Light Up Your Trail Runs

Lighting up your trail runs isn't just about using any old light.

A lot has been discussed about off-road running and trail equipment, but what happens after the sun sets? Ultra-distance races usually involve running through the night, and having the right light with you adds greatly to your safety and vision.

GETTING STARTED

With incandescent lights practically obsolete these days, the scene is dominated by LED emitters that are very small, power efficient and with the capacity to be extremely bright. When shopping for lights, you’ll see the Cree name come up very often. Cree is the world’s leading LED manufacturer and it’s generally accepted that they are on the cutting edge of LED technologies.

While Cree emitters originate in the USA, the leading innovations in portable lighting are happening in China, and most of the leading designs in store these days consist of a Chinese-made light body sporting an American-made LED emitter.

Flashlights are built with small circuits in the LED driver that let them swap through a variety of lighting modes. This lets the user control light output and runtimes, so that you can tailor the brightness to the condition that you are in. Many are also rated to IPX7, meaning that they will survive being submerged under water as well.

FORM FACTOR

While band-mounted, forehead worn lights are considered standard for night running, it pays to check on the security of the band, comfort of the lighting unit, and overall weight before committing. Lights get hot when used for a few hours, and you want to make sure that it is insulated enough to not get uncomfortable for the user.