Winter Night Owl Trail Marathon, Half, and 10K

Let’s run the trails at night! Night Owl races are offered twice a year. In 2024 Winter Night Owl will take place on January 6 and Summer Night will be on June 8. 2024 is our 5th year and we will have special surprises for our 5 year finishers as well as a new medal design. Join us on January 6 in beautiful Caesar Creek State Park for a little night trail magic. Whether you are a seasoned ultra runner or just getting started on trails, this is a perfect way to experience the thrill of running through the woods at night.

We are offering full marathon, half marathon and 10K distances. • Great Company • Excellent Food • Gorgeous trails! THIS IS A CUPLESS RACE! THERE WILL BE NO CUPS AT AID STATIONS. PLEASE CARRY A COLLAPSIBLE CUP WITH YOU to get drinks at aid stations. The course is a beautiful single track trail around Caesar Creek Lake (combination of yellow perimeter loop and red/green trail near Wellman Meadow). There will be different start times for the different distances to allow participants to spread out on the trail and experience the gorgeous sunset over the Caesar Creek Lake. All participants must carry mandatory gear: headlamp and/or waist light with extra batteries, water bottle (or bladder), collapsible cup, and fully charged cell phone.

Finishers will receive cool owl medals that glow in the dark. All registered runners will receive high quality swag. We will have awards for top finishers in both genders.

There will be 4 aid stations on the course:
1. Wellman Meadow (10K turnaround point): it will be manned until all 10K runners come through, unmanned for the remainder of the night. Will have water and Tailwind.
2. Fifty Springs (manned and fully stocked aid station with water, tailwind and typical ultra fare (pretzels, trail mix, potato chips, PB&J, bananas, etc).
3. Day Lodge (water and tailwind and limited nutrition (granola bars and/or gels).
4. Start/Finish (fully stocked aid station with water, Tailwind, pretzels, potato chips, PB&J, hummus avocado wraps, and warm food (including vegan options).
Empower Ultras is proud to be a Trail Sisters approved race. We offer: Equal Podium Spots. Equal Prize Money & Awards. Women’s specific swag & apparel. (no unisex t-shirts). Menstrual products at all aid stations. Equal opportunity/space for women on the starting line.
Empower Ultras was founded by Aneta (Nettie) Zeppettella and Jennifer Russo, who met through ultrarunning and over years gained lots of experience, finishing some of the hardest ultras on the East Coast and beyond. Nettie has directed ultrarunning events for several years as a volunteer RD for a local club and Jennifer has extensive marketing experience. We want to empower you to try to push your limits and create your new adventures. Please join us. We will cheer for you with our whole hearts!