To refer to The Speed Project as simply an arduous – and extremely lengthy – relay race would be doing the uniqueness of this event a huge disservice.

That is an opinion that Sudbury native and recent participant Kris Cacciotti shares quite readily.

To suggest that the two plus day Easter weekend journey that he undertook with fellow Sudburian and team captain K.C. Gallo and five other Canadian runners was the adventure of a lifetime?

Now you have Cacciotti is fully on board – which is saying something from a man who lives his life as pretty much a constant adventure.

“The biggest thing is that you are gathering a community of like-minded people from all over the world,” noted the 36 year old Lockerby Composite graduate who tackled the event that kicked off at the Santa Monica pier in Los Angeles and ended at the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign miles from the strip – a total jaunt of 340 miles.

“Even though we are all competing against one another, we are all one team, cheering each other on, helping each other.”

Given that the race does not follow a pre-determined course route (there is a prescribed set of directions that are largely followed by many of the 80 teams that took part this year – but it’s not mandatory) and that the only rules of the race are that you cannot run on freeways and at least one team member must be in motion at all times, some moral support along the way can prove quite comforting.

“We connected with a crew from Australia on night two, when it was a really uneasy time,” recalled Cacciotti, his largely Toronto-based team completing the course in 49 hours and ten minutes. “We synched up with them and it just made us slightly more comfortable.”

Part of the field in the launch of this race a decade ago, Gallo recruited Cacciotti for her lineup of runners that might run at intervals of sixty minutes or less – ranging to several hours between strides.

And she did so knowing that the father of two who ran his first officially sanctioned race at the 2014 Sudbury Rocks Marathon (ironically, also part of a relay team) could not only withstand the harsh physical requirements but at least as critically provide an upbeat highly-positive mindset to an environment that can prove challenge – even to the most talented of runners.

“It can be a pretty dark event at times,” said Cacciotti. “You need some positive personalities.”

For as much as 80 teams and 600 participants entered the most recent Speed Project and for as much as the convoy of RVs which housed the teams on route could number a dozen or more at a time, there is a solitude to the personal run segments that can prove daunting.

This might be where Kris Cacciotti is the best fit.

As many in Sudbury are fully aware, Kris and his wife Leslie were gifted with the birth of Everett in August of 2017. Born with a congenital heart defect and subject to countless operations prior to even celebrating his first birthday, the youngster with the glowing smile sadly passed in the summer of 2021.

Much of what motivates Cacciotti is wrapped around the memories of his son. That connection was also central to his start as something of an avid runner.

“We lived in Toronto at Sick Kids Hospital for almost four months when Evvy was born,” said the man who enjoys the chance to cover the spectrum of run-related pursuits. “Running became an outlet for me where I could go out and re-energize, reset and refocus to be the dad and husband that Everett and Zoey and Leslie needed.”

“I don’t consider myself as defined and fitting into any particular box (as a runner).”

From there, the benefits of constant training kicked into full gear, the speed and endurance building up for the northern lad who considers the “Off-the-Grid” race in Mattawa as his own personal crown jewel.

“It seems like a spiritual quest for me,” said Cacciotti, space constraints limiting our ability to fully delve into the genesis of the special place the race holds in his heart. “I will be doing that race until my body moves no more.”

While such a moment – his body ceasing to move - never came to pass in his recent great adventure, a nagging knee injury did create some concerns, his time slowing notably as day two took its toll.

Then Evvy saved the day.

An early morning run allowed Cacciotti to crest a hill and gaze upon a stretch of scenery that left him virtually breathless. He could sense he was no longer running this particular segment alone.

“I tapped my Evvy Wings (tattoo on his chest) and that carried me through day two,” he said, our conversation coming full circle.

For Kris Cacciotti, the Speed Project goes way beyond simply a relay race through the desert – understandably so.