Spartan Race: How an obstacle course drew the world to India

When 14-year-old Ariyana left her Calcutta home and arrived at the venue with her father on Sunday, little did she know that we would walk back with the tag of being the youngest competitor in the country’s inaugural Spartan Race.

"The experience here is so fabulous and the energy is unmatchable, it's a lovely experience, I exercise nonstop in fact," she told The Bridge after completing the obstacle course.

And it was this energy that drew 2,000 participants from all over the world for a truly unique experience.

Diverse participation 

Crossing the finish line first in the 35-39 age category, was Italian war journalist Claudio Locatelli, who incidentally, is a veteran of the Spartan Race.

“I have done 70-80 spartan race in Europe and this was my first time in India. I started in 2015 when it first started in Italy, ever since then I started racing as I enjoy it all,” he said.

Similarly, Ai Ping Yeo made the trip from Singapore and claimed victory in the Women’s Competitive category, finishing in 37:24 minutes.

Visibly thrilled, she told The Bridge that she has been racing for close to a decade now.

"This is the first Spartan Race in India and very thrilled and honour to join here and I love India. I have been racing since 2015 in Singapore and I was first female to do so.. I enjoyed Spartan race very much as i enjoy running. Running is my passion, My last race was back in 2019 since I had fractured my leg twice i haven't really been active since then but yeah, good to be back."

And it wasn’t just the overseas competitors making the trip down to Bangalore, enthusiasts from across the country got involved as well. Like Sanjay Negi from Agra, who won the Men’s Competitive category in an impressive time of 25:25 minutes.

Negi incidentally, who has represented the country in obstacle races overseas and won a 2nd place at the APAC championship, was critical of the lack of infrastructure for the sport in the country.

"Frankly speaking India has to work on lot of things when it comes to obstacle race because there is no proper infrastructure, training facilities which is the most essential part. I have done the Spartan Race for many years which was outside the country for 4-5 years, now this is the first time happening in India and I'm very privileged as I came here and won the overall 1st place competitive.”

And this is something that the organisers of the Spartan Race are aware of and the event in Bangalore was a move towards bridging that gap.

A new category

"In India Obstacle race (OCR) running is farley new and PMG Sports intend to built this category to develop to make it one category,” said Melroy D’Souza, CEO of PMG Sports, the company responsible for bringing Spartan Race to India.

D’Souza recognizes that people in the country are interested in health and wellness and he intends to cater to that audience.

“Our vision is to built on the Obstacle race running (OCR) community and built three races in the first year this time, ands slowly taking into 10-12 races.”

Pulling a race of this magnitude is no easy feat and participants like Claudio Locatelli lauded the organization.

Much of that credit goes to Race Director Jonathan Jair Cirilo Espinosa, who designs courses and also played a key role in bringing Spartan Race to India.

“Everyone has been really kind to me, I feel like home! My role is to design the course and set the obstacles in the right position and make sure its safe,” he said.

The race’s debut in the country comes at a pivotal moment for obstacle racing given the recent approval for its inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

And as more individuals discover the challenge and thrills of obstacle racing, the Spartan Race is set to become a key player in India’s evolving sports and fitness landscape.