Utah10 people, 450 miles, 3 days
I had the opportunity to take part in the Speed Project, a relay race from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas. Multiple teams make the roughly 430-mile journey — the route, tactics, and sleep schedule are all up to each team to decide, but they need at least one person running the whole time.
Our team consisted of ten people who had never met each other prior to starting the race at 5 am on Thursday behind the Salt Lake City capitol building (needless to say, we all became very close by the end of the trip). The plan for our team was to rotate in and out for 5k sections through the city, then switch to one-mile repeats all the way to Vegas. We took a Ford Maverick from Turo as one of our chase cars, and an RV so team members could rest between stints.
As the teams spread out getting out of the city, the desolation of the Utah desert was awe-inspiring. We climbed over mountain passes, ran into unbelievable headwinds, through storms, through the night, and dodged stray dogs and tumbleweeds.
We started down the Vegas strip sixty hours later, all running on minimal sleep, fueled by beef jerky, Sour Patch Kids, and adrenaline. We reached the “Welcome to Vegas” sign on Saturday afternoon and breathed a sigh of relief as we crossed the finish line. Our team finished fourth overall, but this race is not about the time or the ranking — it’s about forming new friendships and experiencing new places in a way most people never get to.
Photos by Matt Shapiro