2024 Competitive, Early Morning and Open heats
When you register for an event, you will see the following options:
- Competitive: This heat is designed for competitive racers. Top racers running in these heats are eligible for Competitive Heat awards which are split between Overall and Age Group ranking. All Spartan Obstacle Rules are enforced and are mandatory. Competitive Heats will be release by pace groups which racer can select during registration process.
- Early Morning: Early Morning Heats will be the first two Morning start times of the day (exact times may vary), after the Competitive Start. The Early Morning Start times are a part of the non-competitive category. Participants who select these prime Early Morning start times will not be moved to the general morning or afternoon heats to race with their team.
- OPEN: Start times in the Open Category are non-competitive time blocks. Racers in the non-competitive Open Category will be auto-generated a specific start time within the morning and afternoon blocks 10 days prior to race day. Open heats are for all ages and skill levels, no prizes are awarded for these heats.
*All teammates registered for Early Morning will be grouped together, but teams spread across both Early Morning and regular Open heats will not be grouped together.
Racers registering as individuals will be given the opportunity to select a Preferred Start Time within their selected time block during registration for Open Heats. While our staff will do their best to accommodate your request, preferred start times are not guaranteed.
Racers that are on a team will be grouped within their selected time block only.
For example, if a team has members registered for BOTH Early Morning and Open Morning Time Blocks, all Early Morning Time Block team members will be moved together within the Early Morning Time Block, and all Open Morning Time Block team members will be grouped together within the Open Morning Time Block.
*Specific start times for each category may vary by race, see individual event pages for details.
2025 Elite, Age Group, Early Morning and Open heats
When you register for an event, you will see the following options:
Elite:
The Elite category is designed for the best of the best. Elite racers compete against other top-level athletes to podium and qualify for championship events. The top three male and female racers in this category will compete for podium placements. All Spartan Obstacle Rules are enforced and mandatory. Elite racers are the first wave to start on race day.
Age Group:
The Age Group category is also competitive, with racers competing against others within their specific age group. All Spartan Obstacle Rules are enforced and mandatory. The top three male and female competitors in each individual age group will be awarded a special Age Group medal.
Early Morning:
Early Morning Heat will be the first two morning start times of the day (exact times may vary), following the Elite Start. The Early Morning Start times are part of the non-competitive category. Participants who select these prime Early Morning start times will not be moved to the general morning or afternoon heats to race with their team.
Open:
Start times in the Open Category are non-competitive time blocks. Racers in the non-competitive Open Category will be auto-generated a specific start time within the morning and afternoon blocks 10 days prior to race day. Open heats are for all ages and skill levels, with no prizes awarded for these heats.
Things to consider:
- Preferred Start Times: Racers registering as individuals can select a Preferred Start Time within their chosen time block during registration. While we strive to accommodate these requests, please note that preferred start times are not guaranteed.
- Team Registrations: For racers on a team, members will be grouped together within their selected time block only. For example, if a team has members registered for both the Early Morning and Open Morning Time Blocks, all Early Morning Time Block members will be grouped together, and all Open Morning Time Block members will be grouped together.
- Start Time Variability: Specific start times for each category may vary depending on the race. Please refer to the individual event pages for detailed start time information.
- Awards: Elite and Age Group winners must be present at the award ceremony to receive their awards. Awards will not be given or mailed out after race day.