Running in the dark after daylight saving time ends

What changes on November 1, 2026

According to NIST, which keeps official time for the US, daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. local time on the first Sunday of November. In 2026 that is Sunday, November 1. At 2 a.m., clocks fall back to 1 a.m.

The sun does not care about the clock, but your schedule does. If you run after work at the same clock time you always do, you lose about an hour of evening light in a single weekend, on top of the minute or two that fall days already lose each evening. By the winter solstice on December 21, sunset in most of the lower 48 lands between about 4:15 and 5:30 p.m.

Not everyone changes clocks. NIST lists Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) as places that do not observe daylight saving time. If you live there, your evenings keep shortening gradually, without the sudden jump. Phoenix, for example, sees sunset at 5:38 p.m. on both October 31 and November 1.

Why the first week after the change catches people out

The risk in that first week is not darkness itself. Plenty of people run safely in the dark all winter. The risk is being unprepared for it: heading out at the usual time without a light, on a route that was fine in daylight but has no streetlights, in dark clothing that was never a problem in October.

Here is how it plays out. Say you leave work in Chicago and start a 50 minute loop at 5:15 p.m. On Friday, October 30, you finish around 6:05 p.m., before last light at 6:18. The following Monday, same start, same loop: the sun sets at about 4:45 p.m. and last light is around 5:14, so you run the whole thing in the dark, including the park path with no lamps.

Drivers adjust too. Many are commuting home in the dark for the first time in months, at the same hour you are out. Low sun right before sunset causes glare, then dusk arrives fast. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that 73 percent of US pedestrian deaths in 2024 happened between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Assume a driver has not seen you until you have clear evidence they have, such as eye contact or the car clearly slowing.

Routine also works against you. A route you have run a hundred times feels safe, so you may not think about the unlit underpass, the broken sidewalk or the trail section under trees that goes fully dark twenty minutes before the streets do. Walk through your usual route in your head and flag the dark stretches.

Be seen: light and reflective gear

Reflective material only works when a light hits it, so it is at its best in car headlights and does little on an unlit path. Your own light works everywhere. The combination is what makes you visible from every direction.

Put reflective or lit material on the parts of you that move, such as ankles, wrists and knees. Motion helps drivers recognize a person rather than a sign or a mailbox. Our reflective running gear guide goes deeper on what drivers can actually see.

• A headlamp or chest light so you can see the ground and be seen from the front. See how to choose a running headlamp.
• A red rear light, blinking or steady, for traffic coming from behind.
• Reflective bands on ankles or wrists for movement.
• A bright or reflective top, vest or jacket rather than the black tights and hoodie you wore in September.
• Charge everything the night before. Batteries also run down faster in the cold, so a light that lasted all summer may fade sooner in December.

Change your route, not just your gear

The simplest safety upgrade in November is often a different route. Swap the quiet trail and the unlit country road for places with streetlights, sidewalks and other people. A lit loop you repeat three times is a better dark-evening run than an out-and-back into the woods.

Look for routes with sidewalks or wide shoulders, good sightlines, and places you could step into if you needed help: open shops, a gym, a hospital, a fire station. If there is no sidewalk, run facing oncoming traffic so you can see what is coming (see whether to run with or against traffic for the details).

If you love trails, keep them for the weekend, or take a lunchtime or early-morning slot while there is daylight. Our guide to choosing a safe running route has a checklist for lighting, traffic, exits and cell coverage.

Headphones deserve a second thought in the dark, when you rely more on hearing to track cars and people. Lower the volume, use open-ear headphones, or keep one ear free. There is more in running with headphones safely.

Change your timing

If you can shift your run, the clock change helps mornings. Sunrise in New York moves from 7:26 a.m. on October 31 to 6:27 a.m. on November 1, so a 6:30 a.m. run suddenly starts in daylight. That window closes again: by November 30, New York's sunrise is back to about 7:01 a.m., and by the solstice it is 7:17 a.m.

If you have to run in the evening, start as soon as you can after work and keep the first few weeks shorter. The daylight tool gives the latest start time to finish before dark for your city; use it to decide when a full run still fits in daylight and when to switch to a lit route.

Plan for dusk being darker than the sunset time suggests. Last light is usually 25 to 35 minutes after sunset in the lower 48, but under trees, in valleys and on cloudy evenings, the ground gets hard to see well before that.

Tell someone, and make it easy for them to help

Running in the dark does not have to mean running more dangerously, but it does make a fall, a turned ankle or a close call with a car harder to deal with alone. It is worth making sure someone knows where you are, and knowing what you would do: our answer on what to do if you fall while running alone covers the first few minutes.

Before you leave, tell one person your route and when you expect to be home. What to tell someone before a run has a short template: route, return time, what you are wearing, phone battery, and when they should call. In the dark, "what you are wearing" matters more than usual, because it is how a searcher or a passerby would recognize you.

With Holler, you start a live link and your Guardians open it in any web browser, with no app or account, to see where you are and the route you have run so far. Add a return time; if you have not checked in five minutes after it, Holler's server sends them an overdue alert by email and push, even if the app on your phone is closed. You can also turn on a stationary alert, so that if you stop moving for the time you choose, Holler asks whether you are OK and alerts your Guardians if you do not answer.

None of this replaces emergency services. If you are hurt or in danger, call 911 first. Holler does not contact 911 for you.

A one-week plan before November 1

Doing a few small things in the week of October 26 means the first dark run on Monday, November 2 feels routine rather than risky.

Gear worth carrying

Some gear links on this page may be affiliate links. If you buy through them, Holler may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. No brand pays to be mentioned, and we only suggest what we would carry ourselves.