Announced today in San Francisco, Spartan has a new Global Innovation Partner: Rakuten, the internet and-commerce giant headquartered in Tokyo that provides services to 29 regions and countries around the world.

“Spartan has worked with Rakuten companies for nearly six years and the company has been a catalyst for our growth,” said Spartan CEO Joe De Sena. “We’re excited to launch an official partnership with such a dominant brand that shares our passion for empowering others, and we look forward to working together to expand our communities across the globe.”

On the subject of empowering others, the heart of the Rakuten mission statement is to, “Contribute to society by creating value through innovation and entrepreneurship.” A spectrum sampling of Rakuten’s partners include the NBA, FC Barcelona and Shakira’s El Dorado World Tour.

The designation Spartan racers will be introduced to (starting at the Spartan World Championships in Lake Tahoe later this month) will be Powered by Rakuten.

But the partnership will go much deeper than the designation. Rakuten will be powering and upgrading Spartan’s digital communications and community-building, including the integration of Rakuten Viber, a global messaging and calling service. According to the official announcement, “Rakuten Viber will bring together Spartan race fans and competitors from around the world, offering exclusive access and entertaining extras through a Spartan Viber Community.”

Also, with the partnership debut at the Spartan World Champs on September 29, Rakuten will drive the race-day livestream on Facebook WATCH and also the cable broadcast following the race.

“I am excited to have Rakuten partner with Spartan, an organization with a passionate following and one that, like Rakuten, strives to motivate and empower its members and community,” said Rakuten, Inc. founder and CEO Hiroshi “Mickey” Mikitani. “Spartan is an innovator in obstacle and endurance racing and we’re going to work together, leveraging Rakuten technology and services and Spartan’s fervent community, to bring joy to sports fans everywhere.”

From the new partnership, official designations include:

• Spartan Powered by Rakuten
• Rakuten Marketing: Official Digital Advertising Partner of Spartan
• Rakuten: Global Innovation Partner of Spartan
• Spartan E-Commerce Powered by Rakuten
• Spartan U.S. Logistics Powered by Rakuten
• Spartan Global Rankings Powered by Rakuten
• Official Partner of Spartan U.S. Pro Team
• Rakuten Kobo: Official E-book and Audio Book Partner
• Viber: Official Communications Channel of Spartan

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE:

About Rakuten, Inc.

Rakuten, Inc. (TSE: 4755) is a global leader in internet services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Founded in Tokyo in 1997 as an online marketplace, Rakuten has expanded to offer services in e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications to more than 1.2 billion members around the world. The Rakuten Group has over 15,000 employees, and operations in 30 countries and regions. For more information visit https://global.rakuten.com/corp/.

About Spartan

Spartan is the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand, and the first in-sport to feature timing and global rankings. With more than 200 events across close to 40 countries in 2018, Spartan will attract more than one million global participants offering open heats for all fitness levels, along with competitive and elite heats. The Spartan Race lifestyle boasts a community of more than five million passionate social media followers, health and wellness products, training and nutrition programs, and a popular television series, which has made obstacle racing one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Spartan Race events feature races at three distances, 3+Mile/20+ Obstacle “Sprint,” 8+ Mile/25+ Obstacle “Super” and 12+ Mile/30+ Obstacle “Beast,” culminating in the Spartan World Championship in North Lake Tahoe, CA. Visit http://www.spartan.com for more information and registration.