Spartan Trail World Championship
TRAIL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Spartan Trail World Championship is an all-new series of Trail events across the globe. Each Championship will host Trail events (< 49K) and Trail Ultra Championship (50K+) events. A landmark arrival to the world of trail running, the Spartan Trail World Championship includes a range of exciting trail races held over championship distances from trail marathons to 100K and 100 miles. Races take place in jaw-dropping locations all over the world and include an unprecedented prize purse.
The Championship is a multi-stop tour for all ability levels and features some of trail running’s most prestigious events. Top runners and Age Group competitors may compete for prize money and awards at each event, and earn points on a series leader board for a grand prize payout. Two competition distance categories are available at each Championship stop. Each distance category has its own points leader board and prize purse:
Trail Run Category – sub ultramarathon distances below 49k.
Trail Ultra Category – ultramarathon distances 100k and above.
Patagonia Run
Choose between six distances that will take you around the amazing Cordillera de Los Andes in Argentina’s Patagonia. A wild and unforgettable journey for beginner or experienced trail runners, from 10K to 100 Miles. 100 Miles, 110K, 70K, 42K, 21K, 10K
Lavaredo Ultra Trail
One of the most spectacular trail races anywhere that take place in the heart of the beautiful Dolomites in Northern Italy. Crushing vertical gain is offset with jaw-dropping scenery, making this race a must for any passionate trail runner. 120K, 80K, 48K, 20K
Boil down the ethos of Spartan Race and it’s fundamentally a total-mind, total-body challenge. Every time a racer steps foot on a Spartan Race course, they can expect an arduous adventure where expectations are crushed or exceeded (or both), and nothing is guaranteed. But Spartan Race (as you know it today) actually derived from Joe De Sena’s DIY ultra series in rural Vermont called Peak Races. This is that story.
The four races within Peak Races include:
- Snowdevil – a 100-mile snowshoe race
- Bloodroot Ultra – a 500-mile trail race (named after Bloodroot Mountain, where the course climbs 3,500 feet to the summit)
- Woodsplitter – a cross-country mountain bike race that has a winner-take-all format for most laps completed in six hours of riding
- Death Race – at the heart of Peak Races lies the fourth and final challenge.
“There’s nothing like this on the face of the earth,” said Borden. What he was talking about was Peak Races, four events that formed the genesis of the Spartan brand. They were all the toughest, most extreme endurance events possible, and they were all located in Pittsfield, Vermont: literally Joe De Sena’s backyard.
Going beyond the global, multi-billion dollar OCR industry that Spartan is at the centre of, Peak Races is 100% small-town and grassroots. It has a local community atmosphere with authentic landmarks: Riverside and Amee Farm, the Original General Store, and Trailside Inn. It has a hand-built pizza bar in the middle of the woods, and 50 miles of single-track terrain that challenges the most hardened athletes getting them to redefine the limits of what we humans can do.
The goal is to create the hardest race in the world. Early in the process, De Sena, who loves to ride mountain bikes, invited some of his friends to race on the trails. De Sena remembers a top-ranked mountain biker who collapsed at the finish after one of the marathon jaunts. Her reason: “She said it was the hardest terrain she’s ever raced on,” shared De Sena. “It was at that point we knew we had something.”
The real heart of the Peak Races format was built on the shoulders of a community hungry to test the limits of the human body. Peter Borden explained it best: “De Sena was into adventure and endurance racing from early in his career, and he saw this as an opportunity to put these events on and to find that one individual out of a 1,000 that really, really, wanted to be challenged. The goal was to have them look inside themselves and test what their inner being was; to find a deep meaning behind the human body…to peel it back and get rid of all the excuses. That was the basis of Peak Races from day one.”
De Sena dubbed the Green Mountain trails and Bloodroot Mountain: “Jurassic Park” and Borden agreed: “The stuff we’re doing is just not normal. The ultra marathon is in the middle of Jurassic Park, where racers start in the mud and ice in the morning, and they reach spots with 18 inches of snow—and then the sun comes out and it’s 76 degrees and the humidity is climbing like crazy. It’s really got everything.”
