Need for Speed: Northeast Track Club Runs 340 Miles From L.A. to Vegas

Six local runners completed The Speed Project race, spanning from L.A. to the Las Vegas sign. 

The Speed Project is a grueling, 340-mile relay race that starts at the Santa Monica, California pier and ends at the Las Vegas sign, and the only rule is to get to Las Vegas, Nevada on foot as fast as you can.

For Washington, D.C.’s Northeast Track Club, the unsanctioned endurance event was a challenge they couldn’t pass up. 

In late March, the team of Sami Tewolde, Simone Giovanetti, Stephen Rutgers, Ahmed Cherkaoui, Stephanie Rieger, Maxwell Kent, Will McGinnis, Nina Srikongyos, Sarah Johanek, Sam Robbins and Tripp Camp flew to Los Angeles, rented an RV and Overlander, and set off as one of 55 teams for the multi-day race. 

“This is an ‘underground’ race so there are no stop points or help at all,” says Tewolde, a leader of the Northeast Track Club. “You need to figure out how to get from point A to point B by running, and there’s no time limit, but there is a pool party at the end so you have to try and make it back by then. You’re just off to the races. If you want to go through dirt roads to take a shortcut, you can, you just have to make sure that someone on the team runs every single mile that it takes to get to the Las Vegas sign.” 

The Northeast Track Club had six main runners, three workers and three resters. Every 18 miles, three runners would run one-mile repeats until they got to 18, so they would run six miles each with two miles rest in between, and then another set of runners would switch in.

Tewolde, a government consultant, ran some legs in the middle when some of the others were tired and not feeling very well, and as team captain, she navigated, drove and crewed the rest of the race. 

“We got there in 41 hours and 12 minutes, which was about a 7:15 pace on average — everyone was running really fast,” she says. “We came in 12th in our category of freestyle. We did the OG route, all 340 miles, versus the Power Line route, which is 295 miles.” 

Once arriving, everyone had a great time at the pool party, but admittedly, being sleep deprived and rundown had many finishers a little out of energy.

“But our team was in the pool doing handstands and playing mermaids so we were having a lot of fun,” Tewolde says. “Everyone was really delirious at that point, but that’s what Vegas is for — you never sleep there anyway. It was super fun.” 

The runners were issued medals for completing the race and had a great time talking with other clubs from around the country.  

“A lot of people thought we were crazy for our strategy of keeping it at such low mile repeats, but it worked for us,” Tewolde said. 

The Speed Project was created by runner Nils Arend 10 years ago, who insisted there be no rules, no website and something that was intended for true running enthusiasts to be a part of. A strict application process allows only 55 teams each year. 

This year was the second in a row that the Northeast Track Club participated in, and it’s likely it will continue if chosen, as many of the 900-plus members would like a chance to be involved in future races. 

The event, Tewolde shares, teaches you a lot about teamwork and overcoming challenges, and she encourages other runners to take part if given the chance.

“I was just so in awe of everyone on this team — the grit, the discipline and the attitudes they had throughout this whole experience,” she says. “We did whatever was needed to help each other and everyone felt safe and supported.”

To learn more about the Northeast Track Club, visit their website at netrackclub.com and follow them on Instagram @ne_trackclub. 

Keith Loria

A theatre buff and huge music fan, Keith Loria is a D.C.-based award-winning journalist who has been writing about the arts for more than 20 years. He started his career with the Associated Press and has written for Soap Opera Digest, Playbill and Music Review. He looks forward to 2021 and the theaters reopening! He’s the proud father of two daughters, who often accompany him on his theater outings. Visit his website at keithloria.contently.com.