It may be the height of summer (take note weather gods!) and the dark evenings of October may feel far in the future, but now is the ideal time to secure yourself a spot at Aberdeenshire's very popular Illuminator Run!

Taking place on 28 October, the night trail race is back at the Glen Tanar Estate in Aboyne with a choice of three distances - 8K, 15K and 15M. The Illuminator's trademark feature, its colourful atmospheric light zone in the middle of Glen Tanar Estate, will be visited by all three routes.

The 8K race is billed as 'family friendly but not a walk in the park', and is an easy run on solid trails that are sheltered amongst the trees. That said, the race still offers something of a challenge as all routes share the mighty climb of Craigendinnie after runners have been wowed on a visit to the light zone.

The 15K's route traverses the open ridge above Glen Tanar and is more accessible than the classic 15 mile route but more exposed than the 8K route. The 15K race will reward runners with a spectacular view of up to 4K of light trails from fellow participants' head torches and the lightzone will inspire runners to keep going as will the snacks and hot juice before the final tough climb.

The 15 miler is the original Illuminator route and a serious physical and mental challenge. This is a hilly route that passes through the heart of Glen Tanar's ancient forest and follows the beautiful Water of Allachy and Water of Tanar. The 15 mile event may be the toughest challenge but organisers say that it is also one of their most popular!

All of the distances offer full access to the amazing light zone and reflectives and there will be warm drinks and snacks available en-route as well as a unique memento for every finisher.

If you'd like to know more you can visit the Illuminator website here.

Image: Illuminator Night Run