The Speed Project 4.0 is a 340 mile relay race from Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles to the Welcome to Las Vegas sign on S Las Vegas Blvd., with no other rules. These are forty six frames. One frame from each hour that I am awake documenting the Take The Bridge teams race — across the desert.
Full disclosure, there are three hours I do not have a shutter fired due to … chaos. So I added three bonus frames to make it symmetrical.
The Speed Project 4.0
Enjoy the photos! It’s a wild 43 frames.
Matt Meyer stands on the RV the night before for the final frame of the day before we head to bed for the 4am start.Matt Meyer rolls out on what he eventually divulges is a stress fracture in his lower leg right before TSP.Matt Meyer raisies his hands in the air standing at the start line on the Santa Monica Pier prior to TSP racing from LA to Las Vegas.Peter Bromka heads out on the first leg of The Speed Project 4.0 heading from Santa Monica to Las Vegas, some 340 miles’ish.Francisco makes this his starting line portrait as we out of the city, and folks head to work..Felix takes one of many bridges heading out of town creating a silhouette as the sun comes up during The Speed Project 4.0 racing from LA to Las Vegas.In a literal dream state, Jess jumps into the support vehicle for an immegiate debrief in that beautiful sunrise glow.Head down, elbows up, plenty of spring in her stride up the hill, Lydia O’Donnell from team Hunter Athletics and Recreation catches the light just right from my perch up on the hill during TSP 4.0 racing from LA to Las Vegas.Francisco tosses up the saucy Saucy AF sign now free of the city and out in the hot hot sun.Felix and the TSP 4.0 limo exhcange greetings in the perfect spot.Francisco relaxes in the RV wearing that Bakline swag.Matt and Katie with outstretched arms and a crwod watching on behide the RV in the background during one of many exchanges.A team out of Calgary, AB shared an exchange point with team TTB, and Dave Proctor just happened to be craving a Modelo after his leg, and I managed to be right there — in the middle of nowhere to capture it.I run out wide onto a pile of rocks as Francisco passes through the gap in the power poles surrounded by desolate desert.Jess Movold rehydrates in-between legs ripping in the hot sun.Katie goes through a confetti cannon with Red Bull getting The Shot covering team Take The Bridge.Colby Schulz runs through the intersection of Helendale Rd and the middle of absolutely nowhere USA.Francisco Belagas cools down on the run hitting an open stretch of ashpalt.Felix gets one last daylight portrait before the sun disappears for the end of day one following team Take The Bridge.A headlamp among street lights, Matt Meyer takes a bridge in whatever small desert town we rolled through in the dark.Nils, one of The Speed Project founders, sits under gas station light on the back of a limo chatting with teams.Take The Bridge team manager Darcy sits out the passenger side window to go over notes of upcoming segments under the full moon with Francisco lit by the headlights in the background.Felix catches a cat nap while we head to a pickup point.Matt Meyer double checks his route waiting for a middle of the night, middle of the desert, middle of nowhere segment.No attempt is made to close the fridge as I watch through the viewfinder. I was hoping for that perfect looking into the fridge frame, but this is so much better as half asleep Francisco drinks his warmup beverage. No free ads.All. Night. Long. Dark exachanges simply looking for a headlamp, and hoping yours is the next one coming through.You may think there is nothin in the desert between LA and Vegas, but you would be wrong. It is full of all kinds of great shoes should you blow a tire.This was an unplanned … ummm … pit stop for the RV at one very busy exchange. I end up on another RV playing backup roulette in the middle of the night on no sleep. Good times.Before long, the camera is back in my hand with a blistering sun rising over Death Valley and my runners are now from Denver on team Citius RC, and Erik Sunde is posing for a portrait like a pro.Different RV, different runners, different part of the desert, different day — same exchange during The Speed Project.Bea busts out with Allison running her leg in support from the Citius RC RV with the post exchange crowd still lingering in the background.The Take The Bridge team is reunited and we pickup the last of the stragglers out running their leg once the RV is repaired by some super hero family members on the team.Katie gets a cool down from the crew in that ciele cap on the side of the road after a particularly tough climb.From the cool confines of the AC support vehicle, I snap photos of some product trying to make pretty frames of Matt Meyer.Felix climbs the hill Bromka made famous the previous year on the other side heading down. I prefer this angle with the rows on rows of desolation in Death Valley slowly being left behind.Jess Movold absolutely grinding out there under the hot sun keeping her pace scorching.It takes me entirely too long to climb the roof of the RV for high angle views like this of Matt Meyer out on the open road.Katie heads off into the open distance while Francisco starts too cool after yet another all out leg left behind on the trail of The Speed Project.The support vehicle becomes a source of refuge and cool recovery air as the team are now pumping out mile and 800m repeats to keep the pace up. Agony is absolutely everywhere.Darcy utilizing the extra height for a better view of our runner climbing the hill as the sun starts to set on day two just outside of Las Vegas.One by one, they crawl in and try to cool off for a brief refresher as we rip up ahead cycling runners with a thightening pace heading into Las Vegas.After 32x miles, it is full safety mode with the sun dropping out of the sky, and Matt heading into Sin City.Jess Movold can barely stay awake, even with the excitement of heading into the finish area, the body knows it’s work is done and it wants to start the recovery from this beast of a 45 hours.There isn’t much to say about this team and the last couple of days. It has truly been something else as I lean over them trying to take an overhead capturing everyone in frame.Felix finally taps out in the hotel lobby, phone and drink in hand, waiting for a room. That is how you close out a 340 mile running race through Death Valley.
The Rice Howard Howler
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