ultras

You will need to be comfortable running at night in an ultra.

It is a different skill set for a different sensory experience. Many of your usual indictors of progress will be missing – the view ahead, for example. Learning to relax and enjoy the beauty and challenges of running at night can transform your ultra running.


A way to start is to go out on familiar trails with some friends, and with a good light – minimalist lights are all well and good, but being able to see where you are going is first and foremost. This will give you other people as reference points and help keep you focussed on your running rather than thinking ‘look how dark and spooky it is’ and ‘I can’t seem to see where my feet are going’.

Running solo with confidence through big mountains at night is a special part of the ultramarathon running experience. Many of the big races will require you to start or finish in darkness and/or run through the night, but even if your race plans don’t cross into this territory, adding a dark dimension to your running will open up a whole new world. It’s a skill-confidence-kit combination.

Here are some tips from Andy Mouncey, our Run Course Director, shedding some light on the subject.

Simple To Start

Start on familiar territory with friends in good weather where the underfoot conditions are easy and you can still find your way with a good light. Full moon nights under clear skies make it magical and can be almost torch-free.

Light Me Up

Get a good light: Minimalist is fine but first and foremost you want to see where you are going. A diffuse beam option will give you a broad light zone that can be easier to run under than a bright narrow focus beam. Any other gizmos and features are personal choice and a function on how much you want to spend – test it for ‘faff factor’ and discard it if it scores. Your choice should be simple, easy and comfortable to use, and do the job – with torch technology these days you can get great kit for increasingly less money.

Back Up

You should have your main headtorch, a spare (minimal) headtorch, and spare batteries for your main one. If your main one fails you still need to be able to see if you want to change batteries. Keep your spare torch handy in a jacket or rucksack pocket or similar and use rechargeable batteries.

Making The Transition

Dusk can be the trickiest time. As the light fades your eyes are making continual adjustment and your depth perception will vary. This is a time to slow down, relax and allow body and mind to make the adjustments in time with the changing conditions.

Remember The View Rule

Stop – look at the view – then start running again. Attempting both simultaneously just results in stubbed toes at best!

The next trip is in the Mont Blanc Massif from August 25th 2012 with special guest Jez Bragg. For full details see: www.alpine-oasis.com.

Andy Mouncey is a motivational speaker, coach and author, see:www.doingbigandscary.com