Is the World's Toughest Race The Spartan Death Race?

The Spartan Death Race is the world’s toughest race. Period. Spartan founder and CEO Joe De Sena says it’s not up for debate and he’ll do whatever is necessary to keep it that way. “I’m going to take things up a notch so that there’s never a discussion again.”

What's the World's Toughest Race? You Got It: The Spartan Death Race

Competitors can expect NEW challenges in the Spartan Death Race that included:

Plus, study up on our toughest obstacles ever, so you hit the course fully prepared and ready to give it your all.

The winner of the 2018 Death race Eric Hutterer told one reporter, “it's the toughest race in the world, and it makes you want to push yourself.”

Related: How to Crush Your Excuses

The Spartan Death Race's 2 Critical Lessons

Are you ready to push yourself to tackle the ultimate race challenge? If you are, sign up now and study these three insights from former Death Race champions and competitors on how they did it, and what it takes to be an extreme endurance athlete in the world’s toughest race.

1. You absolutely need proper training.

Death Race prep requires extreme training for what De Sena calls, the usual Death Race torture. Events for the 72-hour race are kept secret from competitors and have included pushing a 500-pound sled up a mountain, hauling buckets of gravel, and hours of chopping wood.

Death Race 2018 finisher, Rachel Lotz, told MudRunGuide.com that the ideal training includes tons of leg work. “You will have to rely on your legs to run, to hike, to carry, and to bear the weight of almost every task. I cannot emphasize how much you use your legs...”

She also says to identify your weak areas and hit those extra hard. Hutterer trained for the Death Race by mixing up his workouts and going without sleep.

Related Link: Joe De Sena's 4 Parenting Tips for Raising Spartan-Strong Kids

2. It's the world’s toughest race… for your mind.

Mind over matter is crucial to Death Race success. One former winner says that competitors must understand that even when their head is telling them that they’ve reached their limit, their body can actually keep going. During the race, Hutterer told himself that there would be an end to the challenges. Studies show that positive self-talk can improve performance, so come up with a mantra you can use during the Death Race.

Hutterer’s nearly eight-hour barbed wire crawl earned him a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. While other competitors dropped out, he pushed through. “If I know I’m going to do it, I’m going to finish it,” he told the Mountain Times. The world’s toughest race requires that degree of focus and determination. De Sena says athletes can reach that level and complete the race if they commit themselves fully.

So commit, train harder than ever, get mentally fierce, and experience the Spartan Death Race—the world’s toughest race. Period.  

See it for yourself: view the gallery of Spartan Death Race photos that produce what De Sena refers to as "The Faces of Death."