In the age of AI and “open to work” badges littering job feeds, you have to wonder what it takes to land a dream job these days. Aiden Haas, a copywriting student at Miami Ad School New York, pulled a stunt to stand out: challenging Andy Pearson, the VP of Creative at Liquid Death, to a “Race to the Death.”
As the last wisps of winter rolled fully into spring, the duo exchanged friendly LinkedIn barbs and settled on the inaugural Utah 115 in May as their battleground. The original wager was simple: If Haas beat Pearson, he wanted a job at Liquid Death, the iconic canned water brand known for unhinged marketing campaigns (a YETI casket, anyone?).
And if Haas lost, he’d buy Pearson a couple of packs of beer. Pearson accepted the challenge after adjusting the terms, offering Haas a portfolio review instead of a job, because even stunts have limits.
Race to the Death: Coming Up With the Stunt
In the world of creative teams (think copywriters, graphic designers, art directors, etc.), there exist awards that can launch your career. From Cannes Lions to D&AD awards, adding these wins to your portfolio gives you clout and job opportunities not found by scrolling LinkedIn.
Haas hatched his plan when he entered for the D&AD New Blood award, answering the call to “create a compelling social media plan [to get] your dream employer’s attention by demonstrating and promoting your personal brand,” according to his entry.
Haas looked for a connection point to his target at Liquid Death and discovered Pearson was an ultramarathoner. Haas, a runner and athlete himself, had two Ironman podium finishes under his belt, though no ultra distances specifically.
According to Haas, Pearson’s low follower count on Strava created the ideal opportunity to taunt him with a challenge the ad student hoped would make enough of an impact to win the New Blood award, get Pearson’s attention, and maybe a dream job.
The Strava Callout
In his challenge video, Haas goaded Pearson, heckling his recent low mileage (Pearson states he had been nursing an injury), and then challenged Pearson to a “Race to the Death,” telling him to pick the ultramarathon and lace up.
But Pearson knows more than how to make a canned water brand famous. He’s also a dedicated ultra runner, having logged about 2,400-2,500 race miles since he began running ultra-distances in Boulder, Colo., in 2008. That included running 314 unsupported miles in the Vol State ultra.
Being the VP of Creative at one of the most visible brands out there, Pearson said he gets a lot of weird mail and stunt offers like this.
“I’ve been sent a fake head in a jar with a resume inside — I was sent an urn the other day,” a laughing Pearson told GearJunkie.
But Haas’s challenge was different.
“This was the first one where I was like, ‘oh this person went about it in an interesting way and he knew I cared about running … he was really putting himself out there,” Pearson said. “I get hundreds of cold LinkedIn messages from people saying they hate their job and want to work at Liquid Death but don’t offer anything in return, which is an immediate turn-off.”
That doesn’t mean Pearson just hands out jobs to clever creatives that hit him up, but he appreciated the effort and personal touch Haas used in his stunt. And given his open race schedule, he agreed.
Utah 115 Ultra
The race Pearson chose came down to timing and what races still had spots available, which happened to be the inaugural Utah 115 on May 16, 2025, in Kanab, Utah. The race had 50- and 115-mile distances and was created by the same group that puts on the iconic Grand to Grand Ultra.
The course was over 50% sand, both soft- and hard-packed, according to Colin Geddes, the Event and Business Director at the Grand to Grand Ultra.
“We wanted to create a new race which would give many more people an experience of the iconic Grand to Grand Ultra course and quite a few of its features, but in a more accessible weekend and nonstop format,” Geddes told GearJunkie.
Not unlike the Grand to Grand Ultra, the Utah 115 was brutal, with a 44% DNF (did not finish) in the 115-mile course.
Race to the (Liquid) Death: Prep
In the two-ish months leading up to the race, the heckling continued between Haas and Pearson, both on Strava and on Pearson’s running podcast, Between Two Pines. Haas trained for the high desert elevation, hills, and sand features as best he could in New York City, all the while watching as Pearson racked up miles of hill climbs and varied terrain from Los Angeles — including a monster effort with a 10,000-foot elevation gain in 6 hours.
“I had never run an ultra before, I prefer shorter, more high-intensity runs versus the mind game of never-ending running in ultras,” Haas said. But he suggested the distance because he knew Pearson hated marathons and would be less likely to take the bait.
Pearson, on the other hand, has a number of successful desert ultras under his belt, particularly in high-desert climates. “I love racing in Southern Utah, I’ve always had success out there, it’s where all my wins have come from,” Pearson said.
Race Day
Once it got to the day of the race, Haas admitted having some doubts. “I didn’t think I was going to finish, but wanted to run until I couldn’t run anymore, at least 40-50 miles,” he said.
A navigation error after the first-aid station around mile 50 cost Haas hours of time and distance trudging through the difficult terrain.
“Around 9 p.m., my calves were completely gone and I couldn’t walk anymore, so that’s when I called it,” Haas said matter-of-factly.
By contrast, Pearson had a much different race experience. At mile 63, he was in first place and a couple of hours ahead of the second-place runner. At that point, he said, “I knew it was mine to lose.”
In an unexpected twist in the Race to the Death, Pearson not only beat the young challenger, but he also took the win for the 115-mile race, finishing with a time of 29 hours and 43 minutes.
Haas eventually arrived at the finish line, two six-packs in hand, only to find Pearson crumbled and conked out. Despite his win, Pearson confessed the race was brutal.
“I don’t think I’ve ever arrived at the halfway point of a race feeling so beat up,” he said. “My legs started seizing around 20 miles because it was hot and with the sand, you’re making all these micro-movements, so my legs were on the verge of a charley horse for about 30 miles.”
Post-Race: Consolation Prize
Pearson couldn’t let Haas and his audacity leave the desert empty-handed. So the Liquid Death executive gave Haas a hand-written certificate for one portfolio review — a golden ticket from one of brand marketing’s most-watched creatives of the day.
While the stunt didn’t land Haas a job at Liquid Death, it did win him a 2025 D&AD New Blood award and plenty of opportunities.
“I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me and I’m leveraging the attention to pitch more creative work to places I’m interested in,” Haas said.
So, do we have to run 115-mile death races in order to get noticed by prospective employers? Haas doesn’t think so, but reflects that you need to differentiate yourself from the litany of job seekers, especially if you’re going for a dream job.
“It’s hard to differentiate yourself, and if you want to stand out, lean into the stuff you’re into and find a niche you can be a part of,” he said.
Pearson agreed.
“I think if you legitimately want a job, you have to do something to prove that you want it … can [you] make every interaction feel fun and like you have an understanding of the person on the receiving end?” Pearson offered. “That’s why I liked what Aiden did.”
Offering value, humanity, and fun to the person on the receiving end of your pitch seems to be the right mix to get noticed in today’s job market. But Pearson isn’t looking for any more race challenges, stating in his recap post on LinkedIn, “Please no one else challenge me to this type of shit ever again. I can only do so many of these a year.”
Read the full article here