If you consider yourself an even mildly adventurous runner, you have to try this race at least once! It takes place at the beautiful Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis at night, which means there's only your headlamp to light your way. It's a trail run, and there's something both creepy and inherently surreal about seeing your light cutting through the dark, bouncing off the ice of the frozen reservoir, illuminating the trunks of trees along your path. The slight Blair Witch Project vibe might make you run faster, but beware of down limbs, mud pits, creek crossings, and icy bridges!

This race is a pleasure from registration. You can choose the quarter, half, or full marathon length, though do be mindful that there's a cut-off time. The organizers are very clear in stating that this race is run in all weather, so don't bother asking if they'll cancel for snow! You'll get nice reminder emails and a glimpse at the swag before you sign up. The long sleeve thermal provided this year is awesome, and they even offer it in extra small! The medal is a spinner, and like all of theirs, it's enormous and looks great wherever you keep your collection. The race sells out every year, so you'll want to register early.

When you arrive on race evening, you'll be greeted with ample parking, an organized packet pick-up, plenty of portapots, friendly volunteers, and lots of similarly insane folks warming up. Oh, and it'll be cold! The race starts in close-set waves, so at times you might be cruising with 10k folks and marathoners. Once the 10k people finish, you'll have a much quieter race, and you may often find yourself seemingly alone on the trail, which is wonderfully serene. There are plenty of arrows marking your path, so you need not worry about getting lost. The 2017 run was incredible muddy, so be prepared and protect your feet. Your shoes will very likely get extremely wet, which we all know leads to blisters. Bring some layers that you can easily remove. Lots of people ran with tiny backpacks for hats and gloves they no longer needed a few miles in. BRING DRY SHOES AND SOCKS! You'll want them post race.

You'll want to keep in mind that you will not set a PR on this run, so don't anticipate it. Depending on conditions, it can be more like an alternating run/hike. There are parts where running would be dangerous. I saw several people eat it on slick mud and exposed roots. Don't worry too much about your time on this one. If you stay upright and finish, you've accomplished something awesome, and guaranteed you'll have a blast doing it.

The trail volunteers are great, and you'll find lots of rest stops with gatorade, water, trail mix, and potties. At the finish line you'll find snacks, your medal, and a results board that's promptly updated. Photos are results are usually up the next day at the latest.

Overall, know what you're getting into on this one. I wouldn't recommend this if you have another race soon after, as your recovery will be different after this, and you may have falls to nurse. However, if you're looking for a unique run that you can talk about for ages, this is for you!