Spartan Race Seeks New Venues

Venues across North America now have the chance to host Spartan Race events.

The privately-funded venture offers a portfolio of different races of various lengths, with obstacles that include fire, mud, water, barbed wire and other challenges that require endurance, quick-thinking and, in some cases, teamwork.

It costs between $350,000 and $600,000 to set up, tear down and transport each Spartan Race. Every Spartan event also requires three tractor trailers, with setup stretching to eight days for the 20-person crew and three to four days to disassemble. In all, 20 trucks are scattered around the country at any time setting up separate races.

Over the past year, Spartan has branched out to traditional venues and hosts. The company has also been promoting a scaled-down series that is sometimes used in baseball and football stadiums around the country. Major League Baseball stadiums including Milwaukee’s Miller Park, Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, Boston’s Fenway Park and New York’s Citi Field have also been used in the past.

Those typically three-mile “feeder” events are just as difficult, but not as muddy and mostly aimed at gaining exposure for the sport and convincing participants and spectators to move up to bigger local races.

Besides bringing in concession and parking sales, a Spartan-commissioned study calculated that stadium gigs can bring in the advertising value equivalent of $900,000 in exposure for a building for a one-day event.

Ski resorts, city parks and private properties have all played host to Spartan races as well. Hosts are required to have parking, electricity, water and heavy moving equipment, if possible.

The races typically attract 10,000 or more racers and spectators. Racers are usually around 60 percent local (coming in from 150 miles or less), with a number of participants flying in on their own dime in an effort to collect the rare trifecta of wins. Participants average 20 to 45 years old with a 60 percent male to 40 percent female ratio.