Spartan has officially kicked off its 2021 race season, hosting three events across the globe on the weekend of February 26-28. The weekend saw two obstacle course race events in Okinawa, Japan, and the US, as well as the first event on the Spartan Trail World Championship – the Transgrancanaria in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain.
The company noted… ‘Illustrating the excitement for a safe return to endurance racing, the events in the US and Spain sold out ahead of the weekend. Spartan and its local partners are following all local public health guidelines and have developed extensive protocols to provide a safe racing environment, including limiting capacity at events. All events were held with strict COVID-19 operating protocols, including reduced capacity and social distancing.’
Elite athletes in the US descended on Jacksonville, Florida, for the first race of the 2021 Spartan US National Series presented by USANA. Here, a fast and flat course at WW Ranch Motocross Park tested athletes as they raced across 5-km of technical terrain and battled 20 obstacles on Spartan’s signature Spartan Sprint race course – with more than US$15,000 in prize money on the line.
In addition to elite competition, Open Heat and Age Group racers competed in the weekend’s obstacle course race (OCR) events, which included the 10k, 25-obstacle Spartan Super and the shorter-distance Sprint – along with the brand’s first Friday evening Spartan Trail event.
Overseas, the Spartan OCR season began with Spartan Super and Sprint races in Chura Sun Beach in Okinawa. The event also featured the season’s first Spartan Kids events.
Transgrancanaria, the first of 10 stops on the Spartan Trail World Championship, took place in Gran Canaria, Spain. The ‘Crown’ label race featured a 42K Marathon Trail Run Championship and 129K Trail Ultra Championship offering a US$25,000 prize purse. The weekend also featured Open-Heat 250K, 129K, 65K, 42K, 30K and 17K race distances.
