Adidas x Cool Runnings goes Sin City

Rebellion on track.

The Speed Project is often called the “Burning Man of Running” - an unfiltered rebellion against the 9-to-5 grind of life. It starts with 800 runners, 4am, at the Santa Monica Pier in LA. The objective is singular: get to Las Vegas as fast as possible.

In Teams of six, runners push through the endless urban expanse of Los Angeles and the unforgivable conditions of the Death Valley. And the reward at the finish line? Champagne. Just Champagne. No price money, no corporate polish, no fancy trophy. For 550km it’s entirely about pushing limits - mind and body alike.

And who was in the middle of it? Exactly, Pius. This collaboration meant capturing real, raw emotions. Documenting the grit in a cinematic & aesthetic way. A challenge you don’t have every day.

A Plan is good, until reality hits. For Pius and his Team reality hit exactly 10 miles into the 48h journey. An injury forced one runner of the team to drop out, leaving the remaining five to shoulder the entire distance with one teammate down.
What followed was a real test on psychological and physical endurance.

Sleeping whenever possible in the car or at a shady hostel on the Route 66, constant questioning on if one can - or even should finish this race. Seeing people reaching their absolute limit, all while hearing Yannic screaming “LET’S GO, LET’S F**KING GO” about 2000 times a day. To say: emotions ran high is an understatement.

Through heated arguments and deeply human moments, you grow incredibly close. And finally reaching the Las Vegas sign is unlike something one has experienced before – insane and beautiful all at once. But it wouldn’t be Pius, and it wouldn’t be Las Vegas, if it didn’t end with a pool party. Sleep had to wait — Vegas came first.

When documenting something this intense, the goal is never to “polish the rough edges”. It is about making the grit tangible. From the sunrise in LA to the sunset in the desert, this collab captures it all: character, rebellion and drive. Pretty without purpose is just noise. We are here for the run. Let’s f**king go!