Photo Diary: The Speed Project
Legs fold. Minds wander. Photojournalist Anthony Tran witnesses the routeless and ruthless ultramarathon from Santa Monica, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada. Steeped in a pungent blend of caffeine and sweat, runners negotiate a furnace of mountain paths and desert corridors for guts and glory. One caveat, everyone suffers.
Photos: Anthony Tran / IG: @aaanthonytran.
This iteration of Photo Diary sees Anthony retrace The Speed Project, a true bastion of long-distance running. Wipe the sweat from your brow and take in the spectacle as we pass the proverbial baton to Anthony Tran, read his account below.
310 miles. 42 hours and 38 minutes. That was the distance and time it took for Team Real World 4.0 (10 runners, 5 crew members and 2 photographers) from Koreatown Run Club to traverse the vast expanse between Los Angeles, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada, in one of the most coveted unsanctioned races ever created: The Speed Project. I was fortunate enough to bear witness to a team of my friends who committed to pushing each other every step of the way to reach their collective goal—running all the way from the Santa Monica Pier to the Las Vegas Sign in one piece.
Capturing this dance through the desert was a marathon in itself. It was 42 hours of barely any sleep, of trying to figure out where each squad was on the route, of coming up with different ways of documenting the experience, of eating nothing but snacks and consuming caffeine, of holding in fluids and solids until the nearest halfway decent bathroom, of pacing friends in times of need, of being sandblasted by miserably high winds, of frustrating creative blocks, and of just… everything.
But it was also 42 hours of the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises, of desert landscapes bathed in earthy hues, of endless embraces upon reuniting with friends, of “LOCK IN” or “LET’S FUCKING GO,” of friendly competition with other teams along long stretches of highway, of headlamps and taillights finding each other in the advancing darkness, of smiling faces of relief when finishing your leg, of hands touching each other, signalling you to go, go, go, of silent and personal moments of reflection, of endless playlists tugging at your heartstrings, and of feelings filled with immense gratitude for being exactly where you’re meant to be.
Check out more of Anthony's work, HERE.
