THE NIGHTRUNNER

Winter mornings. The alarm goes off long before the day shows even the faintest hint of light. Outside, everything is quiet, cold, dark. For many, this is the moment to turn over and sleep a little longer. For Ida-Sophie Hegemann, it is often the moment her training begins. Not out of romantic idealism, but out of necessity. So she sets off while others are still asleep.

For Ida, darkness is not a stylistic device, not an aesthetic effect for social media. It is part of her everyday life. Since switching from marathon running to ultradistances, her training rhythm has changed. Many races start in the evening or in the middle of the night. Anyone who wants to perform there must know the darkness – and endure it. “Getting used to the dark in training helps me not to be afraid of it in races,” Ida says.

That was not always the case. In the beginning, she ran with a weak beam of light, cautious, almost hesitant, worried the battery might not last. Especially downhill, this cost her time and confidence. “I was holding myself back,” she says in retrospect, shaking her head.

A MOMENT THAT STAYED

The turning point came during a race in 2024, somewhere on a downhill section at night. Ida was running behind another athlete and watched how boldly he descended. His beam of light was wide, bright, and seemed utterly reliable. “I tried not to let him shake me off and stayed close to him and his beam of light.” On the next uphill, he told her that he always runs downhill at full light output. Downhills at night, he explained, were his strength.

That sentence stuck with her. What had been uncertainty became a project. Ida began working deliberately on not just accepting night running, but mastering it. Light played a central role – as a source of safety and trust. “Without light, I have no sure footing, no orientation,” she says. The beam needs to show the path, illuminate markers – and be strong enough “so I can run boldly and fast, no matter what the terrain is like.”

THE NIGHT AS A STRENGTH

A few hours before her night start at the Salomon Zugspitz Ultratrail powered by Ledlenser 2024, Ida borrowed a NEO9R. “My headlamp had kept going out during the previous race,” she recalls. “I lost a lot of time and trust because of that, and I really wanted to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.” At 11 p.m., she set off into the darkness. The headlamp lit her way and lasted the entire night. On the downhills, Ida switched to the brightest setting and lost no time. When daylight finally returned and she crossed the finish line, she was not only the fastest woman – she finished second overall, among all participants. “That was the first time I truly turned the darkness into my strength.”

But it’s about more than placements. Training at night demands particular concentration, especially after long days, early in the morning, or late at night. The body is programmed for rest; stimuli are reduced, attention fades more quickly. “At night you’re tired, focus slips faster,” Ida knows. At the same time, she consciously allows her thoughts to wander. “Sometimes that helps the kilometers and hours pass more quickly without slipping into a mental low.” A small stumble is often enough to bring her attention fully back to the moment. In night runs, Ida trains not only her endurance, but also her mental resilience – the ability to stay calm despite exhaustion, refocus, and keep going.

TRUSTING YOURSELF

To keep going until the moment Ida loves most: the instant just before the blue hour. “When it slowly starts to get lighter and nature awakens, I know I’ve already accomplished a lot.” It is a quiet transition – from night to day, from exhaustion to confidence. From this experience, something fundamental has emerged for Ida. What once felt like a time constraint now feels like a form of freedom. She trains under conditions that are not perfect – and that is exactly where the gain lies. “Every hard training session makes me stronger,” she says. Not only for races, but for situations where flexibility and adaptability are required.

Because anyone who can run safely and fast in the dark is prepared for many things. It takes a sharpened sense of body awareness, balance, and sure-footedness. Then the heartbeat sets the rhythm, the beam of light creates orientation. Trust emerges – above all, trust in yourself. And this trust does not end on the trail.

“I’ve learned to take on things that initially scare me and not wait for ideal conditions,” Ida says. “Otherwise, you miss opportunities without even knowing how good they could have been.” The darkness on the trails has remained, but it has lost its menace. What was once uncertainty has become strength – and the certainty that you don’t have to wait for the world to become bright, but can decide for yourself how to face it.

