NILES — Glow-in-the-dark running shoe laces will light up the ground of the Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail on Friday, Aug. 2 in Niles.

The laces will come complimentary with registration for the fourth annual Downtown Niles Lighted Bridge Dash 5K and One Mile Fun Walk. The run will start at 8:45 p.m. at Riverfront Park, and the walk will kick off 10 minutes later.

The 5K costs $20 and the fun walk costs $10.

The race was initially part of a larger summer event to celebrate the re-opening of Niles’ Main Street bridge in late 2015. Now, the Bridge Dash will be part of the inaugural Niles Summer Festival, hosted Aug. 2 and 3 by Niles DDA Main Street.

“We’re sort of coalescing what have been separate events over the years and turning them into sort of a larger package to have a really fun weekend downtown,” said race organizer and Niles Main Street board member Justin Flagel.

All proceeds from the race will to go Niles Main Street.

“Our mission is to keep a thriving downtown in Niles,” Flagel said. “We do that mostly by helping businesses, attracting businesses, assisting them in how to be more successful, bringing people downtown to event.”

Niles Main Street’s board of area residents and business professionals seek to improve downtown development, residency and streetscapes through events and planning, according to its website.

This is Flagel’s second year organizing the race. He is bringing new twists to the event not seen in the past in conjunction with the Niles Summer Festival.

Before the race, a free picnic of hotdogs, chips and lemonade will be provided. A beer tent will also be open, courtesy of the Niles Fraternal Order of Eagles.

Same-day race registration and packet pickup will begin at 7 p.m., as will the performance of Left 99, a Christian music-influenced band based in Niles to pump up runners.

A pre-race warm-up by SLR Pilates will follow at 8:20 p.m.

The race route itself has not changed, Flagel said, but it will be brighter.

“We recruited business sponsorships, and with those business sponsorships, they get a lighted sign. That sign will feature either a message or that business’ logo,” he said.

As racers jog and walk down the Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail and some of its surrounding streets, they will pass the lit up sponsorship signs.

Participants may also see family and friends waving poster board decorated with glow-in-the-dark colors to cheer racers on, Flagel said. The posters will be available for purchase at the event.

Some runners may even see people painted in non-toxic, glow-in-the-dark body paint, he said. Order & Chaos Tattoo Emporium will provide free body painting.

After the race, participants can celebrate by attending a free screening of “The Princess Bride,” part of Niles Main Street’s Free Friday Movie in the Park, and a race award ceremony.

Aside from trophies given to the top male and female competitors and the top finishers in each age group, racers and walkers will also compete for a new trophy that glows in the dark: The Dazzling Dasher.

Flagel encourages all participants to dress up in colorful glow-in-the-dark accessories and clothing. The most dazzling participant will receive the award.

Flagel sees the race and its new complimentary offerings as a way to encourage residents living outside of Niles to explore what the city offers. Some businesses are offering deals during the occasion to bring customers in.

“They’ll discover all the awesome stuff going on downtown,” Flagel said.

He hopes the event will draw at least 100 participants, which would be a growth from last year’s race.

“It was an event that started as a really fun idea, and then it was kind of left to do its thing,” he said. “It was like, ‘Let’s take this thing and really try to grow it.’”

Pre-registration ends Tuesday, July 30 at midnight, but same-day registration opens at Riverfront Park at 7 p.m. on Aug. 2.

Flagel welcomes all runners, but he said he welcomes supporters, too.

“I am a runner, and one of the funnest things about running a race is having people on the courses cheering you on,” he said.