Testing their new standards and protocols since COVID-19 began, Spartan Race successfully hosted its first mass endurance event. The obstacle race in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday, June 13th had 1,253 finishers. This compares to 8,000+ participants on an average weekend.
Spartan Race, along with Tough Mudder, Ironman, Rock N Roll Marathon, and many other endurance event operators formed the Endurance Sports Coalition shortly after the pandemic began. It was formed as an effort to unify the running, triathlon, multi-sport, obstacle course and cycling event industries to secure ongoing support and relief for mass participation event operators, the employees, athletes and suppliers. Participant registrations and sponsorships are the primary source of income for these events, and without either, many of the 50,000 events will not be able to survive through to 2021.
Spartan considered the Florida race a success, given its new “return to racing” protocol, which includes a series of changes to its standards and operating procedures to keep all racers, event staff and volunteers safe.
Here are a few of the steps that Spartan is taking:
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Enhanced cleaning and sanitation
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Reduced customer touchpoints
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Hand sanitizer available at every obstacle
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Sealed bottled water Instead of cups
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Personal Protective Equipment
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All event staff and volunteers will wear face coverings at all times
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Racers to wear masks in the festival area
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Transparent plastic shields at key interaction points
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Social Distancing
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Each racer is given a specific arrival and departure time
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Minimum number of people in the event spaces
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Heat sizes reduced
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Dedicated lanes and waiting spots where racers congregate
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Screening (Racers, Staff, Volunteers)
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Contactless temperature checks
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Customer declaration that they are not infected by COVID-19 and have not been in contact with someone who has it in the past 14 days.
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