The first Spartan Race event was held in 2010 at the Catamount Outdoor Center in Williston, Vt. Roughly 500 competitors were asked to “run, crawl, jump and swim” over obstacles to successfully complete the race. Since then the race has grown to 250,000 to 350,000 competitors participating each year. Obstacle racing, as a sport, has also grown fast with many companies in addition to Spartan running their own versions of the race.
A report from the Running USA trade organization estimated that in 2013 there were 4 million participants in alternative running-related events, while another report from Active.com showed that 53 percent of those types of events were mud runs or obstacle course races. And it’s not just in the U.S.—it’s a worldwide phenomenon with an estimated 5,000 events and as many as 10 million participants in more than 30 countries in 2014, according to multiple industry reports.
This year, first independent OCR World Championship will take place on Oct. 25-26 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Statistics courtesy of Obstacle Racing Media, an online media outlet, which aims to be an unbiased, single source of information for elite obstacle racing athletes, recreational weekend warriors, and first-time race participants with up-to-date OCR news, race reviews, and on-location reporting that only those truly entrenched in the day-to-day of the sport can offer. For more information vist obstacleracingmedia.com.
67 Spartan Races run in the US in 2014
- 42 Sprint Races
- 14 Super Races
- 10 Beast Races
- 1 Ultra Beast Race
272,752 total race finishers
- 178,200 Sprint
- 62,912 Super
- 31,379 Beast
- 261 Ultra Beast
Lowest finishing percentage
- 21% — Vermont Ultra Beast – Sept. 21, 2014
- 70% —Ohio Super – Oct. 4, 2014
- 71% — Vermont Sprint – Sept. 21, 2014
- 77% — Arizona Sprint (Sunday) – Feb. 8, 2014
- 77% —Vermont Beast (Saturday) – Sept. 20, 2014
Average race distances
- 4.54 miles, Sprint
- 8.86 mile, Super
- 13.55 miles, Beast
Longest Beast Race
- 16.22 miles, Vermont Beast
Race with most obstacles
- 69 – Vermont Ultra Beast
- 32 – Vermont Beast
- 30 – Ohio Beast
- 29 – Dallas Beast
Least frequent obstacle
- 15% Swim
- 9% Hobie Hop
- 9% Memory Test
- 8% Log Flip
- 3% Hay Bale Jumps
- 1.5% Water Slide
Most frequent obstacle
(Some obstacles appear more than one time per race, thus, increasing their frequency percentage.)
130% Barbed Wire Crawl
102% Sand Bag Carry
98% Spear Throw
92% Rope Climb
90% Wall Traverse
