By Jim Carchidi and Ken Pozek
Spartan Race will bring its endurance-testing trail courses to Lake Nona, November 8-9, with the 2025 Orlando Spartan Weekend and the inaugural Spartan Para World Championship.
Event founder and Orlando resident, Joe De Sena, who also acquired the "Tough Mudder" race series in 2020, describes the run as a military-inspired obstacle course that changes perspectives.
Spartan Race founder, Joe De Sena. Photos courtesy of Spartan Race
"You’re probably doing the hardest thing you’ve ever done in your life and in that process, you change your perspective," De Sena told The Orlando Real's Ken Pozek. "The things you take for granted, you no longer take for granted."
On your mark
Spartan Race courses combine different terranes and challenges to test an athlete's mental and physical endurance.
Spartan features a gauntlet of obstacles designed to challenge physical and mental toughness. Runners encounter mud, water, and steep elevations with challenges that include wall climbing, barbed wire crawls, monkey bar crossings, and throwing spears. A failed challenge results in a penalty challenge that must be achieved to avoid disqualification. Races are offered in four categories: the Sprint (5K with 20 obstacles), Super (10K with 25 obstacles), Beast (13 miles with 30 obstacles), and Ultra (30 miles with 60 obstacles).
Get set
Spartan also features a kids' course that will be part of the Lake Nona weekend events.
Lake Nona's Saturday, Nov. 8, schedule will include the Spartan 5K and 10K options with a 1-3K kids race that also includes obstacles. A special "Unicity Takeover" is scheduled on November 7 with a Sprint 5K and 3K. This event will be separate from the weekend's marquee races.
The Sunday, Nov 9, schedule will feature the first Spartan Para World Championship. Athletes from around the world will compete in 6 sport classes. of Spartan's Super 10K. Each class is designed for the accessibility of specific limitations with rules for wheelchair athletes. Category winners will be recognized along with overall championship awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
Go!
Athletes travel from across the globe to compete at Spartan events and races are held internationally.
About 500 competitors took on the first Spartan course, held in Vermont in 2010. Everyone who completed the course received a medal and prizes were awarded to top athletes. Since then, events have spread across the globe with U.S. locations including California, Texas and Florida. International locations include Argentina, France, Slovakia, and Romania. Spartan also became the subject of an NBC television series, Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge. The series aired between 2016-2017 and was produced by the team behind American Ninja Warrior.
De Sena believes the popularity stems from people's need for community and a desire to get out of their comfort zone. "We check a lot of boxes, and we give a great reason for a tattoo," he said.
For more information on the 2025 Orlando Spartan Weekend + Para World Championship, log onto Spartan.com/races/orlando. And tune into Ken Pozek's YouTube channel for his full interview with Joe De Sena.
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