Borden elaborated: “At Bloodroot Ultra in 2007, I rode out to the middle of nowhere with my kids. It was the middle of Jurassic Park, and Joe had attracted huge names to come and race. Here’s this guy coming up the mountain carrying a sledgehammer up a mountain because he’s in the death division. My kids are awestruck and (rightfully) claim he was the biggest dude they’ve ever seen. It was David Goggins. He’s massive and ripped, but also the most polite: ‘Please’ and ‘Thank-you’ the whole way. It was all about inspiring people. It literally changed what people could expect from themselves…and what was possible.”
How Peak Races Is Different Than Spartan
For Spartans and athletes of all strengths, registration is open for each of the four Peak Race events. Information is readily available online. But the price to compete is steep: it often requires every ounce of willpower one can provide. “Spartan is 20 years old. For 10 of those 20 years this is what it was,” said De Sena. “Come out and see where it all came from. Find yourself out on the mountain. Something about it changes you. I have yet to meet someone—anyone—from any part of the world who wasn’t changed by coming out to see the farm first hand…and then they want to come back again and again.”
Will Peak Races ever be the next Spartan? “No,” answered De Sena. “It’ll never be Spartan. There won’t be 10,000 people at an event. But anyone can come out and get their ass kicked. The people who come out—they do work—because we put them to work.”
“I invited three million people out at one point. My wife was going crazy.” De Sena paused. “But only 10 showed up. We just put them to work on the farm.”
Visit this site for all the peak challenges:
Snow Devil
Blood Root Ultra
https://calendar.ultrarunning.com/event/peak-blood-root-ultra
Peak Series Death Race
Wood Splitter – MTB
Are you ready for a mountain bike challenge like no other?
You will be challenged to see how many times you can complete a marked loop course within a 6-hour time limit. Each loop will cover ten miles of mind, body, and technique testing terrain incorporating classic GMT standbys and recently hand-built gnar. In the spirit of all Peak races, this is an opportunity to test your limits.
50K & 6 Hour Loop Course (subject to change)
About the Race: Our race’s diabolical origins date back to the 666 race eight years ago, which featured a short, but brutal, six-mile loop ridden for six hours up steep skidder roads and through our budding trail system, barely recognizable to what its grown into now. The other six may have stood for the beast that we roasted over a pit for the post-race feast. Our trail offerings have quadrupled since then, and the contest has also morphed to take advantage of the boon, but we still retain the same wild spirit of that first race. A portion of the income from the race will benefit the stewardship and growth of the Green Mountain Trails.
About the Trails: The Green Mountain Trails are a fast-growing multi-use network of flowy singletrack over varied terrain in Pittsfield and Stockbridge, Vermont eight miles North of Killington. There are a thousand feet of climbing and descending. Though a majority of the trails are relatively smooth and flowy, there are several miles (and growing) of rooty, rocky, technical single-track. Over 100 switchback berms that make the long descents a blast. More details at www.gmtrails.org.
Every year 500 of the world’s best mountain bikers and endurance racers come to Costa Rica, one of the world’s most biodiverse places to experience and test themselves in this unique competition. Racers will travel through every imaginable riding surface and tropical ecosystem; along trails. thigh-deep mud, sand, volcanic ash, over active volcanoes and across deep river gorges.
La Ruta is the original mountain bike stage race that has been dubbed the world’s toughest mountain bike event due to the route’s incredible elevation, treacherous jungle terrain, and 20 microclimates while crossing Costa Rica. In addition to the rugged stage race, riders who are not ready to conquer the entire crossing can get a taste by taking on the La Siesta one-day ride. Whether you are an experienced rider or amateur looking for a quality mountain bike experience the event should be on your bucket list!
