Spartan has announced four key events to go ahead in the UK for 2020. Under strict safety protocols and following latest government guidelines, the UK events will be delivered after the brand reportedly saw ‘global success with safe races in the United States, Korea, Taiwan, and Hungary over the last month.’
Spartan UK has seen over 8,000 participants overcoming obstacles online through its free virtual events. With a notable 35% of these online participants being first time Spartan racers, the brand is looking to capitalise and offer live events to its growing fanbase.
Current list of Spartan UK events for 2020:
- Hurricane Heats are scheduled for August 8-9, 29-30, 2020
- The Windsor Event remains scheduled for October 10-11
- The Midlands Event remains rescheduled for October 24-25
- The South East Event, previously rescheduled to take place on August 15-16 is now scheduled to take place on November 7-8 (with the new inclusion of an Ultra heat).
While implementing new and modified operating procedures to maximise the safety of races, Spartan’s new safety protocol will require the intentional reduction of the event capacity by more than 60% of a once-typical Spartan event.
Heat sizes will be drastically reduced to 50 racers departing every five minutes to allow for ample social distancing. In addition, the course will be expanded in areas to allow more space for racers.
On-site registration will be eliminated to minimise customer touch points, and before entering, participants will receive contactless temperature checks, preventing those with high temperatures entering the event.
Across the venue, all event staff and volunteers will wear face coverings throughout the entirety of the event. Racers are asked to be respectful, honouring Spartan’s request to do the same off the course and in the presence of others.
Racers will not be permitted to enter the venue more than 45 minutes prior to their start time, and will have to exit within 30 minutes of their finish, to reduce the number of people on-site. Additional cleaning and sanitisation of customer touch-points will also take place throughout the race course and event areas.
Each venue will be working under local and brand guidelines, and measures will continue to be taken right up to, and during the point of racing, with the events only going ahead once all protocols have been met.
Matt Brooke, Managing Director Spartan UK & Ireland, said “Over these unprecedented months, a dedicated Spartan team has worked judiciously to create a robust relaunch plan for events worldwide.
“This plan has been designed to keep all racers, volunteers, partners, and staff safe, meet strict government requirements, and bring Spartan events back to as many people as safely possible. Our measures and plans are constantly evolving to align with the very latest requirements and the team are remaining flexible to adapt to any change in conditions.
“The Virtual Races have been an invaluable platform to inspire and motivate our community to focus, train and achieve their fitness goals, but we also want to offer the real Spartan experience. Which is why we are delighted to have gone to such lengths to build our Road To Racing plans. While 2020 still sadly has multiple Spartan UK events cancelled, we are positive in delivering safe events to our fans while continuing to inspire and lead the wellness world.”
