In the peak of the Phoenix summer heat, an unsanctioned, unpromoted, unknown fatass race takes place. Despite sky high temperatures, runners from across the Valley of the Sun leave the climate controlled comfort of their homes to enter the Circle of Hell. In the brightest sun on the hottest of days, the Circle of Hell encourages you to confront your demons and support your fellow runners.
One year ago, I had my first child. When I became pregnant, I didn’t mind taking a bit of a pause because I had no doubt that life would bring me back to the trails. I was lucky to be able to walk away from childbirth without any major lingering issues. My physical body returned to activity fairly quickly and I celebrated 6 months postpartum with a 10 mile run.
Now, a year on, I’m running regularly but feeling timid. I nervously signed up for Javelina 100K, reluctantly claiming it when asked about upcoming races. Every day, I practice the careful balance of work, parenthood, and everything else in search of enough time to complete my training. Each weekend I find a way to trick myself into the long runs that I want to do, but consistently find challenging to commit to. I love being a mom and watching my baby as she rapidly changes and grows, but it’s hard to grow into a new skin, trying to keep ahold of the essential parts of yourself while becoming someone new. In the middle of the busy days, it’s hard enough to stay hydrated, eat a nutritious diet and get my miles in, there’s little chance I will make it through the week with a clear mind and a deep consideration of what it means to be human. Somehow, in a single day Circle of Hell helped me do all those things.
In the heat of the Phoenix summer, you either get out the door at 5am or suffer the consequences. Luckily, I’m not the only one to struggle with mom-guilt or self-motivation. In this city of 7 million-ish people, there are more than a few trail runners coming up with crazy ways to get through the hot season. Yes, there are smart tactics to manage the heat – sun hoodies, ice bandanas, bucket hats, and careful route-planning to name a few. Temperatures over 100 degrees are serious and can be life-threatening, so managing them is key, but my favorite way to survive the Phoenix summer is to truly embrace the heat.
I’d heard about this little thing called the Circle of Hell for a few years. But the details are fuzzy and the world wide web doesn’t tell you much. That’s intentional. The brain child of Chris Bagby, Circle of Hell is a “fat ass” style event organized by a sort of underground run club called the Royal Order of the Desert Ratz – R.O.D.R. Runners hear about the Circle of Hell by word of mouth and to participate you must make a donation to the chosen cause, show up at the right place on the right day, and have a damn good time. The race takes place from 2-5pm, the hottest portion of a July day. The runner with the most one mile laps wins, as tracked by sharpie marks on your bib. There’s only one rule, you must start your last lap before 5 and end it after 5.
I set a goal to complete 10 laps. I knew that this was achievable for me, but I still felt nervous as I prepped my gear the morning of the event. A cooler full of ice for keeping my water cold and icing down my body, nutrition, a sun hoodie, sunscreen, a few dozen packets of LMNT to both drink and hand out, and a cooler full of LMNT sparkling cans to give away. I’d decided to run Circle of Hell back in June and when our team member Morgan told LMNT about it, the idea of handing out free electrolytes (cold sparkling ones especially) immediately made it easier to commit to myself and reduced my anxiety about the whole thing. I didn’t have to show up and try to achieve some big goal, I knew that if my body didn’t feel good in the heat, I could be a hype girl for my friends and fellow runners, keeping them well-salted and bonk free. The sparkling LMNT cans feel like a special adult treat, like that IPA a beer lover would spend $15 on, and as a bonus they don’t require a special permit in a public park.
If this talk about heat has you thirsty, we’ve got good news. UltraSignup News readers get a free sample pack of LMNT’s most popular flavors with any purchase. Click Here.
Anxiety hung over me as I drove to the trails, unloaded my gear, and chatted with friends. I milled about, setting myself up under my friends Bryce and Summers’ tent. They were there to chase course records, dialed in with a crew dedicated solely to icing Bryce down every mile. As I took in my surroundings, I reveled in the wild energy of the event. Hundreds of local Arizona runners had showed up on one of the hottest days to run together. Listening to Bagby give his pre-race briefing, I felt my anxiety melt away. To one side I saw a series of signs posted along the fence line referencing Dante’s Inferno, setting the expectation that this event was not only about the physical body, but also the pursuit of a good life. To my other side stood a gaggle of giddy adults, here to run and celebrate the bodies we have by pushing themselves in this beautiful, raw, severe desert environment. Before I even set out on lap 1, it became clear that this event was the midday endurance nightmare of my postpartum dreams.