Visit this site for information on la ruta:
https://racelaruta.com/about-la-ruta
https://www.spartan.com/blogs/unbreakable-race-stories/la-ruta
60 plus hours, the Spartan Race brings a fully immersive training program that balances class time with hands-on practical application of those skills and lessons. The Spartan Agoge is held on The Farm in Pittsfield, Vermont, twice a year in the summer and winter—and in historic locations across the globe including Iceland, Mongolia, Isle of Skye in Scotland, and along the Great Wall of China.
Spartan Agoge is a 60-hour Extreme Endurance event inspired by the original Greek Agoge, the rigorous training mandated for the citizens of ancient Sparta. The training was a well-rounded cultural immersion involving stealth, loyalty, survival, hunting, dancing, singing, and social skills. The word ‘agoge’ means leading, guidance, or training in Greek. Spartan Agoge is the epic rebirth of the Greek Agoge and has evolved to become one of the most difficult extreme endurance events in the world. Agoge is held only twice a year in the most remote parts of the world. Each event is a challenging once in lifetime adventure.
There’s nothing else like Agoge. From the savannah of Namibia, the steppe of Mongolia, the frozen tundra of Iceland, to the jagged Great Wall, you’ll face brutal trials; mountain crossings, diving for clues, boma building, nomad wrestling, and more.
People from all walks of life travel to the most remote parts of the world to experience the most physically and mentally challenging, and culturally immersive, once-in-a-lifetime adventure. This is based on the ancient Greek trial of the same name.
Distance: every hurricane’s heat is unique, time: 3-4 hours
Beyond the mileage of the Spartan Race Trifecta stands the Hurricane Heat or HH. As a team-based event designed to push racers to greater personal distances, you quickly learn the value and true meaning of having mutual objectives through teamwork. You also see the connection between teamwork and success and one drives the other on both a personal level and as a member of something greater than yourself.
The foundation of the HH is based on a code called “The Warrior’s Ethos,” which is 23 words comprising four main principles with centuries of meaning behind them. This ethos serves to provide a spark to warm you on the coldest of mornings and guide you on the darkest of nights as it will guide you and as a critical step towards the pinnacle of Spartan — the Agoge. The Hurricane Heat is where you learn non-traditional problem-solving, find endurance under duress, and experience the power of synergy.
There are no timing chips and no bibs. There is no individual competition. Once immersed in the HH culture, you quickly find your “why” and a renewed sense of purpose for taking on this challenge. With a gear list in your email inbox, the onus is on you to come prepared for four hours of intense demanding work with plenty of mental and physical challenges. Each HH is a unique experience directly related to the individuality of the venue, as well as the cadre in charge. You will be challenged. As a team, you will succeed.
The next step is your first step. Welcome to your new 1,000-mile journey.
This extreme event began with Hurricane Irene in 2011, when the weather was so brutal all races were shut down. Spartan put out a call: all those hard enough to face the storm, show up on race day. Most didn’t, but a few did, and Hurricane Heat was born.
Hurricane Heat is a mainly team-based event designed to take your mental and physical capabilities to new limits. Expect gruelling physical tasks, problem-solving, leadership challenges, as well as solo performance tests under extreme conditions.
Hurricane Heat (4-8, 12-, and 24-hour)
The Hurricane Heat Endurance Event was created in August 2011 due to the cancellation of a prior Spartan Race caused by Hurricane Irene. In Hurricane Heat, the goal is for the competitors’ teams to reach the finish line; individual times are not applicable. The Hurricane Heat is composed of 4-8, 12, and 24-hour courses. Each Hurricane Heat event is unique from the others in terms of obstacles and location.
The 12-Hour Hurricane Heat:
Is Spartan’s next-level standalone event specifically designed to test every facet of your mental, intellectual and physical abilities through the use of mental challenges, nonlinear problem solving, morality, as well as teamwork and individual performance under physical duress?
Where the HH emphasizes the Warrior’s Ethos and teamwork to finish and find success, the HH12HR seamlessly interweaves elements of individual competition against the clock and other participants within the challenges that require teamwork and synergy.