THE NIGHTRUNNER  

Winter mornings. The alarm goes off long before the day shows even the faintest hint of light. Outside, everything is quiet, cold, dark. For many, this is the moment to turn over and sleep a little longer. For Ida-Sophie Hegemann, it is often the moment her training begins. Not out of romantic idealism, but out of necessity. So she sets off while others are still asleep.

For Ida, darkness is not a stylistic device, not an aesthetic effect for social media. It is part of her everyday life. Since switching from marathon running to ultradistances, her training rhythm has changed. Many races start in the evening or in the middle of the night. Anyone who wants to perform there must know the darkness – and endure it. “Getting used to the dark in training helps me not to be afraid of it in races,” Ida says.

That was not always the case. In the beginning, she ran with a weak beam of light, cautious, almost hesitant, worried the battery might not last. Especially downhill, this cost her time and confidence. “I was holding myself back,” she says in retrospect, shaking her head.

A MOMENT THAT STAYED

The turning point came during a race in 2024, somewhere on a downhill section at night. Ida was running behind another athlete and watched how boldly he descended. His beam of light was wide, bright, and seemed utterly reliable. “I tried not to let him shake me off and stayed close to him and his beam of light.” On the next uphill, he told her that he always runs downhill at full light output. Downhills at night, he explained, were his strength.

That sentence stuck with her. What had been uncertainty became a project. Ida began working deliberately on not just accepting night running, but mastering it. Light played a central role – as a source of safety and trust. “Without light, I have no sure footing, no orientation,” she says. The beam needs to show the path, illuminate markers – and be strong enough “so I can run boldly and fast, no matter what the terrain is like.”

THE NIGHT AS A STRENGTH

A few hours before her night start at the Salomon Zugspitz Ultratrail powered by Ledlenser 2024, Ida borrowed a NEO9R. “My headlamp had kept going out during the previous race,” she recalls. “I lost a lot of time and trust because of that, and I really wanted to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.” At 11 p.m., she set off into the darkness. The headlamp lit her way and lasted the entire night. On the downhills, Ida switched to the brightest setting and lost no time. When daylight finally returned and she crossed the finish line, she was not only the fastest woman – she finished second overall, among all participants. “That was the first time I truly turned the darkness into my strength.”

But it’s about more than placements. Training at night demands particular concentration, especially after long days, early in the morning, or late at night. The body is programmed for rest; stimuli are reduced, attention fades more quickly. “At night you’re tired, focus slips faster,” Ida knows. At the same time, she consciously allows her thoughts to wander. “Sometimes that helps the kilometers and hours pass more quickly without slipping into a mental low.” A small stumble is often enough to bring her attention fully back to the moment. In night runs, Ida trains not only her endurance, but also her mental resilience – the ability to stay calm despite exhaustion, refocus, and keep going.

TRUSTING YOURSELF 

To keep going until the moment Ida loves most: the instant just before the blue hour. “When it slowly starts to get lighter and nature awakens, I know I’ve already accomplished a lot.” It is a quiet transition – from night to day, from exhaustion to confidence. From this experience, something fundamental has emerged for Ida. What once felt like a time constraint now feels like a form of freedom. She trains under conditions that are not perfect – and that is exactly where the gain lies. “Every hard training session makes me stronger,” she says. Not only for races, but for situations where flexibility and adaptability are required.

Because anyone who can run safely and fast in the dark is prepared for many things. It takes a sharpened sense of body awareness, balance, and sure-footedness. Then the heartbeat sets the rhythm, the beam of light creates orientation. Trust emerges – above all, trust in yourself. And this trust does not end on the trail.

“I’ve learned to take on things that initially scare me and not wait for ideal conditions,” Ida says. “Otherwise, you miss opportunities without even knowing how good they could have been.” The darkness on the trails has remained, but it has lost its menace. What was once uncertainty has become strength – and the certainty that you don’t have to wait for the world to become bright, but can decide for yourself how to face it.

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