In the niche world of unsanctioned, underground ultra-marathons, one event reigns supreme. Despite existing for more than a decade, the details of The Speed Project are still shrouded in secrecy, with no ‘official’ information available on the 550-kilometre (340 mile) race, which takes place each year between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
'Straight up, there's no markers, no route and no rules around it,' says Anthony ‘Fletch’ Fletcher, sports scientist and co-founder of UK-based running club One Track Club, not so fresh from the gruelling event. While in the USA, Fletch oversaw an all-female team of runners that took on the almost sleepless 50-hour race through the gritty wilderness that lies between the two American mega cities.
Established isn’t a word many would use in the context of The Speed Project but the event has been around the block, so to speak. Its roots can be traced back to founder Nils Arend running the 340-mile distance with his friends in 2013 for the sheer sake of it. 'It’s a real "if you know, you know" kind of race,' says finisher, English International athlete and lululemon ambassador Anya Culling, yet a decade later, there’s no shortage of people wanting to take it on.
In 2024, the event saw close to 80 teams flock from all around the world to the start line on Santa Monica pier at crazy o’clock to take the treacherous journey through Death Valley to the bright lights of Vegas.
Typically taken on by teams, who carve up the distance between them and receive limited support from their own "crew" riding in rented RVs, each graffitied with distinctive gaffer tape to tell them apart. 'You can feel the energy, it's pretty wild - everyone is on top form ready to hustle,' says another finisher and team member Amy Chapman, who received an invite to run the race, which had been on her bucket list for years.
Enlisting Anya Culling, the pair had soon recruited another four runners, including Jessica Van Droogenbroeck, Laura Donnelly, Savannah Mukeshi and Mary McCarthy. Alongside the runners was a roster of partners, sponsors and support team members, such as Coros, lululemon, Lingo, Nutrition X, Saucony, Hawkins Dynamic and Fletcher on behalf of One Track Club, who was brought in to crunch the numbers in a bid to bridge the data gap for women in endurance sport.
With the team ready, they assembled in Los Angeles the day before the event to prepare. With no official route, let alone markers or fuel stations along the way, teams are required to map their own trails and ensure they have all they need in terms of support. RVs, SUVs and even old limousines driving behind runners in the middle of the road is a regular sight on the highways, byways and trails that head across the desert to Vegas during the event each year.
Over the years, different routes have emerged, such as the 'power line' which, quite literally, follows the pylons that track across country between LA and Vegas. While it's 50km shorter, the off-road trails prevent most support vehicles from following, so it comes with its own risks. For the all-female team of six that took on this year’s challenge, they opted for a more traditional road route that weaves east from Santa Monica Pier in LA and along some of the legendary Route 66.
'It felt only right to full-send the first leg, leading all other teams out of the last city we'd see until we made it to the 'Welcome to Vegas' sign some 340 miles away,' says Culling, admitting she was naive to the challenges that lay ahead. Once clear of LA and the first legs completed, the team split into two groups of three, with each group covering almost a marathon between them before they got to the RV, driven by Fletch, that would wait approximately 40km ahead with the other group, allowing them to rest and refuel.
'We each ran three kilometres at a time. This is such a manageable chunk so seemed to work well,' says finisher and team member Laura Donelly. 'It also helped being in such a positive, vibey team. We got each other through any tough spells.' Speaking of tough spells, the team faced unexpected and unusual challenges along the way.
Pacing proved problematic; given they were chipping away at the distance in 3km stints, the temptation to go a little quicker was always present, but the runners eventually began to flag. 'The average pace varied a lot from the beginning to the end,' explains Fletch. 'Early on, it was around four minutes a kilometre, because everyone was just going all out, but then the muscle damage started to accumulate, and then that's when the pace really started to drop.'
Still, in a race like The Speed Project, the physical act is the least problematic part. 'We were running away from reality and rational thoughts, and towards delirium on unsafe terrain,' stresses Culling. 'There were times in the night when I'd scream just to keep myself awake mid-run. I couldn't have done it without the team keeping morale high and stepping in to help each other out.'
Beyond that, there’s team dynamics and emotions to factor in, particularly in a squad running together for the first time. 'I reckon I had max two hours sleep in the entire 50-hour race, so you also have to be highly empathetic for others and understand everyone is going to be tired and grumpy,' says Chapman.
On top of all that, the team faced a snow storm and brutal conditions, as well as the typical hazards that lay along the route. We’re talking desert wolves, pitch-black darkness, trucks hurtling by and crazed strangers. 'Nothing about the race is conventional - you have to be adaptable and go with the flow,' says team member and finisher Jessica Van Droogenbroeck.
'The thing that really did shake us all was how hard the night time was. Wild dogs, intimidating characters and being left on your own on a motorway in the middle of the night with nothing but a watch for navigation was interesting to say the least,' explains fellow team member and finisher Savannah Mukeshi. 'But we each just got our head down and ran, nervously hoping to make it to the next pit stop safely where the team would be waiting.'
Continuously chipping away at the kilometres, the team was making good progress until a freak storm that broke in Santa Monica started heading in their direction, 12 hours after they’d departed. It wasn’t until Death Valley, of all places, that the storm hit the team. 'We got hammered with rain and even snow - no one was prepared for the cold weather - that's what really broke them,' says Fletch. Considering it's best known for its scorching temperatures, snow might be the last thing most people would expect in Death Valley.
Once through the gritty wilderness, the lights of Las Vegas came dimly into view for the squad, now nearly 40 hours into the ordeal. While the Valley is mostly flat, the landscape rises significantly from there to Las Vegas, with a sizeable hill sitting between the team and the finish line. Running the final kilometre as a team, the squad eventually crossed the line together.
'I felt an overwhelming sense of pride for the team but also for women in sport. We had not only completed the hardest relay in the world, we did it as six women, running together for the final stint; speaker blasting, girls singing. I will never, ever forget it,' says team member and finisher Mary McCarthy.
From the relative safety and sanity of Santa Monica Pier to the uncertainty, dust and darkness of the desert and ecstasy of reaching the finish line, the team’s epic adventure came to a conclusion in Vegas. With the adrenaline dying down and a chance to finally be stationary and sleep, the team went for a quiet breakfast, doing their best to refuel before resting.
'My brain chemistry has been altered forever and I don't know how to do the event justice,' says Mukeshi. 'The team of girls I was with made the experience truly unforgettable - the human connection is what makes it such a magical race.'
With the eleventh Speed Project down and out, the top secret application process soon starts up once again for next year’s event. With many new challengers as well as repeat customers expected to take on the unofficial ultra in 2025, a few members of the team already have their eye on a follow-up performance.
'I would 100% go back and do it again, knowing what to expect and how the race looks,' says McCarthy. 'I think it would be even better second time around.' As for the data analysis and what comes next, the team can rest assured their efforts weren’t wasted, with the hundreds of hours they contributed helping to close the data gap for women in endurance sport. For Fletch and the team’s pool of partners and sponsors responsible for taking this forward, their marathon is just beginning.
