Georgis Tzortzakis at 2019 North American Championship
Spartan®, the world's leading endurance sports and wellness brand, will once again return to the rugged mountains of Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows in North Lake Tahoe, CA — host of the 1960 Winter Olympics — for the 2021 Spartan North American Championship on September 25. The regional championship event is the culmination of the U.S. and Canada's and national series, bringing the best obstacle course racers on the continent to the picturesque destination to vie for $62,000 USD in prize money. The 30-obstacle, half-marathon Spartan Beast® event is presented by Yokohama and hosted by North Lake Tahoe Resort Association.
"The Spartan Beast in North Lake Tahoe is feared and respected by Spartans across the globe," said Spartan's Founder and CEO Joe De Sena. "Instead of sticking with the status quo, we're doing what we do best and making one of the hardest events on the North American race calendar a stepping stone to the World Championship, putting our athletes to the ultimate test. We're excited to get back to competitive racing and can't wait to bring the North American Championship to Tahoe."
As the former home of the Spartan World Championship, the mountainous course at Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows has long been known as the most challenging event on the Spartan event calendar. It's here that freezing temperatures, snow, rain and just about everything Mother Nature has to offer meets 6,224 feet of elevation and rugged, technical terrain, creating legends. The unforgiving event unfolds across the half-marathon Spartan Beast, with 30 obstacles including Twister, Stairway to Sparta, and Tyrolean Traverse.
To qualify for the Elite and Age Group North American Championship, athletes must place in the top 10 in Elite or Age Group heat in any Spartan Sprint® , Spartan Super® , Beast, or Spartan Ultra® in the U.S. or Canada from Monday August 26, 2019 to Friday, September 24, 2021. The 10 men's and women's Age Group categories are: 14 – 17, 18 – 24, 25 – 29, 30 – 34, 35 – 39, 40 – 44, 45 – 49, 50 – 54, 55 – 59, and 60-plus.
In addition to the Elite and Age Group competitors, the event offers opportunities for non-qualified athletes to hit the racecourse with open Spartan Beast heats throughout the weekend and open heats for the 50K, 60-plus obstacle Spartan Ultra Saturday morning.
The North American Championship is a qualifying event for the 2021 Spartan World Championship in Abu Dhabi, UAE, hosted by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, which unfolds December 3-5, marking the first time the event will be staged outside of the United States. The 2021 Spartan World Championship hosted by ADSC will see the best obstacle course racers in the world descend on a remarkable course in the Desert of Liwa.
