This Is What You Need to Run 340 Miles in the Desert
- June 02, 2026
- Photos:
It’s 4 am on April 3 at the starting line of The Speed Project on the Santa Monica Pier. The early morning is breezy and cool, but temperatures along this 340-mile race “course” — winding through the Mojave Desert to the finish line under the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign, just south of the Strip — could reach upwards of 100 degrees during the afternoons.
The Speed Project is no standard running race. It’s an unsanctioned, underground relay with no rules, no official route, no spectators, no trophy. Teams hire their own support crew. It’s literally runners versus the open road.
The harsh conditions of the multiday journey across the desert might scare away the average casual runner, but they didn’t faze Recess Run Club, an eight-person team from a running group in Brooklyn, New York, that has grown to 300-plus members since its launch in 2022. In addition to their fierce inner drive and regular training, the team had another tool at their disposal: Nike’s Radical AirFlow top, the brand’s latest pinnacle material innovation, now available to all runners. Think of the top like a personal air conditioning unit. The material is designed to maximize the body’s natural cooling mechanisms, harnessing the air around a runner in motion to help them keep cool and keep going.
And Recess certainly did, all the way to the Strip. “It felt magical and spiritual that we ran on our own feet from California to Vegas,” says Recess Run Club founder Sérgio Santos. “At some points, I wasn’t sure if we would make it. Crossing that finish line was like, ‘Wow, we actually did it.’”
Experience the journey below.
The Recess Run Club team averaged some 50 miles a person, with some team members running as many as 62 miles during the 48-hour relay event.
Van life was its own physical challenge: The team fueled with beef jerky, bananas, Hawaiian rolls and copious energy gels, switching off who got to use the van bed for a quick two-hour nap.
“The Speed Project was my first relay run ever. It reminds you why you love running: to be free and just run. It’s all about community, working together for a common goal.”
Lemwhir Valette, Recess Run Club member
“The Radical AirFlow top felt light, almost airy,” says Manushka Magloire of Recess Run Club in Brooklyn. “It’s like the air moved through the fabric quicker than the sweat could form.”
“The toughest part overall was running through the night when your body is telling you to sleep, rest — anything but run,” says Lemwhir Valette, who slept for about six hours during the 48-hour event.
After sundown, temps dipped into the low 30s. “I get cold easily, so I wore three layers at night, including my Radical AirFlow top, and I didn’t get clammy or sweaty,” says Manushka Magloire.
“This is no easy task for the average person,” says Manushka Magloire. “You unearth and see exactly who you are and what you’re made of, while shining a light on these same things in others.”
The Speed Project requires you to lock in and look inward, says the team, pictured here some 150 miles into the 340-mile desert course.
“Competing with a team is special because you’re bonded for life. You’re depending on each other, so you don’t want to let yourself down — but you really don’t want to let your team down.”
Sérgio Santos, Recess Run Club founder
Halfway through, most of the team said they’d never try something this crazy again. At the Vegas finish, however, the sentiment shifted: Joy and pride left them wanting to see what they could do next.