Spartan Announces 2018 Team World Championship Obstacle Race

PRESS RELEASE

Spartan Announces 2018 Team World Championship Obstacle Race with New Format, Qualifying Events and Expanded Field    
Teams from more than 20 Countries will Journey to the Spartan World Championship in North Lake Tahoe to Represent Their Nations; Qualifying Events Open to Racers of All Skill Levels

BOSTON, MA (May 21, 2018) – The 2018 Spartan Team World Championship returns to the mountains of North Lake Tahoe September 30, 2018. The event will see some of the best athletes in the world unite to form country specific teams of three, representing more than 20 nations as part of the Spartan World Championship Weekend, the premier event of the 2018 Obstacle Racing (OCR) season. This year’s team race features new qualifying standards, gender-specific teams and a larger field competing on a “Spartan Super” race course featuring more than eight-miles of terrain with 25 to 30 signature obstacles along with challenges specifically designed for the format.

“The display of athleticism, comradery and pure grit exemplified in the inaugural Spartan Team World Championship created an exciting competition that resonated with racers and fans across the globe.” said Spartan Vice President of Product David James Watson. “Bringing the event to the next level, we’ve expanded the format to create even more competition as the best athletes in OCR join together and descend on Tahoe to honor their nations.”

The inaugural Team World Championship saw co-ed teams of three representing more than 20 countries dominate the terrain at Squaw Valley, with Team USA, Czech Republic and Canada taking the podium spots. Upping the ante and following the spirit of Olympic-style competition, the 2018 event will feature gender-specific teams of three, who have earned a spot on the course at one of 16+ global qualifying events. The fastest three teams of each gender, from each country competing in qualifying events will earn the right to represent their country in Tahoe. With up to three male and three female teams from each nation eligible for the main event, the field will be larger than ever before.

The qualifying event for the U.S. National teams takes place in Utah July 29 during the U.S. National Series race weekend, Mexico’s plays out August 18 over its National Championship race weekend in Mexico City and Canada will offer three opportunities August 12 in Calgary, August 26 in Quebec City and September 9 in Duntroon, Ontario. While intense competition will unfold among elite racers at the team qualifying events, athletes of all abilities are invited to form teams and participate to put their skills to the test. For a complete list of qualifying events and to register visit Spartan.com.

The 2018 Team World Championship and qualifying events are part of Spartan’s Global Championship Series, which feature events on five continents – where National Series lead to Regional Championship events that qualify racers for the World Championship. To qualify for regional championships, competitors must place top 10 in any regular season or National Series event. To qualify for the World Championship in North Lake Tahoe, racers must finish top 10 in a National Series event or a Regional Championship.

The 2018 Spartan World Championship returns to North Lake Tahoe, Calif./Nev., Sept. 29-30, drawing some of the world’s best endurance athletes to the rugged mountains of Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows—host of the 1960 Winter Olympics. The World Championship attracts qualifiers from more than 50 countries to stake their claim on more than $125,000 in prize money.

The Team World Championship and World Championship races will stream live exclusively on Facebook Watch via the Spartan Race LIVE Page.

Spartan events focus on sport and athleticism, pushing the bodies and minds of competitors to the limit across miles of unforgiving terrain while they conquer signature obstacles such as the Spear Throw, Bucket Brigade and Barbed Wire Crawl.

About Spartan 
Spartan is the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand, and the first in-sport to feature timing and global rankings. With more than 200 events across more than 30 countries in 2018, Spartan will attract more than one million global participants offering open heats for all fitness levels, along with competitive and elite heats. The Spartan lifestyle boasts a community of more than five million passionate social media followers, health and wellness products, training and nutrition programs, and a popular NBC television series, which has made obstacle racing one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Spartan events feature races at three distances, 3+Mile/20+ Obstacle “Sprint,” 8+ Mile/25+ Obstacle “Super” and 12+ Mile/30+ Obstacle “Beast,” culminating in the Spartan World Championship in North Lake Tahoe, CA. Visit http://www.spartan.com for more information and registration.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Fine, 781.248.3963, [email protected]