The North Face Kits Out Teams for The Speed Project CHX

Supporting Speed

The Speed Project is a secret once again. 

Once a DIY underground relay race from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, the event has grown over the years to include an array of runners, influencers, and brands of all shapes and sizes. While it’s still a hardcore race driven by serious runners, it’s safe to say it’s lost some of its rebel appeal. 

The best way to get that back? Just start over.

This morning, mixed teams of six runners set out to complete The Speed Project CHX, an all-new version of the race that will take them from Chamonix to Marseille (roughly 310 miles) on routes decided by themselves. There are no rules and no laws, just get from the start to the finish by running the entire route, however you wish. It’s a raw and unrefined version of running that strips out the bullshit and focuses on the spirit of teamwork and all-in participation.

Of course, being underground doesn’t mean that athletes don’t need (and want) support. To that extent, The North Face is supporting two different teams, one that’s a coed team of 3 males and 3 females (JM Team TSP), another that’s an all-women’s running team from London (THE TSP GRANT).

You gotta look good and feel good over the course of 500 kilometers, so The North Face is kitting out both teams in the all-new IKB X TNF collection, featuring bold blue colorways with white accents. International Klein Blue (IKB), a color devised in 1957 by French artist Yves Klein, is having a moment right now, and TNF is taking full advantage of it.

The apparel pieces fall in the Summit Series from The North Face, ranging from the waterproof Futurelight jacket to the Pacesetter shorts to an all-new colorway of the Base Camp Duffel. On the footwear side of things, the IKB x TNF collection features all-new colorways of the Vectiv Pro 2, the premium, carbon-plated trail racing shoe that is one of the best trail shoes of the year (read the review). An all-blue version of the Vectiv Enduris 3 is also available.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably not in a van tearing through France, trying to finish an underground race. Which means you have all the time in the world to pick up a piece from the collection. Or maybe you are, in which case we say: good luck to you and if a cop detains you or pulls you over, you know nothing. This message will self-destruct in T-minus 10 seconds.