Night Run at WS Trail

A buddy and I did a night run from Greengate to Placer High School last night. I can’t recommend it enough to WS runners. It will give you an opportunity to test all your lighting equipment, figure out how to manage your nutrition and hydration while holding on to a flash light, assess your night-time pace, etc. I recommend two small flashlights (one as a back-up) and a headlamp. The headlamp will let you check your watch and keep the trail lit when you are juggling your flashlight, water bottles, salt tablets, etc (as you most likely will).

Don’t do the run alone as falls are likely and the course is not well marked. My buddy took a bad spill and rolled downhill, but was lucky to have the bushes break the rest of his fall.

Consider stashing some food and water around mile 15 of the 22-mile run. The trail crosses Highway 49 at the quarry about a mile before the town of Cool (proceeding from Auburn). You can stash supplies at either side of the road. You’ll need two cars to do this point-to-point run, one you leave at the top of dirt road that leads to Greengate and the other at the finish line.

At some point during the run, stop, turn off all the lights and enjoy the incredible celestial show.