Spartan Race Types: The Full Guide to Finding the Right Race for You

Yes, Spartan races are hard, but they're designed to be achievable for anyone who's willing to commit to a date on the calendar and do the hard work.

There are Spartan race types for every kind of athlete. Whether you're an endurance runner, a gym rat, or you work out on occasion, there's a race type for you. Here’s everything you need to know about the various Spartan race types to help you choose the right event for you.

Spartan Race Types: Which Race Is Right for You?

The Spartan Sprint

The Spartan Sprint is a 5K (approximately 3.1 miles) trail run, typically held on a mix of gravel service roads, occasional paving, and a lot of off-road terrain that features mud and water. Racers have to overcome 20 unique obstacles — including walls, the Barbed Wire Crawl, Monkey Bars, and the Spear Throw — or face a 30-burpee penalty.

New for 2026: Spartan Doubles. If you're daunted by the thought of completing a Spartan race by yourself (or just love a good, old fashioned friendly challenge), signing up to go the distance with a partner is the perfect solution – and you even get to tag-team the obstacles. Check out the rules and distance options here.

When you finish, you'll receive a finisher T-shirt and medal, a Spartan Sprint Trifecta Hex piece — one third of the Sprint, Super, Beast combination that makes up the Spartan Trifecta collection you'll need to unlock your ticket to the 2026 Trifecta World Championship — and professional photos of you carrying buckets and jumping over fire.

Sprints are great for first-time racers, but they're also short enough where competitive racers can set some pretty impressive personal bests. Before you take on your first Sprint, check out these four important training tips.

Plus, once you've got a few Sprints on your roster, why not take a chance at the big leagues? Join us again in Hvar, Croatia, for a weekend of OCR and cultural immersion at the Sprint 5K & 100M Championship.

FIND A SPARTAN SPRINT NEAR YOU

The Spartan Super

The Spartan Super is double the Sprint’s distance — approximately 6.2 miles — features 25 obstacles, and will be the most challenging 10K you’ve ever done. You can also count on some incredibly demanding elevation gain.

This race type is a true test of speed and endurance where you’ll face obstacles like the Helix, Olympus, the Rope Climb, the Beater, and Stairway to Sparta. The best training you can do for this race is a Sprint, but we also recommend training with heavy carries and working on grip strength to ensure a penalty-free finish.

The first-ever Spartan 10K Super World Championship at Mammoth Lakes, California, was remarkable. Just wait until you see what we have coming for 2026.

FIND A SPARTAN SUPER NEAR YOU

The Spartan Beast

You’ve never run a half marathon like this. The final piece of the Spartan Trifecta puzzle, the Beast is exactly as it sounds: beastly. We're talking 21K — a little over 13 miles — and 30 obstacles. Our Beasts are rarely on flat or forgiving, non-technical ground, so you can expect your legs to burn as you traverse brutal ascents and descents.

Beast racers are generally Spartan veterans who are familiar with the distances and the obstacles, but we’ve seen first-timers ambitiously conquer the Beast without fail.

To have a Beast under your belt, you’ll need to be comfortable regularly running road distances from 4 to 15 miles, or at least being on your feet for five or more hours. Bodyweight exercises like pull-ups and push-ups, and weighted functional training will prepare your body for the obstacles, but we also highly recommend testing your nutrition and hydration strategies during training runs.

There's no better way to train for a Spartan race than to lock in on Spartan-specific training that's engineered to get you comfortable with the half-marathon distance and beginner strength movements. If you're still on the sidelines on our 28-week Project 300 training program, it's time to get started. Then, start planning your path to ultimate glory at the 2026 Beast World Championship.

FIND A SPARTAN BEAST NEAR YOU

The Spartan Ultra

The Spartan Ultra is our hardest obstacle course race, and the ultimate test of endurance. The course is 50K (just over 31 miles) and pits you up against 60 obstacles. The distance is daunting, the obstacles are relentless, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Over the course of what is essentially two laps of the Beast (and then some), you'll face formidable elevation gain, darkness, extreme weather, and unexpected challenges that will test your physical and mental limits. Strong bonds are formed on this course, and lives are changed.

You'll be out on the course for many, many hours before you earn the coveted Ultra belt buckle, so it's critical that you come prepared. We recommend bringing a halfway-point drop bin, waterproof layers, spare footwear and socks, sun protection, a hydration pack or vest, nutritional fuel, a headlamp, a small medical kit, and other long-haul items.

If you're already an Ultra warrior and feel ready for the next step, the Spartan Ultra World Championship returns on July 3, 2026, in the breathtaking mountains of Morzine, France. Think you have what it takes to conquer this mammoth event?

FIND A SPARTAN ULTRA NEAR YOU

Additional Spartan Race Types: Kids, City, and Stadion

Spartan Kids Races

Spartan Kids races range in distance from a half-mile to 2 miles, and they're open to children ages 4-14. They'll run, jump, climb, and crawl, and older kids have the opportunity to compete in timed heats.

Spartan Kids finishers earn a T-shirt, a finisher medal and lanyard, and a numbered headband with a matching adult wristband. There are always adult races the same weekend as kids races for a full family experience. And who knows – your kid might be an absolute Spartan beast. The Spartan Kids World Championship returns on August 8-9, 2026, where the majestic mountains of Chongli, China await your little one's victory.

FIND A SPARTAN KIDS RACE NEAR YOU

Spartan Stadion Races

Spartan Stadions are the same distance as Sprints (5K, 20 obstacles), with the added benefit of being in some of the most iconic ballparks and stadiums in America.

The race itself is fast and intense: You'll climb stairs, tackle functional fitness obstacles, run on the warning track and through the concourse, and, in some cases, run through professional teams' clubhouses.

With a majority of the race distance set on bleachers and stairs, climbing will be your best pre-race prep.

FIND A SPARTAN STADION NEAR YOU

Beyond Obstacle Course Racing: Trail Running, Functional Fitness, and Tests of Endurance

If you're looking for a different kind of challenge beyond Spartan and Tough Mudder obstacle course races, there are a host of incredible options (including OCR World Championships). We have trail running, functional fitness competitions (DEKA), long-distance hiking (HIGHLANDER), 60-plus-hour cultural immersions (Agoge), team-based events (Hurricane Heat), Peak Races (including the famed Death Race), mountain bike races (La Ruta), paddleboard races (M20), and even wrestling tournaments.