When Lucy Scholz started to make plans for a solo record attempt at the Speed Project, she wrote down her hopes for the ultra run.
During the 340-mile unsanctioned race from Santa Monica, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada, she wanted to push the limits of her running ability. Unlike most competitors who take on the route solo, Scholz doesn’t have a sponsor or a film crew chronicling her every move. At that point, she was working two jobs and hadn’t raced longer than 100 miles. But the New Orleans, Louisiana, native isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. In fact, she revels in setting “big, scary goals.” Plus, she had an all-female crew she could count on.
“There will be known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown knowns,” Scholz wrote. “Figuring all of them out is something we do together.”
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On Thursday, March 23, a day earlier than her projected finish, Scholz made it to the iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. She pulled off a big upset, breaking the overall solo record with a final time of 84 hours and 45 minutes.
For Scholz, the Speed Project represented more than a lofty goal. Months of training and coordination dedicated to the effort ultimately helped her cope with disappointment after another goal didn’t come to fruition.
After completing the 2022 Speed Project as part of a relay team last year, Scholz and her wife, Maggie Riddell, began the process of starting a family. First, Scholz underwent intrauterine insemination (IUI), a less invasive fertility treatment compared to in-vitro fertilization (IVF). After several months of trying to get Scholz pregnant, the couple decided to switch and have Riddell try the fertility treatment. The same week she found out she wasn’t pregnant, Scholz signed up for the 2023 Speed Project in August 2022. But it would be months before she could find the motivation to train again. “I was so sad, and that was pretty unexpected,” she said.
Scholz looked forward to the project as another big adventure, but she was also in a deep state of grief. While it took time, running helped her work through it.
In September, she paced a friend in the Cowboy 200, an ultra race in Nebraska. “That sort of snapped me out of it, got me back into running, got me really excited for this race in a way that I’m really thankful for,” she said. “But I think the challenge of being a female athlete and trying to plan for your family is a real thing that some people talk about, but not a lot of people talk about.”
In the fall, Scholz rallied her friends and teammates from the 2022 Speed Project to join her as crew members in her solo mission. One of the first people she approached was Lindsey Puderer, her training partner from the 504th Run Crew in New Orleans. “I was really privileged enough to be her crew captain and work with her to come together and find the right people, the right energies, the right plan,” Puderer said. “I’m a ‘yes’ person.”
Together, they assembled nine women to be part of the crew. In spreadsheets and planning documents, they mapped out every possible scenario along the route. They created a website and social media channels to share Scholz’s story, her goal to increase representation for women and the LGBTQ+ community, and her progress during the race. Scholz also used the race as an opportunity to fundraise for Live Oak Camp, a New Orleans-based camp for kids she founded in 2015. To break up the miles and keep the experience fun, Puderer coordinated themes for each day of the challenge. Day 2, for example, was Mardi Gras.
As Scholz anticipated, she threw up around miles 50 and 80. But the scariest unknown in the race came shortly after. Around mile 130, rain poured down between short stints of sunshine while Scholz ran along a stretch of power lines near the California/Nevada border. With each step, gusts of wind pushed her forward like a tumbleweed on the barren desert road. It was only day 2 of the projected 5-day journey, and doubt was already starting to creep into her mind.
When Scholz arrived at her crew’s RV to take a scheduled nap from 3 to 6 p.m., the wind rattled the vehicle. When she woke up to tackle the next stretch, a 50-mile remote section inaccessible by RV, Scholz was worried. “What if the wind shifts and it’s toward me? What if it keeps raining?” Scholz wondered. A jeep with four crew members planned to accompany her instead, but she wouldn’t have access to a sleeping space should things go wrong. “I was scared,” she said.
Scholz called Puderer, explained her concerns and suggested an alternative route that would add 12 miles. The crew captain told her to stay calm and run the next short stretch while she worked on a plan. After calling people who were familiar with the section and consulting with the rest of the team, Puderer advised Scholz to stay the course. Instead of four crew members, three would ride in the jeep while they reconfigured the seats to make a bed for her. In the end, Scholz trusted her judgment and carried on.
“That’s representative of how the whole race went,” Scholz said. “Anytime there was any doubt in my mind, they were so supportive and responded in a way that helped me move through and get back to feeling positive.”
Riddell joined the crew in the middle of the week to support an effort that also represented a major comeback for her wife. “Lucy is such a determined person,” Riddell said, while explaining that her determination made it extra difficult when she was unable to get pregnant. “But then she was able to pivot and be like, ‘I’m putting my mind to this, and not only am I going to finish the race, I’m going to crush the record.’ That was a restoration of faith in her ability to do hard things.”
When Scholz reached the end of her journey in record time, surrounded by the crew members who showed up to support her, she realized it too. “Find people that believe in you, and you can accomplish a lot,” she said.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
