Each year when the clocks go back, after the initial joy at feeling wide awake in the morning, the reality of short days and commuting in darkness sets in. November winds blow the last of the autumn colour off the trees, and beyond November 5th fireworks, it’s a bit of a gloomy wait till the streets are illuminated with Christmas sparkle.
What better time then to take part in a night time race – where the dress code is dayglo and head torches essential to light the way? Add in a backdrop of breathtaking modern steel sculptures – The Kelpies – and it makes it a night to remember.
It had been raining pretty much all day and I was a bit worried that it would be all tutu and no race to speak of – not that I was there for a serious workout, but it would be much less fun if there was no effort involved. Blame my inner Calvinist, but I like to earn my rewards !
Heading out on a Saturday night, albeit early evening, felt like a bit of an adventure and doing this kind of race with friends always adds to the excitement.
Reaching the race area there was a big crowd of runners, snaking to the start like a queue for an 80s club night – and dressed in variations on a dayglo theme. My illumination was pretty sober compared to some of my fellow runners who were festooned with fairy lights, tutu and neon.
My good running buddy Alison who loves all things illuminated and sparkly, was glowing from head to toe, and had given us all flashing rings to wear. This added to our head torches ( given to all runners) created a running ribbon of light, as we took off into the darkness against the backdrop of the stunning Kelpies sculpture.
Magical.
And to top off a great night, the rain had stopped and with hardly a breath of wind and a flat 5k route it was a really enjoyable run and not a bad time for me.
Might even tempt me back to parkrun, and rid me of my 5k phobia – but only if I can wear dayglo 🙂
The unfinished sentence... 