NORMAL - It was a singular event when 15-year-old Duncan Harris of Normal rode his bike a couple of weeks ago at Moab, Utah, the Mecca of mountain bikers.

Experienced cyclists usually ride traditional two-wheel bikes on high trails along cliffs that feature drop-offs of hundreds of feet just inches away. Harris made the treacherous 12-mile journey on a unicycle. He had no brakes except his own legs, not even handlebars. And, he couldn't coast. Pedals are directly linked to the wheel. Legs must constantly spin unless he's perfectly balanced to stay still.

"It was quite amazing actually," said Harris, son of Bruce and Mara Harris. "I got up there and there was no turning back. There was no other way down. It was an adventure."

Harris will perform on the ground Friday and Saturday at the 80th edition of Gamma Phi Circus, the longest running collegiate circus in the world. The University High School freshman said his love of the single-wheeled cycle began while he watched a performance of the junior version of Gamma Phi when he attended kindergarten at Thomas Metcalf School.

"I thought it was really cool," Harris said. "It's just fun, interesting, not too many people do it."

His parents bought him a unicycle when he was in first grade.

"When he first started cycling, he just took off," said his mom, who traces the seed for mountain unicycling to the trails around Lake Bloomington where they lived at the time. "He became really good. He just loved it."

Harris started appearing in the Junior Gamma Phi Circus in third grade. Unicycle performances combine tricks done individually with synchronized routines by other unicyclists. Gamma Phi director Al Light said unicyclists are a popular feature, a signature act.

"If you see a unicycle, you think of circus," Light said. "Our unicyclists are very much a part of our program. It is not fluff."

The circus attracts as many as many as 12,000 to 14,000 people over two days, he said.

The unicycle has evolved to become Harris' standard transportation. A year ago after his traditional two-wheeled bicycle was stolen, he began riding his unicycle everywhere. He also explored more extreme ways to ride it. After Alex Chavez, a friend, bought a more durable unicycle, Harris bought one, too. It wasn't long before they started to hop steps and do tricks at a skateboard park.

Harris and his mom headed to the 10th annual Moab MUni Fest, which is short for Moab Mountain Unicycling Festival, in March. Though he'd never ridden outside of relatively flat Illinois, he joined a group of seasoned riders who were bused to the top of a rugged mountain-bike trail.

The elevation was about 8,000 feet and dropped to about 4,000 feet. Along the way, the trail skirted a cliff face and narrowed to just a few inches in places.

"I was biting my nails," said Mara Harris. "Only 20 guys rode the rim. But he finished. It was impressive."

Harris has a sponsor, SIXSIXONE cycling gear, and is seeking others so he can compete in unicycling events some day. He and Chavez also have talked about doing a 300-mile unicycle ride in Nova Scotia.

Harris hasn't decided what he wants to do after he graduates from high school and college. But he knows he wants to keep riding a unicycle.

"It's a great cardiovascular workout," he said.

Just don't look down.

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Gamma Phi Circus

When: 7 p.m. April 24, 1 and 7 p.m. April 25

Where: Illinois State University's Redbird Arena

Features: Circus acts performed by ISU students and professional trapeze artist Tony Steele, 72, of Florida. Steele helped ISU Gamma Phi Circus develop a high trapeze act. The Central Illinois Youth Symphony will provide background music. Tiffany Thornton, a star of "Sonny with a Chance" on the Disney Channel, will appear at 1 p.m. April 25.

Tickets: $12 adults, $10 students with ID and seniors; $8 for kids 5-12; $1 for kids under 5. On sale at Braden box office or Ticketmaster locations.

More information: www.gammaphicircus.ilstu.edu