Developed to forge the next level of Spartan, and as the precursor to the Spartan Agoge, the HH12HR is difficult, challenging and rewarding. Participants are required to be self-supported for the duration of the event. No outside assistance, no support team, no crew. To accomplish this, it is recommended that each participant carry a large ruck/backpack, a 2-3L Hydration Unit, and whatever food you think you need to survive 12 hours of pushing yourself beyond your limits. In addition, participants will receive a gear list via email that will include mandatory gear and equipment. Due to the unique nature of every HH12HR event, the gear list will always contain a few items that are event specific. Participants are strongly encouraged to arrive equipped and prepared.
In this phase of your 1,000-mile journey are the lessons of actions/consequences, personal accountability, perseverance, and dedication. You’ve mastered initiative. Now it’s time to master follow-through and commitment.
You will need to be able to perform, self-supported, for the duration of the event. We recommend a large ruck (military-based backpack), a 2-3L Hydration Unit, and whatever food you’ll need to survive 12 hours of pushing yourself beyond your limits. Note: More required gear will be emailed to you a week or two prior to the event.
The Hurricane Heat Twelve Hour was designed to forge the next level of Spartans. We’ve taken the concept of the original Hurricane Heat, expanded it to include an element of individuality, and kicked everything in between up to new heights. If you’ve participated in Hurricane Heat and thought those four hours were tough, just wait until you set out on a twelve-hour adventure that will take place both on and off the Spartan course. You’ll develop the same team building that is the foundation of Hurricane Heat, while also forging yourself as an individual.
Expect a lot of physical exertion, carrying heavy objects, mud, submersion, and more. The HH12HR is created to bridge the gap between the Spartan Race and the Agoge. If you’ve ever wished to embark on a journey that takes you past your comfort zone, the Hurricane Heat Twelve Hour is the next stop on the adventure train.
I will never quit.
We inspire kids to get out, to be active and have fun. Kids need to jump, run, get muddy, help each other and have a good time. It’s never too early to set goals and accomplish them. Spartan Kids creates confidence and smiles for all ages. Most importantly, we keep it fun.
Studies show that kids are less fit today than their parents were as kids. At Spartan, we’re dedicated to making healthy the new normal for the next generation through our kids obstacle course races. Active youth benefit from better physical health, are at lower risk of developing depression and earn higher grades than their less-active peers. At Spartan, we strongly believe that kids should run, climb, jump and get muddy. We don’t give them medals, they earn it. We’re bringing it back to the basics. Put down the electronics and make time to move as a family.
- A Spartan thinks positively and is resilient through adversity
- A Spartan helps others and asks for help when they need it
- A Spartan understands that eating a healthy diet and exercising often keeps our bodies strong
- A Spartan gets rest to help their bodies recover and grow
- A Spartan understands their current abilities
- A Spartan sets new goals to be the best that they can be
The annual Spartan Global Championship Series unfolds across more than 40 countries on the road to the Spartan World Championship. The series sees competitors facing off on the course, battling signature Spartan obstacles on varying terrains and natural conditions.
To qualify for one of the 5 gated Championships, you must be a top 10 Elite or Age Group finisher (male or female) at any regular season race (as well as all National / Regional Series events). A roll-down mechanism for elite category athletes exists globally.
In Spartan there are 3 different World Championships:
The Spartan Beast World Championship
The Spartan Ultra World Championship
The Spartan Trifecta World Championship
Spartan Sprint Honour Race
From its very beginning, Spartan has been dedicated to supporting those who motivate us, protect us, and serve us – those who achieve more than anyone thinks they can. At Spartan, we believe our military, first responders and all those who put their lives on the line for us every day have shown us how to overcome any obstacle that stands in our way. They live Spartan daily. That’s why the Honor Series is such a special event for our community. That’s why Spartan is proud to bring back the Honor Series in 2019 for the Obstacle Course Race community.
