Meet the folks who thought it would be a solid idea to wear-test Bandit's first performance in an upcoming 340-mile race through the desert.
But First, Catch Me Up to Speed... Project
You may have seen it on IG. Photos of runners in the middle of an endless desert. They're in pain. They're exhausted. They're pushing themselves to the physical and mental brink on a seemingly uncharted course ending at the entrance of the heart of Sin City, Las Vegas.
The Speed Project is an iconoclastic race - invite-only, up to 340 miles with no spectators or cheer squads allowed. Founded in 2014, and originally completed with one group of 6, it has since grown to host dozens of relay teams + solo runners brave enough to traverse the distance on their own.
The Basics
There are two races that happen during TSP week: solo runners and relay teams.
For solo runners, TSP begins on Monday March 21st at 4am. Some will rip 60+ mile days for 5 straight days, and some will do less mileage over more time. Some won't make it to the finish.
The relay teams kick off on Friday March 25th also at 4am. The first several miles are on road, so starting bright and early minimizes any time running in traffic. "OG" relay teams, the most popular variety, are comprised of 4 men and 2 women. Teams are allowed to split the mileage in any increments they choose.
The Course
The course parameters are simple: start at the Santa Monica Pier and end at at the "Welcome to the Fabulous Las Vegas" sign roughly 340 miles away.
What's not simple about the course, is how to get from point A to point Z. With infinite route permutations, teams lose sight of each other almost instantly and critical junctures of the race are conveniently located in communication dead-zones. TSP is course-less, so teams are free to take as many shortcuts as they think they can logistically handle.
The Rules
There are no rules. Except don't run on highways and there's no spectators allowed. Mom and dad can meet you in Vegas. Until then, it's just you, your support crew, and the desert.
Meet Team Bandit Running
Seven athletes: one solo runner and six members of our OG relay team.
Without further ado...
Malcolm Ebanks (SOLO)
Bandit's first ever sponsored athlete is none other than Bronx legend, Malcolm Ebanks. Malcolm doesn't "do" Strava and he just signed up for Instagram this month. He's been averaging 120-mile weeks for god knows how long now. So yeah, you could say he's mentally and physically ready. Learn more in our feature story, Malcolm Ebanks and His Will to Keep Going.
Kam Casey (OG)
- Discipline: Steeplechase
- Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Currently: Los Angeles, CA
Hailing originally from the midwest, Kam grew up running track in high school and college for the University of Indianapolis. Now in that sweet sweet post-college life, Kam is hungry to stoke the competitive fire.
"I love being somewhere you can put yourself up against other people, and not just the clock."
Though, when it comes to Kam vs the clock, he’s a worthy adversary. For his first marathon in Chicago, he clocked in at 2:31:40.
In Kam's words: “When you have a brand like Bandit you can care about the brand. I think it’s exciting when a brand cares back.”
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Allison Lynch (OG)
- Discipline: Middle Distance
- Hometown: Holliston, MA
- Currently: Los Angeles, CA
When it comes to multiple track and road disciplines, Allison has covered some very legit ground with experience in the 400m, 800m, mile, and 5K. Not to mention a couple of PB's this past November in the 10k and half. While she also has two marathons under her belt, she's clear to admit that this will be the most intense endurance mileage she's completed.
But that doesn't mean she's deterred by it, “I’ve been a runner the majority of my life, and I’ve encountered a lot of difficult challenges as a runner and I’ve never given up.”
In the shorter distances, Allison has nothing but familiarity with the pain cave - a mental space she will dial into when the going gets tough on the road to Vegas.
In Allison's words: “I view running in its purest form. I want running to be super accessible to everyone the way it was brought to me.”
Sean Grossman (OG)
- Discipline: 4x800
- Hometown: Deer Park, NY
- Currently: Brooklyn, NY
How do you make running fun? According to Sean, it’s running miles in the desert with a solid group of people. When we approached Sean to be a part of our Bandit TSP team, he was instantly intrigued about the challenge and already looking to make his 2022 running calendar more interesting.
Having begun running from an early age and then into college at University of Miami, Sean has raced everything from 5K through half marathons - but nothing close to what’s ahead at The Speed Project. That said, he’s jumping into this new challenge, arms wide open. “I want to see how far in the pain cave can I go. How will the last 20-25 be? I’ve found the further the race is, the stronger I am.”
In Sean's words: “To grow the sport is always a home-run.”
We agree, batter’s up. (We're baseball people now.)
John Rice (OG)
- Discipline: Middle Distance
- Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
- Currently: Brooklyn, NY
John is no stranger to racing. The Brooklyn native started running at age 10, and worked his way up to a collegiate career at the University of Texas at Austin where he helped UT to win the 4x1500m at the National Relay Championships, among a straight of other highlights. Given the hometown roots we share with him, our spiritual alignment was strong from the jump.
“To be able to intertwine running with that landscape, it seemed like the perfect storm for me. When I got the call from you guys, it was a no-brainer. I was all about it.”
In the desert he’s looking to draw on his experience as a steeplechaser, which in his eyes, combines the raw athleticism required for a race like TSP, in addition to just generally being one with speed.
In John's words: “I like that Bandit is getting people together in the running community. Giving the product to the community to try is the best, most authentic way to approach the product development process. I love it.”
Evan Schwartz (OG)
- Discipline: Marathons
- Hometown: Columbus, OH
- Currently: Boulder, CO
Evan grew up in a family with an ingrained affinity for running performance and culture. His passion for the sport enabled him to run at a high level into college where he was a walk-on at Ohio State University. After he left OSU's team, his passion and dedication he earned his way to an OTQ in his second ever marathon.
Evan is excited to see the mythical Speed Project in action and dive deep into the mental depths where the race will surely take him. No matter how deeps he goes, he is most definitely looking for the dub, and believes the team atmosphere plus his strong willpower combine for a tasty meal that smells awfully like winning.
In Evan's words: “The willpower is something that never leaves me, and to know that there will be a team dynamic pushing me to the next mile is something I’m excited to experience. The vibes are all here.”
We’ll leave it at that.
Alexandra Iaccarino (OG)
- Discipline: Middle/Long Distance
- Hometown: Boston, MA
- Currently: Brooklyn, NY
Ale is our Lead Designer and office MVP at Bandit Running, so the following is completely full of bias, but not untrue:
Ale grew up running in a family of endurance athletes who celebrated the sport, but didn’t start competitively until her 20s. You’ll now often find her as the silent killer, running (and known to win) both sanctioned and unsanctioned races across NYC. When she does peak her head out from the underground, the results follow – with a sub-3 marathon at CIM recently notched on her belt.
“Running for me has always been a way to be completely exposed to the elements and nature. I enjoy running because it’s an excuse to be outside for an endless number of hours and TSP will be that concept at the largest scale.”
When we asked her why she’s excited about wear testing our first performance line prototypes she said, “As a runner and as a person, I’m excited to see what it feels like to exist in our clothes.”
We’re excited too Ale, plz don’t die out there.
