Spartan racing has officially arrived. NBC Sports Ventures, the NBC Sports Group arm that acquires and develops athletic events for television, that it has partnered with Reebok and Spartan Race on a multiyear alliance giving NBC exclusive media rights to the grueling challenge series.
NBC begins its mainstream validation of adventure racing on July 22 with coverage of the first of five Reebok Spartan Races leading up to the World Championship in November. Each telecast will give viewers close looks at barbed-wire crawls, fire jumps, spear throws, and the rest of founder Joe De Sena’s punishing gauntlet, in addition to profiles of individual athletes.
“By amplifying the level of visibility for the sport of obstacle racing, we’re taking a huge step towards our mission to pull people off the couch and get them living fit,” De Sena said in a press release. “Our alliance with NBC Sports moves us firmly towards our goals.”
Inspired viewers can watch the races away from the cushy comfort of their living rooms. Each event will be livestreamed across NBC’s desktop, mobile, and tablet platforms through NBC Sports Live Extra.
Interested in keeping up with the rise of athletic masochism (or, dare we suggest, signing up to compete)? Here are the television air dates and locations for prominent Spartan races, which can be seen on NBC Sports Network. In a seriously exciting move, the championship will air on NBC’s main channel.
AIR DATES:
July 22: Tuxedo, New York
August 19: Palmerton, Pennsylvania
September 13: Washougal, Washington
September 23: Amesbury, Massachusetts
October 25: Wintergreen, Virginia
November 16: Killington, Vermont