From Desert Dash to Big Screen

The Speed Project has long captivated the imagination of runners worldwide, including our own extensive coverage and participation at Tempo. But when Melbourne’s Run South Yarra (R:SY) approached filmmaker Matthew Thomas to document their efforts to conquer the infamous LA to Vegas dash, the ultimate goal was something bigger than following a team of runners slogging it out in the desert. What began as a request for social media content evolved into Bound by Distance, an hour-long documentary that uses The Speed Project (TSP) as a lens to explore topics such as loneliness and some of the ways we can overcome it. The documentary is being launched this week with two Melbourne preview screenings.

“I wasn’t that interested in just doing social content,” Matt admits of the first approach from Run South Yarra. “But I did see a potential bigger opportunity.” That opportunity? To create a film that not only documents R:SY’s gruelling journey across the wilderness but also examines the meteoric rise of run clubs and their impact on mental health and community building.

Of course, to make the documentary Run South Yarra had to first train for and complete TSP, one of the toughest races on Earth. The seed for that goes way back to before the club’s founders, Tom Adair and Cam Macdonald, were even runners.

“I had a friend, a work colleague that went over and did the race,” Cam recalls. “We didn’t even run at that stage. So, watching her do it, I just thought, ‘Oh, she’s fucking crazy.’”

Fast forward a few years and the duo established Run South Yarra around May 2022. Gym buddies, they’d been running up the Anderson Street hill on The Tan during the pandemic and were also members of the now defunct 440 South Yarra crew. They decided to branch out on their own and, since then, Run South Yarra has grown and grown, attracting up to 350 runners for sessions in the warmer months. The club puts on three runs each week: Wednesday on the track, a social Saturday run and a Sunday long run. Now one of the biggest Melbourne crews, they turned out in force for the recent Melbourne Marathon, mounting a full week of “off course” events and activations.

The Speed Project, for the uninitiated, is an unsanctioned race with no set route, where teams must navigate their way across the desert using any means necessary. “It’s pretty underground and secretive,” Tom explains, “which I think makes it a bit more elusive and makes you want to do it even more.”

After reaching out to the race’s organisers via Instagram DM, Tom and Cam heard nothing back – before finally receiving an invite to “tell us more”. Cleared for takeoff, they assembled a crew of their most dedicated members, with TSP veteran Lydia O’Donnell stepping in as coach. They opted for TSP’s “OG” crew formation of six runners – four men, two women – but added an extra “overlap” runner for safety and guidance through some of the dark spots.

Good thing they did, because it sounds like things got scary out there, with some of the locals being none too friendly.

“It started getting pretty hairy on this back-country highway as it was getting dark,” Tom tells us. “There’s a WhatsApp group for everyone in the race, and there were a lot of reports of cars pulling over with sus people waiting for runners to come past. We thought, this is getting pretty sketchy, leaving runners by themselves for 2K out on the road in the dark with no reception or whatever.”

As awful as that sounds, it led to unexpected moments of camaraderie. They teamed up with a Canadian group called the Roosters, leapfrogging the two teams’ RVs so the runners were never alone. “The way the rotations were working,” Tom says, “every time you paired up with someone, you’d get to meet a different person from the other crew.”

While TSP veterans might be familiar with the race’s challenges – RV malfunctions, extreme weather, sleep deprivation – Bound by Distance aims to go deeper. It explores what Cam describes as “the epidemic of loneliness” and how run clubs like R:SY are combating it.

“Within the run club, you get these people that come down for the first time and they don’t know anyone,” Cam explains. “And then, a few months down the track, they’ve made like five or six of their best mates.”

This transformation from strangers to community is at the heart of the film. Matt’s camera captures not just the physical journey from LA to Vegas, but the emotional and social connections forged along the way. The documentary features interviews with a diverse cast, including members of other run crews like LilBig and Femmi, providing a panoramic view of the running community.

One of the film’s strengths is its exploration of running’s recent boom. “If you just look at the financial state of running and you look at brands and businesses, the economic spike of running from a business sense has been profound,” Matt notes. The documentary examines this surge, questioning whether it’s a passing fad or a fundamental shift in how we approach fitness and community.

Bound by Distance also delves into the psychology of running, asking why it feels so good to run, especially with others. By bringing together perspectives from various experts and everyday runners, the film aims to unpack the almost spiritual appeal of communal running.

As Melbourne’s running community eagerly awaits the premiere, it’s clear that Bound by Distance is more than just another running documentary. It’s a timely exploration of how something as simple as a run club can address bigger societal issues like loneliness and mental health.

The film’s release strategy is ambitious, with plans to hit the festival circuit and a selective cinema release before seeking distribution on streaming platforms. “I think there’s enough insight, enough education, enough entertainment for it to exist on a platform like that,” Matt says of his hopes to see the documentary hosted on a major streaming service.

In a world where running content often focuses on elite athletes or race results, Bound by Distance promises something different. It’s a celebration of the everyday runner, the communities that they form and the transformative power of making connections as an antidote to loneliness. With Bound by Distance, Matthew Thomas and Run South Yarra have found a fresh angle on a familiar topic, reminding us why we fell in love with this sport in the first place.

It’s not just about the miles; it’s about the bonds we form along the way.