Spartan Hosting First Major Outdoor Endurance Race Since Beginning of COVID-19 | Sports Destination Management

Spartan Hosting First Major Outdoor Endurance Race Since Beginning of COVID-19

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May 19, 2020

Spartan Race is hosting the first major outdoor endurance race since the Covid 19 outbreak began. The event will take place June 13-14 at the WW MotorCross Park in Jacksonville, Florida.

The endurance sports industry has been losing an enormous amount money since race organizers began cancelling events in mid March. The race providers and their vendors have been losing tens of millions, and according to the recently formed Endurance Sports Coalition, have nearly 3 Billion in economic impact. Companies that make up the Coalition, including Spartan, Tough Mudder, Iron Man, and Rock N Roll Marathon, have had no clear answers when races might return.

Back in April, Spartan CEO picked July 1 as the date his events may return. As states such as Missouri, Florida, and Georgia began to announce the removal of Stay At Home Orders, Spartan Race began looking at venues in those states as possible choices.

This afternoon, Spartan announced a return to racing, along with a new set of standards and operating procedures that will begin with this Florida event next month. You can read the new SOP below.

We reached out directly to Joe Desena about some of the questions he will  face in the coming days and weeks. He told us “We are expecting 4,000 Spartans per day for this event”. Having never been afraid of hyperbole, he went on to say “If you’re too afraid to live a Spartan life due to a virus then you’re already dead. We have procedures in place to make a Spartan event safer than going grocery shopping, going to Starbucks, or going in an elevator.”

Interested patrons can register for the Spartan Race here.

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