Trail runners, rejoice! For the first time ever, Spartan, the "world’s leading extreme-wellness and endurance brand", has announced that it is entering the UK trail running market. In the 2020 season, Spartan will host 10K and half-marathon trail races at two venues: at the Glanusk Estate in Wales and at Marston Lodge in Midlands.
The new Spartan Trail series have been launched in 2019 in five countries and caters for people who are less interested in the world of obstacle course racing – or OCR for short – as this is a pretty straight-forward trail running race.
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In the official press release, Spartan founder and CEO Joe De Sena emphasised the connection between the Spartan-staple OCR and the new Spartan Trail series: “The ancient Spartans were known to run on the mountainous trails of Sparta, so it’s a natural extension of our brand as we work to motivate people everywhere to step outside of their comfort zones and learn there’s no limit to what they can achieve. Spartan Trail in the UK will provide a new opportunity for existing racers while offering the trail running community an event like they have never experienced before.”
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A Spartan Trail race coming near you
The UK's first Spartan Trail race will begin on 21 June 2020 at the stunning Glanusk Estate, in the heart of the Black Mountains, fittingly followed by a 10K at ‘Spartan’s UK home’, Marston Lodge, on 12 July 2020. Each event will feature stretches of rugged terrain and natural obstacles, such as river crossings, scrambles, log hops and technical single-track that define a traditional trail running competitions.
Both Spartan Trail dates will coincide with Spartan’s Obstacle Course Race weekends, so trail runners will be able to enjoy the atmosphere of OCRs, too. On top of this, in order to attract the best trail runners from across the nation, Spartan is also offering a prize fund for the top finishers.
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The UK trail launch follows the recent announcement of the 2020 “Spartan Trail World Championship,” a series of six trail running events across the globe, which combine to cover four continents and a $270,000 prize pot.
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