top of page
City running is the most common but sometimes the most dangerous. With other lights in the environment, you as a runner may have a hard time standing out...
Help me find out what works best for me...
By overcoming these 3 main challenges of City Running, you can run faster, farther and with more confidence.
Quick View
Be Seen at Night
Tracer360
Being seen as a runner in the city is your number one safety goal. You may be able to run for hours but when it comes to car vs runner. Runner ALWAYS looses. We suggest picking up the Tracer 360. It allows you to be seen from all sides and features bright dramatic colors that force drivers to see you. (See more options below...)
See Your Path
Your second focus is to see your path at night. Shifting and fading light throughout your run makes it hard to choose 1 option that works well for all terrains and lighting. But the best option we've found is the Black Diamond Spot. It has easily adjustable lights as well as an easily accessible brightness BOOST for those darker areas.
(See more options below...)
Basic
Be Seen During the Day
Basic
Being seeing during the day is often overlooked by runners. Many assume they'll be seen because of the daylight, but unfortunately that's not always the case. Wearing High Viz material will make you stand out in a world of bland colors. We suggest a stylish outfit that you can feel good wearing and also keep you more visible during your daytime run. (See more options below...)
City Challenge 1- Be Seen (In the Darkness)
Problem- In a city where your number one goal is not being hit by other objects, being seen is life or death. Some gear is great for the day but becomes useless at night and others work well at night, but are almost invisible during the day.
Solution- A high visibility wearable with motion allows drivers eyes to be drawn to the contrast. Brightness with or without light will garner attention so the more the merrier. There are 2 types to choose from but one with Active Illumination vs Reactive Illumination is the best.
Tracer360
Rico Vest
BSeen Belt
The Tracer 360 is an innovative wearable LED vest that combines bright flashing colors in the form of SECONDARY and REACTIVE Illumination for a double punch of attention. The second option is a REFLECTIVE vest that will seemingly light up when hit by a driver's lights. The other options are other types of wearables that can be seen by drivers. Other vests, belts or heal lights that create motion will draw attention to you
City Challenge 2- See
Problem- Unlike during the day, at night, it's hard to see as the city lights dim in different areas of your run. Your headlight may be ok for seeings in dim areas in the city but is it enough without having too much firepower?
Solution- The varying lighting of neighborhoods can make it hard to find a light that will work in even the dimmest areas. You'll need something with either a broad light or one with a nice directional light. Also if you're not sure how bright of a light you need, we suggest a light with multiple brightness settings. A good hand held light will give you great versatility when you need to point out obstacles as well as change the direction of your beam. But any light with a wide low beam or directional ability will be the best.
Knuckle Lights
One80 Light
Actik Core
Our pick for hand lights goes to Knuckle Lights. They have different modes, designs and color options to choose from to fit your style. The best low ground beam light is the One80 Light. It's a waist light that provides 180 degrees of low angle light to see the ground around you. The last option is a good head lamp that allows for wide angle vision and narrow focus areas for seeing distances. The Petzl Actik Core has 2 leds that work together to create that ideal pairing.
City Challenge 3- Be Seen (During the Day)
Often because it's daylight many runners think they are more visible to drivers. But in some cases, they are just as invisible to drivers as they are at night. Something called INATTENTIONAL BLINDNESS forces driver's brains to block out objects that aren't being focused on, even if they're moving.
As a runner during the day, your goal is to overcome drivers distractions and become part of their focus as you come into their field of view. To do this you must stand out against a backdrop of daily white noise. HIGH VIZ material will help you catch the eye of those on the road as well as a few compliments on the great style.
Vest
Compression
Winter Cap
There are plenty of athletic brands that make clothing that is High Viz. When searching for yourself, be sure to look out for bright bold colors that don't' occur naturally in your environment. Typically "highlighter colors" like bright green, pink, yellow and orange all fall under the high viz category. Luckily you can find stylish gear integrated with high viz material so feel free to take your time and find something you look good in.
Other Challenge...
Other Challenge...
Transition Visibility- The hidden unsafe time of the day to run is from dark to light (dawn), or from light to dark (dusk). Typically a runner is prepared for 1 but not for the other which leaves the vulnerable even though they feel prepared.
​
Driver's eyes are also changing during this time of day too. Glare from sunset and sunrise, as well as headlights on too early or late in the day make it that much harder for drivers to properly see their surroundings. To stay safe during this transition time it's crucial to have safety gear for BOTH day and night.
Tracer 360 by Nox Gear
The Tracer360 is our pick for the best gear for that transition time. It features a High Viz, Reflective strap for the day and a high power LED system to be seen at night. The next best option is to combine High Viz gear and night gear. Search some stylish wearables with bright colors to pair up with a great head lamps or belt light.
bottom of page