Every Spartan Championship Event in 2022: Dates, Details, and More
There's nothing quite like Spartan championship season. It's the culmination of an epic year, featuring the greatest OCR athletes on Earth in some of the most spectacular locations — and on some of the most legendary, iconic courses — on Earth. Yes, Elite champions will be crowned. But even if you're not competing against the best of the best, as most won't, it's still an incredible opportunity for Open and Age Group racers (and Kids racers!) to experience once-in-a-lifetime, bucket-list events.
Everything at the championships is magnified. The stakes are higher. The festival area is world-class. The media coverage is intensified. It's your chance to be part of Spartan history.
Spartan championship season is comprehensive, with a wide variety of events all across the world. Below is the complete 2022 championship schedule, with key information and important details about each one.
2022 Spartan Race Championships: The Schedule
Spartan North American Championship (Aug 27-28) - Kelowna, British Columbia
The North American Championship will be held outside of the United States for the first time in the event's notable history, as we head north of the border to the mountainous region of Kelowna. This brutal alpine course takes place at Big White Mountain, the highest summit in the Okanagan Highland. Racers can expect to face steep inclines, technical climbs, switchbacks, warm-to-freezing temperatures, and a peak elevation of 5,757 feet.
The 21K, 30-obstacle Beast will be the North American Championship race, but athletes can also choose to run a 10K, 25-obstacle Super, a 50K, 60-obstacle Ultra, and a 1-3K Kids race.
North Lake Tahoe Spartan Ultra World Championship (Sept. 24-26) - Olympic Valley, California
First, this venue — which famously hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics — was the home of the Spartan World Championship. Then it hosted the North American Championship. Now, the legacy is continuing with the Ultra World Championship. In September, the most resilient endurance athletes on the planet will battle for 24 hours on a grueling new course packed with mind-numbing climbs, dense obstacle sectors, and more.
Don't worry, though. If you're not up for the 24-hour race — as so few of us are — there is also a Beast that weekend (which, by the way, is still freaking hard). The action begins on Saturday morning, when Open and Age Group athletes will take on the punishing Beast. Then, on Sunday morning, the Elites will embark on their 24-hour Spartan Ultra World Championship journey.
Spartan Trifecta World Championship (Nov 4-6) - Sparta, Greece
Snagging a Trifecta — a Sprint, Super, and Beast in one calendar year — is an impressive feat. But to do so over the course of a weekend is another level entirely. That's what racers are tasked with doing at the Spartan Trifecta World Championship, in Spartan's spiritual home of Sparta, Greece. This epic three-day weekend, which founder and CEO Joe De Sena considers his favorite event of them all, is held amongst the stunningly beautiful mountains and ancient olive groves of Sparta. You'll race through Ancient Sparta, past the tomb of Menelaus, and through the waters of Evrotas, and you'll finish before the statue of King Leonidas.
Whether you're after a piece of the $30,000 prize purse, a place on the Ancient Wall of Honor, or an epic weekend racing alongside your Trifecta tribe, this event is a perfect embodiment and encapsulation of the Spartan ethos.
It's important to note that if you don't want to run an entire Trifecta over the course of championship weekend, you can still sign up for an individual Sprint, Super, or Kids race. (But we strongly encourage you to crush all three, as that's the optimal experience.)
Spartan World Championship (Dec 2-4) - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The mecca. The crown jewel. Center stage. The World Series. The Super Bowl. Call it what you want, but one thing is indisputable: The Spartan World Championship is the most important event on the race calendar.
In 2021, for the first time in Spartan history, the World Championship was held outside of the United States, in the desert of Abu Dhabi. The Championship will be back in Abu Dhabi in 2022, but in a brand-new, more convenient location. The race will be held in Al Wathba, which is 30 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport.
The weekend schedule is loaded with epic races and bucket-list activities. Championship weekend kicks off on Friday with UAE National Day, the opening ceremony, and fireworks. Saturday's race action includes Age Group and Open Beasts (including the Age Group World Championship) and the Elite Super, where the men's and women's World Champions will be crowned.
The Team World Championship (Super) will be held on Sunday, followed by the Open Team Super, an Open Sprint, and Kids races.
Off the course, there are endless ways to experience once-in-a-lifetime Emirati culture with your family and your Spartan tribe. Check out the Al-Ain Oasis, the massive dunes of the Empty Quarter, Corniche Road, all the local traditions and flavor, the local cuisine, and so much more.
Spartan Kids World Championship (Dec 10-11) - Sebring, Florida
You didn't think we'd forget about the kids, did you? Hell no. A week after the Spartan World Championship is the Spartan Kids World Championship, the final championship event of the year. Held on a lakeside paradise in Central Florida, this event crowns Spartan Kids champions in two different age groups. The weekend begins on Friday, with a Kids Parade of Nations and a course walkthrough. Then on Saturday, the boys and girls compete for championship glory in two age categories: 9-11 and 12-14. An awards ceremony follows the race action.
In addition to the championship races, there are half-mile, 1-mile, and 2-mile races for kids, as well as Sprint, Super, and Beast events for the adults. The course is on an operating cow farm, so you can count on plenty of flat farmland, trails, and marshy mud. Before or after your race, take advantage of the many family-friendly destinations in the surrounding area. Orlando — the home of Disney World — Tampa, and West Palm Beach are all within driving distance.
