Warsaw Swords Run to Hel

adidas running

“RUN YOUR HEAD OFF. -SWORDS WARSAW”

The Swords—a Warsaw-based running crew—host an annual relay race in rural Poland called “Border to Hel.” It consists of about sixty running legs of between 5-10km from Świnoujście at the German/Polish border to the tiny peninsula town of Hel, 385 kilometers away. The teams run 24 hours a day, and use RVs to catch rests between legs.

The following images document a December trial run, which was also a first-time meetup of members of the Warsaw Swords and the Paris Adidas Runners. I had an incredible time with the runners, who were super welcoming and fun to work with, despite the long hours and winter weather! If any of you read this—thanks for letting me infiltrate, it was a blast!

This photo essay was shot in a documentary style on a variety of new & vintage film and digital cameras.

CD: James Yeats Smith, Christian Lopez, Mason Yost/ Agency: Brand Articulations/ Talent: The Swords & the Paris Adidas Runners/ Production: Somesuch