No rules, just one goal: go all the way

If until recently the motto has been “the important thing is not to win, but to participate”, a phrase bitterly pronounced by losers or by winners with a good dose of sarcasm, now it is “the important thing is not to win, but to cross the finish line”. It doesn’t matter when, it doesn’t matter how or the road traveled. What really matters is to cross that threshold that embodies the satisfaction gained after miles and miles of sweat and effort. And there is nothing that best represents this vision than The Speed Race Project and, in particular, one of the teams participating in the race: the MAFFs Team supported by Alba Optics.

For those unfamiliar with it, The Speed Project is a grueling race starting at the Santa Monica Pier, in Los Angeles, and ending in downtown Las Vegas. The only rule is to cover the approximately 500km that divide the two cities, alone or in a team of six participants. There is also a “Freestyle” category, in which it is allowed to choose any type of route and the number of relays. And it is precisely for this race that the Chilean team of MAFFs, led by Pepe Sciaraffia, has been preparing for the whole last year.

MAFFs was born as a collective of people who want to run freely, without rules. There is no strict training regime, they are just friends who enjoy running together, but also in solitude, in the mountains. Such a philosophy, such a foundation.

The team was born almost by chance when, in 2020, the participants had to decide on a team name to participate in the TSPDIY, the “homemade” edition of The Speed Project which consisted of competing on the home trails. For this race, the MAFFs Team runners managed to cover 425 kilometers in the Atacama desert in almost 30 hours, understanding the logistics and the best method to be able to face the official race. The goal is always the same: running hard, pushing your strength to the limit by bringing out the best of yourself, support your team and, most importantly, have fun.

Initially, the team consisted of six runners: the aforementioned Pepe Sciaraffia, then Max Keith, Cristian Deppe, Santiago Margozzini, Eduardo Labarca and Esteban Morales. To date, they have been joined by Cristian Lecaros, Paolo Pavez and the only non-Chilean runner, Sofi Kim. The runners are supported by three other people who help in the preparation and during the race itself. The competition is free from rules and so are the training sessions, in which the team runners ran together and in solitude, each with their own method.

In fact, during the lockdown, the guys of the MAFFs Team were able to discover their home mountains’ routes, always looking for creative ways to challenge themselves, discovering new approaches to running and respecting those of others. In short, it is nice to push your strength and speed to the maximum but it is even better to exercise your creativity to have fun while running.

During TSP 2022, the MAFFs Team managed to run from Santa Monica to Las Vegas, finishing eighth in the standings, along the classic but longer route: 545km in 36 hours and 24 minutes, time enriched by effort, friendship and a lot of passion. We just have to sit back and wait for TSP 2023 to see how the MAFFs Team will manage to amaze us once again with its unconventional approach to competition. Because we are sure that, with such an attitude, we would only be delighted.