When we founded run nebraska in late 2017, one of our goals was to launch our own races. These wouldn't be your run-of-the-mill 5k run on the same course as everything else in the area. We wanted these to be special. Unique. Races that were more like an "event" while still being able to cater to, and attract, the area's best talent.
For several years, and long before run nebraska was even a thought in our minds, I'd had the idea of putting on a race in downtown Fremont. Specifically, a race that created a large-scale vibe that could bring in the masses. I wanted this race to have a special feel. Something that people would hopefully talk about (and not in a bad way!), share on social media and treat as an experience.
As we built run nebraska during our first year, we started to talk more about this. We kept coming back to the idea of a race that would start and finish in downtown Fremont. But not just any race. A 1-mile race - the most historic and iconic distance in running.
The opportunity to make this happen came around April 2018 when we were meeting with some local business mentors. We shared the vision for our company, including this race idea, and it just so happened that our crazy 1-mile, downtown, twilight race idea would fit in nicely with the 1st Annual Fremont Fall Festival, which would be contained to the downtown area. Insert awkward happy dance here.
It was that day in April that the White Light Mile was born.
The White Light Mile will be run nebraska's first branded race. The name comes from Fremont's old nickname, the White Light City. Our vision is becoming a reality: a downtown race, taking place in the early evening, white lights strung across the street, live music, post-race BBQ, festival-like atmosphere, waves of runners taking off every 12-15 minutes and races until they taste copper in their throats. I could go on and on.
This is a passion project for us. One that will hopefully create something that you don't see around the area and one that will hopefully last for years. And one that will be built with our blood, sweat and tears.
We'd be honored to have you be a part of our humble event. There's going to be a lot of sweat, probably a lot of tears, and maybe even a little blood shed for this, but we'll do it all for you.
For more details, please check out https://www.run-ne.com/wlm.