Yahoo
If any further proof was needed that runners possess an endearing streak of quirky madness, the Scottsdale Beat The Heat race this summer may just provide it.
Billed as the hottest sporting event on the planet, the inaugural race is being deliberately staged at the warmest time of year and during the most oppressive part of the day, all to maximize the discomfort and enhance the challenge of those either courageous or deranged enough to sign up.
Temperatures in the fashionable Arizona city are expected to tip the thermometer at upwards of 110 Fahrenheit on June 22, with participants set to complete a seven-mile course beginning at 2:47 p.m., the specific time when the heat is predicted to be at its fiercest.
“Whether someone has gone bungee jumping, ran an Ironman or run with the bulls, this is something they won’t have experienced before,” said race inventor Jason Rose, a Scottsdale PR executive. “This is about us choosing to celebrate the heat, not retreat from it.”