Spartan Race announced the dates and locations of the Spartan Race U.S. Championship series recently. Obstacle racings best will compete in 2018 at the five-event race series on the road to the Spartan Race World Championships. This year over $100,000 in cash and prizes are up for grabs. The 2018 U.S. Championship series will feature some familiar locations as well a few new stops including Utah featuring a mixture of Super and Beast distance races. The U.S. Championship Series is a set towards the Spartan Race North American Championships as part of an expanded global championship series and concludes with the Spartan Race World Championships.
| DATE | RACE | FORMAT |
| March 24 | San Jose, CA | Super |
| April 14 | Snohomish, WA | Super |
| May 19 | Big Bear, CA | Beast |
| June 23 | Chicago, Il | Super |
| July 28 | Eden, UT | Super |
| August 25 | North American Championship: Glen Jean, WV | Beast |
| September 29 | World Championship: Location TBD | Beast |
“With the varying terrain, altitude and natural conditions of each race venue, the 2018 Spartan U.S. Championship Series will prove to be the most challenging to-date,” said Spartan’s General Manager of U.S. Events Brian Duncanson. “The series will push competitors to their limits, testing athleticism and grit as they vie for the title and prize money.”
After San Jose, the series returns to Snohomish, WA April 14, before heading to new championship venues in Southern California’s Big Bear Lake May 19; Chicago, IL June 23; and the finale in Eden, UT July 28, where the U.S. champions will be crowned based on cumulative series ranking points. Four events take shape across Spartan’s signature “Super” race format featuring more than eight miles of terrain with more than 25 obstacles, while Big Bear Lake boasts a “Beast” race course with more than 12 miles and more than 30 obstacles.
“With more prize money on the line than ever before, the series will draw the sport’s biggest names and rising stars,” said Spartan Founder and CEO Joe De Sena. “And the competition doesn’t stop in Utah as the best of the best will meet the continent’s top athletes at the North American Regional Championship, before heading to the 2018 Spartan World Championship.”
Rivalries will form as Spartan Women’s World Champion and U.S. Champion Lindsey Webster is expected to return to defend her title against World Championship and U.S. Championship Series third-place finisher Alyssa Hawley and contenders Rea Kolbl and Faye Stenning. The absence of OCR legend and U.S. Champion Hobie Call, who retired after the 2017 Spartan Season, will create fierce competition among the men’s field where World Championship and U.S. Championship Series third-place finisher Robert Killian, U.S. Championship Series Runner-Up Ryan Atkins and outspoken elite Hunter McIntyre are expected to battle for the top spot on the podium.
Following the U.S. Championship Series, competitors will meet the best on the continent when they face off at the North American Championship (U.S. Canada, Mexico) at The Summit Bechtel Reserve in Glen Jean, WV August 25 for a “Beast” competition, marking Spartan’s return to the Mountain State.
The 2018 Spartan Global Championship Series unfolds across more than 30 countries.15 National Championship Series across the world with three to five races each lead into stand-alone championship events in five regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East), paving the road to the World Championship taking place September 29.
To qualify for a regional championship event, elite men and women must finish top 10 in any regular season or National Championship Series event in their respective category. To qualify for the World Championship, elite men and women must finish top 10 in a National Championship Series event or a Regional Championship in their respective category.
Spartan recently announced age groups categories that will be offered at all Global Championship Series and regular season U.S. races, which allow athletes to measure their performance on a level playing field. The six age groups include 14-17, 18-24, 25-29, 30-39, 40-49 and 50+, with the top three male and female finishers in each category earning a spot on the podium at every U.S. race and all 2018 Spartan Global Championship Series events. Winners will also earn special medals, prizes and awards.
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.
The 2018 Spartan U.S. Championship Series is sponsored locally by Snohomish County TPA and Sports Commission, the Utah office of Tourism and Visit Ogden, BigBear.com and Wild, Wonderful West Virginia and Visit Southern West Virginia.