Let me give you the backstory; the origin, evolution of and history of my involvement in the aforementioned project. Two years ago, on the eve of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships Half-Marathon in Copenhagen, I watched a 17-minute video that challenged my conception of the limits of the human body, and changed my perspective on life and running.
The film follows six runners and their effort to set a land speed record by running from Los Angeles to Las Vegas as fast as possible. And that, they did. 340 miles in 41 hours. Nils, Blue, Shawn, Crispin, Chauntal and Cynthia covered the distance with a combined average pace of 7:14 minutes per mile. This was one man's idea to see how far and how fast he could push, and what could be accomplished when surrounded by likeminded people.
As kismet or coincidence or the ever-shrinking world of creatives with a taste for adventure endurance sport would have it, I had the good fortune of befriending the mastermind behind The Speed Project. Not too long ago, thoughts inspired and tongues loosened by wine, came the actualization of version 2.0: to do it all over again but extend a global invitation.
So yes, The Speed Project is an endurance race--an ultra relay. But it's more than that. It's the Prefontaine of races; an opportunity to test the capability of the human heart, to push beyond the limitations of the self both mentally and physically, to create a work of art one footstep at a time. The Speed Project is a pure guts race. We are running to understand that pain is temporary--that we are capable of more.
Speed is more than just running fast. It is a chance to get lost in the simplicity of sport. To just experience the purity and fluidity of the body. It's both an extreme and natural way of being. It's neither the tortoise nor the hare. It's the antelope running from its prey. It's fearless. It's a springboard into the unknown.
Are you curious yet? Do you want to know what to expect? I, myself, don't really know. I assume that over the course of 340 miles from the streets of Los Angeles to the desert dirt roads and concrete paths winding uphill for the last hundred miles into Vegas on no sleep or adequate rest and facing both ends of temperature extremes, a lot can happen. You can expect excitement, discovery, a deep connection to your teammates and everyone else that's along for the journey. I'd hope that it would be one's greatest triumph. And so we'll celebrate with a pool party in Vegas of equal magnitude to the distance traversed: run, party, repeat.
There will definitely be a lot of surprises and challenges arriving with the race start on March 18. And this next month, I'll be like a kid waiting for the arrival of Christmas morning. Each leg I run will be ripping open a new present; shaking the box to figure out the unknown. If you'd like to join us and the other confirmed teams on this epic journey, registration at imathlete.com is open until the 15th. Surprise yourself--be spontaneous. Be bold. Be daring. But if you can't make it, you can follow the journey on all facets of social media @thespeedproject
See you in Santa Monica.
