Saturday was the Summer Night Trail Marathon at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis. This is one of two night trail marathons that take place in this beautiful area and I am happy to say I was able to participate in both (at the half marathon distance).
The Winter Night Trail Marathon was my first trail half marathon and also my first night trail run. So I decided to leave the camera behind for that one. This time, however, I wanted to test out the GoPro and see just how well it could handle the low light situation of headlamps in the middle of the night. I think it did pretty well!
Going into this race, I was feeling a bit sore. The day before I created my gear list video – a stop motion style animation that required about 200 lunges to create. Lunges are not in my normal routine, so I was feeling that the next day to say the least. On top of that, Saturday was a busy day of getting projects done around the house. By the time I was packing the car for the race it seemed incredibly late.
I arrived at the race site at 7:50 – over an hour and a half before the start of the event. This was fine, since I wanted to capture some of the race ambiance for the video. I also ran into some friends and was able to chat to pass the time. Looking to the sky, I was thankful that the rain held off so I could play with my cameras.
The race started right around 9:30. Actually, I think James (the race director) even started a minute or so early – how often does that happen??
The course starts out with a turn from the parking lot into the trails that quickly becomes single track. As experienced trail runners know, single track can be frustrating in a race situation. So this race begins in waves. The full marathoners go first. We wait until their headlamps disappear behind the trees before the first wave of quarter and half marathon runners is allowed to go. I decided to jump into this first wave of half marathoners. After all, I was only half planning on filming anything here anyway.
At one mile in I see the first mile marker and decide to stop to get a shot of runners passing it. Even though there is still the slightest bit of light in the sky, the trail path seems pitch black. As runners pass me they thank me for being out there – thinking I am a volunteer manning the 1 mile marker.
I continue on and proceed to run with pretty much the same people for the rest of the first lap. I pull over to the side to get a shot every now and then, and then regroup with the same folks. As we encounter obstacle after obstacle, everyone calls out the objects ahead – “log!”.
Even during the day, a trail run feels different than any road race. Hit the trails at night and that feeling is multiplied. It’s no wonder to me why the ultra marathon community is known for being a tight knit group of friendly people. I have only done a half marathon on trails and the camaraderie is evident. I can only imagine how it is when everyone out there is running 50 or more miles. That’s a bucket list item for me for sure.
I hope this peak into my newcomer experience with trail running is helpful.
Cheers!
Chris