ESPN to Air Five-Episode Series Profiling Spartan, The World's Largest Obstacle Race and Endurance Brand

BOSTON, Sept. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Spartan brings more than one million athletes annually to its races around the world to tackle challenging obstacles and technical terrain, and now viewers can join the action on ESPN and ESPN2. "Spartan: The Championship Series, "a five-episode series, features all the action from the world's largest obstacle race (OCR) and endurance brand's championship events and provides an inside look at one of the fastest growing sports on the planet. The first episode featuring Spartan's North American Championship hosted in Glen Jean, W. Va, and the elite female athletes of the sport airs Sunday, September 23 at 3pm ET on ESPN2.

"Spartan athletes are among the most skilled on the planet, and the sport of OCR continues to grow, so it's only natural we would find a home with ESPN, the leader in sports entertainment," said Spartan founder and CEO Joe De Sena. "'Spartan: The Championship Series' will introduce Spartan to ESPN's passionate audience of sports fans who will be drawn to the intense drama that unfolds on the race course as competitors push their minds and bodies to the limit."

The five-episode series will showcase Spartan's most demanding events including the North American Championship presented by Yokohama; The Mountain Series presented by U.S. Airforce in Killington, Vt. and Vernon N.J.; the inaugural Para-Spartan adaptive race hosted in Laughlin, Nev.; and the World Championship and Team World Championship Powered by Rakuten, hosted in North Lake Tahoe on the rugged mountains of Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows - home of the 1960 Winter Olympics.

In addition to the race action, episodes provide an in-depth look at the athletes who have shaped the sport of OCR with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. Feature content will include profiles of Spartan's elite female competitors, adaptive athletes and World Championship contenders. The series will also cover the origin story of Spartan, which has attracted more than 5 million competitors to-date.

Spartan events focus on sport and athleticism, pushing the bodies and minds of competitors to the limit across miles of unforgiving terrain while they conquer signature obstacles such as the Spear Throw, Inverted Wall, Monkey Bars and Barbed Wire Crawl. The unique action and growing popularity of OCR has recently garnered global attention that has spurred talk of the sport reaching the Olympic stage in the coming years. 

For more information about Spartan: The Championship Series, visit Spartan.com.

ABOUT SPARTAN

With more than 200 events across more than 40 countries on six continents, Spartan is the world's largest obstacle race (OCR) and endurance brand. Providing transformation through sport, Spartan attracts more than one million annual participants across all fitness levels, from beginners to elite. More than five million participants have finished Spartan events, creating a lifestyle that extends beyond races including health and wellness products, training and nutrition programs, and popular media content, which has made OCR one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Spartan's Global Championship series feature three race formats including the 3+Mile/20+ Obstacle "Sprint," 8+ Mile/25+ Obstacle "Super" and 12+ Mile/30+ Obstacle "Beast," which lead to the Spartan World Championship powered by Rakuten in North Lake Tahoe, CA. Visit spartan.com for more information and registration. 

SOURCE Spartan