In October of 2024, my family and I arrived in Bariloche, Argentina, for a stay of three months. I explored several hiking trails in the surrounding mountains with my son, and my wife would join us when her work schedule allowed. We also drove Circuito Chico to enjoy the scenery and discover what else was in the area. I saw that the circuit was a popular bike route, but never observed runners doing the loop. When I noticed that it was not listed on the FKT website, I began planning a run of the route.
Since my wife could watch our son on a Saturday morning, I left the house at 5:30 and drove to the nearest point on Circuito Chico. I parked along the street near the roundabout where the road from Bariloche splits into the two directions that comprise the loop. A bus stop provided my starting point, since it would be easy to remember after covering the distance. It was a cold morning, but normal for the time of year and the altitude. I counted on the dense trees to block most of the wind and set off counterclockwise at 6:15 in the morning. In my backpack was a bottle of water that I never needed and space for the sweatshirt and other warming layers that I never removed.
The first six kilometers passed comfortably as I adjusted to the temperature on relatively tame elevation changes compared to what was to come. My direction of travel kept the sun mostly on my back in the rare instances when it shone through the trees. There were few cars on the road, as one would expect so early on a Saturday, but the occasional bus charging toward me boosted my motivation to stay safely on the dirt track alongside the pavement.
After passing the sprawling Llao Llao Resort, I entered Parque Municipal Llao Llao. The road through the park gradually rises 80 meters and then descends again to a bridge. At that crossing, I felt the strongest blast of frigid wind blowing from across the lake but also had the sun on me for the first time in a while.
The final 11 kilometers brought more warmth from the sun, to the extent that I would remove my beanie and gloves in the sun but put them back on in the shade. The final stretch included the highest elevation – Punto Panoramico – and I was tempted to pause and enjoy the view but was running for time and knew I could return. The tour buses and other cars passing by also kept me focused on avoiding foot traffic and vehicles. After the vista, the route lost elevation quickly before it crossed another bridge. From that point, knowing that the circuit was almost complete, I concentrated on a strong finish. After a little more than two kilometers, I was back at the bus stop where I had started. A line of people now waited for the next bus, but I crossed the street to my car for a quick stretch before heading home.