Apple Watch Ultra 2 helped Speed Project take on 300-mile desert run

Runners from The Speed Project [Apple]

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 was recently used by teams running The Speed Project, an annual relay traversing over 300 miles between Santa Monica and Las Vegas.

The Speed Project is a grueling annual race, which sees teams of runners attempt to cover the roads and highways passing through the Mojave Desert between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

A feature published by Apple on Monday explained the story of the Los Angeles' Koreatown Run Club and New York City's Old Man Run Club teaming up for the punishing relay. The 12-member team was aided by navigators, a crew, team RVs, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Apple's smartwatch provided more than the usual fitness metric monitoring capabilities, as they also helped teams keep track of runner positions, take calls, and even gain some visibility in the darkness.

"Apple Watch Ultra 2 was our instant lifeline to each other," said crew captain Cindy Le. Co-captain Ja Tecson added "The watch is truly made for the conditions we were going through, especially when we did our trail runs at night. "

The flashlight setting helped members stay safe at night due to there being "a lot of really aggressive drivers on the road." Meanwhile team logistics were also dealt with via the timepiece, with dictation helping runners respond without breaking their stride.

The team's run was documented by a trio of team members, shooting using the iPhone 15 Pro Max, then editing the images in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

The start time of the run, March 29 at 4 A.M., saw runners gather in Palisades Park, Santa Monica, before everyone set off on the journey. The team succeeded the following night, completing the relay in 41 hours and 51 minutes.