Spartan is proud to partner with the Oscar Mike Foundation, the leading provider of funding for injured veterans to stay on the move.
Honor Series is back for 2019, Oscar Mike and Spartan are committed to the goal of ensuring that all injured veterans are provided with an opportunity to stay active.
The Oscar Mike Foundation
We strive to be a leading provider of funding for injured Veterans to participate in life-changing adaptive sports.
We utilize 100% of donations to the Oscar Mike Foundation 501(c)(3) Public Non-Profitand proceeds from our Oscar Mike Apparel Sales to provide support to injured Veterans looking for an opportunity to stay active. By focusing on the arena of adaptive sports, the Oscar Mike Foundation assists in offering an outlet for an ongoing competitive lifestyle to thousands of American Veterans who have sacrificed for the defence of our country.
Your tax-deductible donation to the Oscar Mike Foundation will keep injured Veterans “On-the-Move” through our life-changing adaptive sports programs, experiences, and events. Transform the life of an injured Veteran today. Help them re-imagine their full potential.
Elite Super
At the far end of the spectrum is the Elite category. These athletes are competing to win prize money, test themselves against the best of the best, attract potential sponsors, and rise to the top of the Spartan Race Point Series.
Getting out of your comfort zone means different things to different people. For some, it means getting back into shape. For others, it means bringing their top-level, maximum-intensity training to the brink of insanity. At Spartan Race, we respect our athletes no matter where they fall on the spectrum. That’s why, starting in March with our Atlanta event, we will continue to drive the evolution of obstacle racing as a sport by introducing the Competitive category.
With three ways to race, you may be asking yourself, which one is right for me? With Spartans like you in mind, we have put together this guide to help you know for sure.
The Elite Category
At the far end of the spectrum is the Elite category. These athletes are competing to win prize money, test themselves against the best of the best, attract potential sponsors, and rise to the top of the Spartan Race Point Series.
Elite Racers, like all Spartan athletes, commit to flawless sportsmanship and adhere strictly to the race rules and guidelines. Racers who fail to follow these guidelines risk disqualification.
The Competitive Category
Our newest option, the Competitive category, is designed to address the gap between our Open class racers and our Elites. Competitive Racers will be expected to follow the same rules and standards as the Elite racers. These racers compete for glory and bragging rights, not money.
As a major component of the rapid evolution of obstacle racing as a sport, Competitive racers will start immediately following the elite waves, taking advantage of a wide open course while competing for points in our new Regional Point Series. Competitive racers commit to sportsmanship, honouring rules and guidelines, and performing at their best.
In addition, racers in the Competitive category will be able to track their results throughout the race season to see how they stack up against their peers. At the end of the year, age group points winners will be crowned in each of the following regions: North, South, Central, and West.
Open
The Open category is for everyone, period. Weekend warriors, novice athletes, first-time racers, and teams are all welcome here. The Open category offers the same opportunity as the Competitive and Elite categories to get far outside your comfort zone, test your body’s limits, and experience the awesome rush of the finish line. However, there’s no pressure to push your pace.
Which category is for you?
We provide the options; you make the choice. With categories tailored to suit every level of competition, our racing series leaves no Spartan behind.
Please note: I do not take any responsibility for an accident, disability, death, public liability, third party, medical costs, destruction of property, damages to self or others, destruction of all equipment, disability, personal liability, general liability, self-harm, suicide, harm to livestock, harm to animals, harm to children and intentional bodily harm, for using any of the listed products and suppliers. Please consult with the manufacturers and instructors, when buying the equipment that is suitable for you.
If you wish to learn more about this sport and its history, just pop me a mail and I will send the information to you: info@tanyasworldofsports.co.za
When you are ready to take on those mounts, Please take a moment and bow to people that are disabled, that cannot take part in such sports.
My views, comments and content are strictly are of my own opinion and research and are not governed or influenced by any marketing of companies or brands. It is of my own free will to mention companies and brands that supply sporting equipment pertaining to the sport in the discussion.
