In the end, 117 degrees was too hot, even for the devil.



Organizers of the Running with the Devil Marathon canceled the race due a dangerous heat advisory. Temperatures were expected to soar to 117 degrees in Boulder City, Nevada on race day, Saturday, June 29. None of the event distances, from 5-K to 50 miles, were held.



“Due to the excessive heat warning being escalated to elevations below 6,000, we have essentially been forced out of every possible venue to hold the Running with the Devil race on June 29. I have exhausted every single avenue, every single jurisdiction, public and private,” race director Joyce Forier announced on the event’s website.



The cancelation is an ironic twist for an event founded on the idea of running in the hottest part of the day, in the middle of summer, in the Mojave Desert. The course winds through the hilly terrain of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, where temperature in late June typically reach 110 degrees. Cloud coverage is rare. Cacti provide no shade.

Runners have embraced the challenge. Ninety-two participants in 2007 grew to 360 by 2010 (results for later years were not available).

At the inaugural race, Running with the Devil started at 10 a.m., meaning runners were on the course during peak heat. The starting time was moved to 6 a.m. after a runner was airlifted off the course and the National Park Service threatened to increase the race’s insurance by 600%.



It’s unclear if the race will continue. At the time of this writing, the event website simply read “Future TBD.”



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