What types of Series & Championship events will there be in 2026?
There will be three tiers of Championships:
- National Series:
- 2-5 event series (in most countries) with a prize purse for the overall series winners
- Regional Championships:
- A single event weekend per region
- World Championships:
- One World Championship event per distance, includes Championships for 100M, Sprint, Super, Beast, Ultra, Trifecta, World’s Toughest Mudder and DEKA
What is the European National Series Calendar?
Do I have to qualify for Series & Championship events?
Racers can qualify for the Elite Championship Heat at a given tier through the following criteria:
- Regular Season Events:
- No qualification
- Regional Championship:
- Top 10 at a regular season event or Top 25 at a National Series or National Championship event within the qualification period*.
- Sprint/Super/Beast World Championship:
- Top 25 finish in any event of the same distance or Top 10 finish in any event of a different distance within the qualification period*
- 100M World Championship:
- Invite/Application process only
- Ultra World Championship:
- Complete an Ultra in the Elite heat either this year or last year. This includes Ultras in the 2025 Elite heat categories or the Ultra World Championship
- Trifecta World Championship:
- Complete a Trifecta in the Elite heat either this year or last year. This includes Trifectas in the 2025 Elite heat or at the Trifecta World Championship
- Kids World Championship:
- Refer to the Kids WC Article (Link to follow)
*The qualification period begins the day after the previous championship and continues until the weekend before the current year's event.
Qualification is not required for Age Group Championship heats.
Can I sign up for an Elite heat before qualifying?
Yes, you may sign up before meeting the qualification if you are confident you will qualify before the race. However, it is your responsibility to ensure you meet the standards by the deadline.
What happens if I signed up for the Elite heat but did not qualify?
If you signed up for the Elite heat but do not qualify:
- You will be moved to the Age Group heat
- No refund will be issued for any price difference between Elite and Age Group registration
- No refund will be provided for the ticket under any circumstances
Does Spartan offer wild card entries?
Yes, Spartan reserves the right to add wild card entries or make changes to the qualification standards at any time.
National Series Points Structure
All National Series consisting of two or more races will use a straightforward points system to rank racers. The competitor with the highest points in their respective category (Elite or Age Group) at the end of the series will be declared the series winner.
Participation in a minimum number of races is mandatory to be included in the National Series overall ranking and to be eligible for Prize Money (only applicable for Elite Championship category).
Participation in the last race of the National Series is not mandatory. However, to be awarded on stage for the Overall NS Ranking (Elite & Age Group) and receive your prize money (Elite only), your presence at the final award ceremony is required.
The number of races that counts for the final ranking of the Series depends on the number of races per series:
- For 2 races in the Series:
- The 2 races count for the final ranking of the Series
- For 3 races in the Series:
- The best 2 race results count for the final ranking of the Series
- For 4 races and more:
- The best 3 race results count for the final ranking of the Series
*Regardless of the total number of races, only your top 2 or 3 results will count towards your total points. If you participate in more than 2 or 3 races, only your best 2 or 3 results will be considered, and no additional points will be awarded for any extra races.
The same points system will be applied for both Elite Championship and Age Group Championship races; however, points are not transferable between categories. All races use a 300-point system. Points are assigned based on your final place within your gender (Elite category) and age group (Age Group category).
If two athletes are tied in the overall National Series ranking, the winner will be determined according to the following rules, depending on the number of events in the series:
- For 2 event series:
- The combined time of both events is used as the tiebreaker
- For 3-5 event series, tiebreakers follow this order:
- Head-to-Head Performance: Compare results from events where both racers competed. The racer with the better record ranks higher.
- Combined Timing of Common Races: If the head-to-head performance does not resolve the tie, the times from the races where both athletes competed are added together. The athlete with the lowest aggregate time wins the tie.
- Final Race Bonus Point: if the tie persists, the athlete who achieved the highest ranking in the final race of the Series will be awarded a +1 bonus point to their total series score.
- Highest Single Event Score: If the combined timing of common races does not resolve the tie, the racer with the highest individual event score ranks higher.
- Number of Event Wins: If the tie persists, the racer with more event wins (first-place finishes) ranks higher.
- Total Number of Podium Finishes: If necessary, the racer with more podium finishes (top 3) ranks higher.
- Consistency: If still unresolved, the racer with the higher lowest score from their events ranks higher.
Age Restrictions for National Series
Elite and Age Group racing in Sprint and Super are accessible from the age of 16, in Beast from the age of 18 and in Ultra from the age of 18.