Spartan race

Spartan Race is a series of obstacle races of varying distance and difficulty ranging from 3 miles to marathon distances. They are held in USA and franchised to 14 countries including Canada, many European countries, South Korea, and Australia. The series include the Spartan Sprint (3+ miles of obstacle racing, 20+ obstacles), the Super Spartan (8+ miles, 25+ obstacles), the Spartan Beast (13+ miles, 30+ obstacles), and the Ultra Beast (26+ miles, 60+ obstacles – one of two marathon obstacle courses along with Mudderthon). Spartan Race also has a military series in which obstacles are designed by the United States military. In January 2015, first ever Winter Spartan Sprint was held in Slovakia, Central Europe. Team based Spartan Races are called the Hurricane Heat and Hurricane Heat 12 Hour. [1] ESPN describes the Spartan Race as "a true test of will."[2]

As of 2015, Spartan Race now offers the "Spartan Agoge" which is described as a "60 hour physical, tactical, mental and team based training and testing" event. It will be held in Vermont twice a year.[3]

History

Peak.com and Peak Races were founded in 2007[4] by Joe De Sena, Andy Weinberg, and Julian Kopald.[5] Peak Races, the parent company of "Death Race", eventually went on to create the current Spartan Race series.[6]

The first Spartan Race event was held in 2010 at the Catamount Outdoor Center in Williston, Vermont and represented the city of Burlington, Vermont. Roughly 500 competitors had to "run, crawl, jump and swim" and overcome a variety of obstacles.[7] All finishers received a medal, and prizes were awarded to the top athletes.

In August 2012, Raptor Consumer Partners (RCP) announced its partnership with Spartan Races, investing into the company.[8]

In January 2013, Spartan Races announced that Reebok had become its event title sponsor, thus creating 2013's "Reebok Spartan Race Series".[9]

In August 2013, Spartan Race announced that its partnership with NBC Sports was leading to the first televised event. On December 7, 2013, NBC Universal Sports showed a 90-minute televised taping of the 2013 Spartan Race World Championships, which had a $250,000 purse up.[10]


Obstacle race

Spartan Races vary in distance from 2.5 miles to ultra-marathon distances (26.2+ miles), the obstacles themselves also vary from race to race. Frequently presented obstacles include:

  1. Fire jump: participants leap over flames, typically at the end of a race.
  2. Barbed wire crawl: a crawl through mud under barbed wire. Crawls range from 20-100+ yards in length.
  3. Over-Under-Through: a series of obstacles in which runners must first climb over a wall, then under a wall, then through a square hole placed in a wall.
  4. Spear throw: from a distance of 10-20 yards, athletes must throw a wooden spear into a target.
  5. Wall climb: runners must climb over a wooden wall. Walls range from 4–8 feet and are often in sequence.
  6. Object carry: typically a log, rock-filled bucket, or sandbag over a certain distance.
  7. Herculean Hoist: a sandbag[s] is lifted off the ground using a pulley system.
  8. Tyrolean Traverse: traversing a single rope that is hung horizontally between two posts or trees.
  9. Traversal Wall: the traversal wall is similar to a bouldering wall.
  10. Slippery Wall: a wall built at an incline (roughly 45 degrees) that is covered in soap or grease.
  11. Gladiator Arena: (Discontinued) before the finish line, athletes must pass through the "gladiators" who try to knock down runners using their pugil sticks.
  12. Hobie Hop: a thick rubber band is placed around the ankles and participants hop through 20+ tires in a row
  13. Log Jump: Logs are arranged in a zig-zag pattern at varying heights and participants have to hop on them without touching the ground.
  14. Rope Climb: A rope is hung over a body of water/mud with a bell installed at the very top. Participants must "ring the bell" before climbing down.
  15. Rolling Mud: A steep mud hill followed by deep pits of water, repeating 3-6 times.
  16. Tractor Pull: A 50lbs cement block hooked to a chain that you must drag through the mud around a small track.
  17. Dunk Wall: A large wooden wall placed just on the surface of the water forcing you to swim or crawl under.
  18. Atlas Carry: Picking up a mud covered Atlas Stone off of the ground and carrying it a set distance, then setting the stone down and performing a specific number of Burpees then you must carry the stone back to where you started.
  19. Tire Flip: Flipping a large tractor tire over a predetermined amount of times.
  20. Stump Balance: Hopping across mud covered small stumps without falling off.
  21. Monkey Bars: A series of elevated bars that you must swing across without falling to the ground.
  22. Rope Swing: A rope placed before a small body of water that you must swing across without dropping into the water.

Trifecta

"Spartans" obtain a Trifecta medal after completing a Spartan Sprint, Spartan Super and a Spartan Beast in one calendar year. A participant can earn multiple Trifecta medals in a given year by completing another set of events (Sprint, Super, and Beast). As of the 2014 season, the finisher medal includes both the traditional circular medal and a "pie piece" – one third of a larger Trifecta medal. Each pie piece is engraved with the year it was earned.

Kids Spartan races

Each Spartan Race features a Kids Spartan Races for children age 5–13. These races feature cargo nets, balance beam, and mud. The "Jr. Varsity" mini obstacle courses typically last ½ mile, with the "Varsity" children completing two laps to make a 1-mile course.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Spartan Race". Spartan.com. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  2. ↑ "Spartan Race true test of will - ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. 2010-06-06. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  3. ↑ "http://www.spartan.com/en/race/race-types/endurance-races?article=29031". Spartan Race. Retrieved 2015-11-18. External link in |title= (help)
  4. ↑ http://www.joedesena.org/
  5. ↑ http://www.lastrace316.com/
  6. ↑ http://www.therichest.com/celebnetworth/athletes/joe-desena-net-worth/
  7. ↑ "VIDEO: The Spartan Race in Williston | Burlington Free Press". burlingtonfreepress.com. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  8. ↑ Keneally, Scott (2012-10-22). "Playing Dirty". Outside Online. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  9. ↑ "Spartan Race Growing Through Participation Surge And Reebok / NBC Partnerships". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  10. ↑ "Spartan Race Tackles TV". Obstacle Racing Media. 2013-08-08. Retrieved 2015-10-24.

External links

Official website

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