Runners to light up Val De la Mare at night

Tuesday 08 May 2018

Runners are being invited to light up Val de Mare with head torches as they race around the reservoir in the latest event by Trial Monkey.

The running company is the brainchild of Paul Burrows, as he wanted to give local runners more choice and challenges following the success of ‘Park Run’ which he brought over to Jersey in 2015.

After four successful races this year over rocky terrain, off road and along the island’s cliff paths, which has seen the running community grow from race to race, Paul is now wanting to share his love of running at night by holding the next race at Val De La Mare in the dark.

“It’s such a lovely time of day to run! Running with a head torch; you find it a different experience to being in the day. You exist in this little bubble of light and due to needing to focus on the ground in front of you, I find it very conducive to being quite mindful and living in the now and forgetting all the day-to-day goings on,” explained Paul. 

He added: “I guess the Trail Monkey ethos is to push the boundaries a little as to what people believe can be possible, so to organise an event like this and convey my love for running, running in the dark and in a nice environment such as Val De La Mare is a natural thing to do.”

Although Paul wants it to be a fun event, he also wants it to be a safe one by demanding that all runners entering the race to wear a head-torch and children must be in arm’s length of their parents at all times. There will also be some lighting to guide the route so runners don’t get lost. 

“The way is lit with glow sticks and we conduct thorough risk assessments, so that any issues are identified before the event. On the night, we will have a tail runner running at the back to make sure everyone is doing ok and enjoying the evening. The marshals will be situated around the course, ensuring that everyone knows which way to go as well as being there for support for runners. 

“We are timing people and checking people in and out so that we know who is out on the course and who is finished also, so it will be a well organised, safe, and most importantly, fun evening.”

 Runners will be timed and have the choice of running around the reservoir once or twice to make it a 5km or 10km race. Paul hopes the unique event will be as successful as the previous Trail Monkey races which he says has been really well supported by runners of all abilities, making all the hard work that he and his team do worth it. 

Video: Paul says he's really pleased runners have taken on the more challenging races that Trail Monkey offers, but now wants to introduce them to the joy of night running.

“The best thing for me has been seeing people who have never taken part in events like this doing one and the smile on their faces at the end as they finish. The events are challenging, but they are so much fun, against a beautiful backdrop.

“We have averaged around 50 runners per race, and lots have people have signed straight up for the next one after completing a race, despite being initially nervous. 

“It’s been great to see the Trail Monkey Community grow as each race has gone on, people waiting till all the finishers are through and having tea and cake at the end of the race. I am looking forward to hopefully welcoming people new to trail running and running at night and showing them just how much fun it can be.”

Runners can sign up to the Night Trail Race here.