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Wear a Light When You Run at Night

Dave Aiello wrote, "As we enter Fall, it becomes more and more difficult for me to find the time to exercise in daylight hours. This year, I am trying something new in order to allow me to enjoy running after darkness has fallen: a mountaineering headlamp. I bought a Black Diamond Gemini headlamp at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports in Princeton, NJ about two weeks ago, and I have been very satisfied with it."

"Black Diamond Equipment claims that the halogen bulb in the Gemini throws light up to 210 feet when its three AA batteries are fresh. This is important when you are running in very dark areas like the residential neighborhoods of Mercer County, where street lights are few and far between. The entire headlamp, including batteries, weight 7.8 ounces on my postal scale. I paid $38.50 for it, plus tax, so it was not the cheapest headlamp available, nor was it the most expensive."

"The Gemini fits very well on my head. There are two points where the straps can be adjusted. The battery compartment is shaped to fit against the back of my head at about ear level. The only design issue I have with the Gemini is that it should have a piece of reflective tape on the back of the battery compartment, to make me more visible from the rear. This is easily fixed, but, why not include it in the first place?"

Dave Aiello continued:

Drivers seem to see the light well when they approach me and it does not seem to distract them. I assume that it looks like a flashlight to many drivers, although a few have slowed down to see what kind of light I'm carrying.

If you are running at night in dark areas, I would definitely recommend using a lighting device like a mountaineering headlamp. I feel a lot more visible when I'm wearing it, and it makes it much easier to avoid obstacles on sidewalks and roadsides.

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