In trail running, “community” is something of a buzz word. Allow me to attempt to paint the picture of the community that assembled for this afternoon run at the invitation of Bagby, the Lord of Ratz. As I drove slowly into the parking area, it was obvious that despite taking place at a popular trailhead in the largest city park in the country, there were no other recreators out today. Too hot. I doubt there is any official record, but the attendance was in the hundreds. I saw some devil horns, a rat suit, and plenty of other creative ‘fits. Like any event, there were tents, dozens of them, lining the trail. The route offered no shade. But the tents were not branded or official, they were shared among friends and pushed together for maximum shade. A sense of welcome and enthusiasm hung in the hot air. Each participant contributed a donation to 2Gether We Live in lieu of entry fee. 2Gether We Live is an organization that “provides life experiences to underserved populations – including those with IDD, illness, or any life situation affecting mobility, as well as wounded veterans – to be able to participate in multisport events.” According to the event fundraising page, the organization exceeded it’s original goal of $5,000 with a total of $5,228 pledged so far.
Anyone who has run a trail race before can imagine what might be included in a pre-race briefing – course description, markings to watch for, rules to follow, some general inspiration. All those necessary components were there, but Bagby went a step further as he set the stage, drawing from the lessons left to us by Dante when he laid out his journey to Hell in the Inferno some 700 years ago. To quote a portion of the briefing, Bagby said “it’s a gift to exist and I think it’s a gift to be out here today. Existing is also suffering, so be grateful to exist and be grateful that you can suffer. When you exist and when you suffer, you are aware of others suffering. And we get to suffer together. What greater connection to each other as to all be out here today suffering together. And as we suffer we can be grateful. So again, take care of each other and most importantly take care of yourself.”
As the race unfolded, the runners and crew pulled out the cowbells, squirt guns, and ice sponges, offering refreshment and support indiscriminately to runners as they passed the row of tents to begin their next lap. The heat was reasonable by Arizona standards, the temperature never exceeded 105 degrees Fahrenheit, a far cry from last July’s average high of 112 degrees. Runners were watching out for one another, offering water and ice to anyone that looked hot. I started the event with a cooler full of 3 dozen LMNT sparkling cans, and once word got around that I was giving them away, my cooler rapidly emptied. In between laps I wandered among the tents, finding friends from every corner of the run community. Everywhere I looked, I saw a sort of unfettered joy. We were there to do nothing more than play in the desert.
The Circle of Hell was equal parts demanding, with its triple digit-temps, rocky trails, and looping repetition, and yet, freeing. Without the expectations of daily commitments, it was a pleasure to feel the hot sun beating upon me while I pondered “what do I want to be remembered for, at the end of my life?”
The only rule in the Circle of Hell is to complete your final lap after 5pm. My plan was to knock out four laps in the first hour, then three laps in the second and third hours. In between, I cooled off in the shade with a can of sparkling LMNT that I stashed in my personal cooler. I watched as runners came by and helped themselves to my sample packs. I was glad that by giving out electrolytes I could play a small part in keeping runners safe in the high temperatures. I took my time in the last hour and then I leisurely walked my final lap, watching the faces of the runners as they finished up, some in pursuit of podium goals. Bryce Brooks flew into the finish with a new course record. He was the fastest runner to complete 24 laps (approximately 24 miles and some change), with second place not far behind, also boasting a spicy 24 laps. The fastest female finisher completed 17 laps with the competition hot on her heels, both second and third finished 16 laps.
I wandered about handing out my final LMNT packets to runners cooling down under tents. I waved at my neighbor Luke, hugged my fellow new-mom friend Kylie, returned a borrowed headlamp to my buddy Jay, threw up a final high-five to local race director Chian and began to pack up my coolers before heading home to have dinner with my one-year-old daughter. Community.
It was all there. What a day. What a life. How lucky we are. In a single afternoon I felt the shackles of stress and anxiety falling away. I am where I want to be, embracing the outdoors, pushing my body, surrounded by people I am grateful to spend my days with. Sometimes you have to go to Hell and back to see clearly.
It’s summer and the heat is on. Step up your hydration game all year long with LMNT’s electrolyte packs and sparkling electrolyte cans. Plus, as an UltraSignup News reader, you get a free sample pack of LMNT’s most popular flavors with any purchase!
