Spartan continues to push the envelope in the obstacle racing industry with the introduction of “Para Spartan” for adaptive athletes. The inaugural race will take place November 17 in Laughlin, Nevada. The event will feature both an elite and open waves for adaptive athletes and a first for the obstacle racing community.
The event will invite male and female athletes who have an impairment to compete in teams of four on a three to five-mile Spartan Sprint race course. The winning team will take home $10,000.The race will be streamed live on Facebook and just might be another step towards obstacle racing in the Olympics with the introduction of a Para-Spartan. More details on types of teams allowed here.
All Olympic sports are also represented at the Para-Olympics held directly after the Olympics for adaptive athletes. This might be the first step in showing the Olympic officials what many in the obstacle racing community have already known. Obstacle racing is for everyone! Full press release below.
Continuing its mission to inspire millions across the globe to live healthy and active lifestyles, Spartan, the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand, will debut the “Para Spartan” adaptive race at its Laughlin Event Weekend presented by Laughlin Tourism Commission on November 17, 2018. The event features elite and open heats with adaptive athletes competing in teams of four on a three to five mile Spartan Sprint race course with more than 20 signature Spartan obstacles, and with the winning team taking home $10,000 in cash prizes.
“Spartan athletes are defined by the passion and grit they display on the race course, and over the years the toughest, most inspirational teams and individuals to race have had impairments that prevent them from reaching the podium,” said Spartan Founder and CEO Joe De Sena. “We created Para Spartan to ensure that these incredible athletes have the opportunity to compete on a level playing field and I can’t wait to show the world what they are made of.”
The Para Spartan elite heat, featuring athletes battling for the $10,000 purse, kicks-off at 10am with the open heat to follow at 10:15am. The race will stream live exclusively on Facebook WATCH via the Spartan TV Page – and will be broadcast on ESPN at a later date.
Para Spartan was designed to minimize the impact of impairments on sport performance and ensure the success of participating athletes is determined by skill, fitness, power, endurance, tactical ability and mental focus. The race is open to male and female athletes who have an impairment which gives them a competitive disadvantage in Spartan’s traditional race heats. Para athletes will face the regulation obstacles Spartan is known for including the Rope Climb, Barbed Wire Crawl, Spear Throw, Dunk Wall and Monkey Bars.
The four-person team format allows participants to support one another and receive assistance on select obstacles that could be prohibitive to adaptive athletes, and athletes are permitted to use mobility devices including wheelchairs and crutches approved for the sport of OCR.
Leave A Comment