How to Stay Safe When Running in the Dark

The days are shorter and a lot of us can only get a run in when it’s dark outside.

Here are our top tips for staying safe when running during those early morning and evening hours.

1. Stay visible by wearing bright neon colors, reflective gear and light accessories.

We're loving the new collection from Brooks, where they've solved the puzzle of staying both visible and functional with their head-to-toe collection of apparel and shoes that can be seen from as far as 600 feet away! 

Shop the BROOKS RUN VIZ COLLECTION.

2. Use a headlamp or handheld light

Nothing is worse than that uneven sidewalk creeping on you mid stride. There are a lot of options for headlamps and hand held lights that are lightweight and easy to hold while you run making uneven surfaces visible. 

Shop handheld lights & headlamps here.

3. Run in a group or with a friend!

PRO has a group run on Wednesday nights at 6pm from our Milwaukee store and at 8:30am on Saturday mornings from our Brookfield store. Check out our events calendar. There are also a lot of other great groups to run with in the area!

4. Share your route.

If you’re running alone let someone know your route and how long you’ll be gone.
If you have a Garmin, enable the livetrack feature so someone can see where you are.

Enabling LiveTrack Show Course in the Garmin Connect™ App

1. Open the Garmin Connect app.

2. Access the menu by selecting More (bottom right).

3. Select Safety and Tracking. 

4. Select LiveTrack.

5. Under SUPPORTED DEVICES toggle Show Course on.

*If the option is not listed to turn this feature on, this means the device selected does not support this feature.

You can also run with your phone and share your location with someone.

Don't chance it! Regardless of where you run be prepared to protect yourself. There are a variety of easy to carry personal protection devices you can keep on you while you run. Try the Birdie alarm or Mace Jogger Spray. 

5. Traffic Safety

Follow traffic safety rule and run against traffic if you aren’t on a sidewalk. This allows you to see any potentially dangerous situations and get out of the way quickly.