On Friday March 10th, 2017 - 6 birds will together run a total of 340 miles across the desert. The race, known as The Speed Project, asks teams to complete the distance in a relay format from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. There are no rules to how the distance is covered, or how each team navigates the mostly unmarked course and challenging landscape. It is rumored that this course is as much a psychological challenge as it is a physical one. And this year will be the first year an all-female team toes the line.
We are proud to present to you, Bird Strike — Oiselle’s all-female team taking on The Speed Project this March. A combination of elites and amateurs, with a crew just as zany - we believe amazing things happen when women come together to take on something hard. The team is a partnership with our friends at Polartec (remember Flyout!) — who will be fundamental in helping these birds survive the challenging climate. Hey, our feathers may even be our competitive advantage.
Six birds will run the 340 miles of the Speed Project, but we will race, fly, and finish as a team. Train, run, and fly with us with #birdstrike. Every individual that posts a run using #birdstrike will be celebrated with an honorary bird on our race van. Like everything we do as a community, we will start and complete this adventure, together.
So, without further ado - meet The Bird Strike Team!
DEVON - THE BLACK HAWK - YANKO
Dark. Dangerous. Flies low. Hunts hard.
RANGE: Expansive, but often found in the Bay Area
PRIMARY DIET: Coffee, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts and steak. And otter pops. All the otter pops.
FLIGHT PATTERNS: Free range, wild, wherever the current takes her.
SARAH - THE FOREST FALCON - OVERPECK
Agile. Prefers thick cover to open air. Visually inconspicuous, yet you will hear her roar.
RANGE: Indianapolis, with regular trips across Indiana hills and woodlands.
PRIMARY DIET: “Part frat guy, part little old lady.” Pizza and beer, with a hearty dose of Shredded Wheat Big Biscuits, oatmeal, and yogurt. M&Ms and animal crackers for balance.
FLIGHT PATTERNS: Slow burn. Starts conservatively, but every run inevitably turns into a progression run
CATHLEEN - THE KESTREL - KNUTSON
The tiny terror. America’s smallest falcon. Predatory intensity packed into a small forceful body.
RANGE: Seattle, WA
PRIMARY DIET: Clementines, chocolate milk, nuun, Starbucks instant coffee, and bagel sandwiches with salty potato chips.
FLIGHT PATTERNS: Steady and calculated with an attack at the finish.
Originally a bird of the east that spread through the PNW and southward into California. Flies fast, refusing to tolerate a close approach.
RANGE: Migratory - Maine, Boston, San Juan Islands, Montana, Argentina, Chicago, Virginia, Boston, Seattle, Montana
PRIMARY DIET: Ice cream, tea, eggs, yogurt, avocados, toast.
FLIGHT PATTERNS: Calculated, long-distance traveler. Prefers cold weather for migration. Loves running both in circles and along ridgelines.
COLLIER - THE BAT FALCON - LAWRENCE
Powerful aerial attacker. Prefers a direct approach when hunting.
RANGE: Bend, Oregon
PRIMARY DIET: Peanut Butter Banana Honey Cinnamon Toast, Picky Bars, Eggs, and Soup on Wednesdays.
FLIGHT PATTERNS: Calm, cool, collected, and calculating.
NORA - THE RED TAILED HAWK - BIRD
Soars high in the sky. Always watching.
RANGE: Cottage Grove, WI. Country roads are her playground.
PRIMARY DIET: All the meat and butter. Picky bars, pickle juice, and ginger chews for race fueling. Pro protein bars. Coffee. Kettle Chips.
FLIGHT PATTERNS: Likes to go fast. Gets out front and stays out front. Prefers the road, and is just getting into the trail scene. Leadville was her first 100. Enjoys the unknown and never previews a race course in too much detail. Loves a good downhill.
It Takes A Village. Meet The Bird Strike Crew!
LAUREN - THE MARSH HAWK - FLESHMAN
Known for its circling flight. Lives high. Hunts low.
RANGE: Bend, Oregon
PRIMARY DIET: Vertebrates. With cheese. And a Side Salad. Latte Bitch. Picky Bars.
FLIGHT PATTERNS: Most often seen in circles. Smart at the start. Woman up to the finish. Survive when necessary. Shake all the hands.
Common bird dressed in black. Amateur flyer. Dangerous in games of strategy.
RANGE: Seattle, WA, with some leftover NYC plumage.
PRIMARY DIET: Black coffee. Peanut butter. Picky Bars.
FLIGHT PATTERNS: Headfirst, uphill, into the wind.
RANGE: Ames, Iowa (home of the Cyclones, boo-ya)
PRIMARY DIET: Red Bull, champagne, candy of the fruity and chewy variety, and maybe pizza or tacos. Concoctions in a Crock Pot (capitalized because it's a brand, not a category of cooking equipment, in which case she would call it a "slow cooker").
FLIGHT PATTERNS: Laissez-faire. Either for distance or time, never both. Doesn’t even own a GPS. Runs by feel, by The Force, by the seat of her pants, by the sun, by her chicken instincts. Doesn't look up marathon splits nor does she calculate them when running one. Free Bird.
ROBYN - THE GYRFALCON - HEFFNER
RANGE: From Eugene, OR. Currently found flying in Seattle, WA.
PRIMARY DIET: The holy trinity of coffee, carbs and cab
FLIGHT PATTERNS: Short and sweet. Preferably around an oval.
RANGE: Migrated from rainy Seattle to sunny Newport Beach.
PRIMARY DIET: Power Salads. A little quinoa, a little kale and other fresh veggies, and a little protein - preferably in the form of shrimp.
FLIGHT PATTERNS: On the track is where flight feels most natural. Always excited to jump into other's track workouts. With motivation lacking the past few years, she'd say her run style is more relaxed with a hefty dose of 'why can't I just maintain this speed’.
Fast, graceful, wings beat deep. Known for courage, keen eyesight, and nobility.
RANGE: Migrating westward from Ohio to Indiana.
PRIMARY DIET: Pizza and Coca Cola.
FLIGHT PATTERNS: Energizer bunny. Keeps going.
CLAIRE - THE PHALAROPE - SMILEY
Polartec plumage expert. Often found out of the nest, exploring the wild.
RANGE: Somerville, MA
PRIMARY DIET: Banana + pb, every morning.
FLIGHT PATTERNS: A balance between spunk and stealth.
Start together. Finish together. Fly with us with #BirdStrike.
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