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.
• Book your Spartan Trail race today
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.”
- Best trail running shoes: trail blazers for men and women from Adidas, Salomon, Nike and more
- Best running watch: the best fitness watches for running, gym, workouts, cycling and more
- Best running headphones: best workout buds for gym, running and sports
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.
• Scale technical mountains with ease in the Adidas Terrex Speed LD trail running shoes
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
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.
- Best running socks for men and for women, to help energy return and provide support on road and trail runs
- Best running shoes: rule the road with road running trainers for men and women of all abilities
- Best fitness tracker: track steps, activity, sleep and cardio
Matt Kollat is a journalist and content creator who works for T3.com and its magazine counterpart as an Active Editor. His areas of expertise include wearables, drones, fitness equipment, nutrition and outdoor gear. He joined T3 in 2019. His byline appears in several publications, including Techradar and Fit&Well, and more. Matt also collaborated with other content creators (e.g. Garage Gym Reviews) and judged many awards, such as the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance's ESSNawards. When he isn't working out, running or cycling, you'll find him roaming the countryside and trying out new podcasting and content creation equipment.
-
When is Black Friday 2024 – this Friday or next? Here's the official answer
Black Friday is on 29 November in 2024 – a week later than the year previous. But that's not stopped retailers putting on their sales...
By Mike Lowe Published
-
Forget Black Friday, F1 24 is completely free for a limited time
This top racing game has a free weekend
By Max Freeman-Mills Published