Spartan Trail World Championship Rules & Regulations

1- Naming

The series of races remains named Spartan Trail World Championship (STWC). Season 3 will be the first year-round in the Championship history, so it is correct to name it 2023 Spartan Trail World Championship or Spartan Trail World Championship Season 3.

2- Description

The Spartan Trail World Championship (STWC) is a global championship with multiple stops around the world. Each World Championship race will feature multiple distances, with two of them being selected to point for the STWC Leaderboard in its corresponding categories.

3- Spartan Trail World Championship Categories

There will be two separate championships held side by side, with a distance for each championship at every event, a ULTRA Championship (50k and more) and a TRAIL Championship (up to 49k). 

There will be two different points quotas for our events. Some races will be awarding a maximum of 2000 points, and others will be awarding a maximum of 1000 points. This said, the distance / quota will be referred to as ULTRA 2000 or ULTRA 1000, and in the case of the shorter distances, TRAIL 2000 or TRAIL 1000.

For example, Transgrancanaria 128k is a ULTRA 2000 race and Borneo Trail Classic’s 50k is a ULTRA 1000 race. Patagonia Run’s 42k is a TRAIL 2000 race and Brisbane Trail Ultra’s 30k is a TRAIL 1000 race.

4- Spartan Trail World Championship Events

Season 2023 will host 9 premier events around the globe, offering a different amount of points for the Championship leaderboards. Each event will feature a ULTRA Championship distance and a TRAIL Championship distance.

Prize money for both male and female overall categories will be available in specific events.

For 2023, the championship will start in Transgrancanaria (February) and finish in Golden Gate Trail Classic (November).

5- 2023 Spartan Trail World Championship Schedule

• Stop 1
  • Transgrancanaria (Canary Islands / Europe)
    • February 22-26, 2023
    • Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
    • ULTRA 2000 Distance: 128K (Classic)
    • TRAIL 2000 Distance: 45K (Maratón)
    • Points Quota: 2000
    • Prize Money: Yes
• Stop 2
  • Patagonia Run (Patagonia / South America)
    • April 12-15, 2023
    • San Martín de los Andes, Neuquén, Argentina
    • ULTRA 2000 distance: 100 Miles
    • TRAIL 2000 distance: 42K
    • Points Quota: 2000
    • Prize Money: Yes
• Stop 3
  • Maxi-Race Annecy (The Alps / Europe)
    • May 26-28, 2023
    • Annecy, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
    • ULTRA 2000 distance: 88K (MaXi-Race)
    • TRAIL 2000 distance: 43K (The Secret Race)
    • Points Quota: 2000
    • Prize Money: Yes
• Stop 4
  • Brisbane Trail Ultra (Australia / Oceania)
    • July 7-9, 2023
    • Brisbane, Australia
    • ULTRA 1000 distance: 100 Miles
    • TRAIL 1000 distance: 30K
    • Points Quota: 1000
    • Prize Money: No
• Stop 5
  • Fjällmaraton (Sweden / Europe)
    • July 29 – August 5, 2023
    • Äre, Sweden
    • ULTRA 1000 distance: 100K
    • TRAIL 1000 distance: 45K (KIA Fjällmaraton)
    • Points Quota: 1000
    • Prize Money: No
• Stop 6
  • Salomon Ultra Pirineu (The Pyrenees / Europe)
    • September 29 – October 1, 2023
    • Bagà, Catalunya, Spain
    • ULTRA 2000 distance: 100K (Salomon Ultra Pirineu)
    • TRAIL 2000 distance: 42K (Salomon Marató Pirineu)
    • Points Quota: 2000
    • Prize Money: Yes
• Stop 7
  • Borneo Trail Classic (Asia Pacific / Asia)
    • October 7, 2023
    • Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia
    • ULTRA 1000 distance: 50K
    • TRAIL 1000 distance: 21K
    • Points Quota: 1000
    • Prize Money: No
• Stop 8
  • Shinshiro Trail Classic (Japan / Asia)
    • TBD
    • Shinshiro, Nagoya, Japan
    • ULTRA 1000 distance: TBD
    • TRAIL 1000 distance: TBD
    • Points Quota: 1000
    • Prize Money: No
• Stop 9
  • Golden Gate Trail Classic (Golden Gate / North America)
    • November 18-19, 2023
    • San Francisco, California, USA
    • ULTRA 1000 Distance: 100k
    • TRAIL 1000 Distance: 21k
    • Points Quota: 1000
    • Prize Money: No

6- Points System

Two separate points leaderboards will be tracked, a Ultra Championship Leaderboard, and a Trail Championship Leaderboard. Points are not combined between the two leaderboards.

• ULTRA Championship Leaderboard – Only ULTRA 2000 and ULTRA 1000 distances will be counted. 
• TRAIL Championship Leaderboard – Only TRAIL 2000 and TRAIL 1000 distances will be counted.

Points are assigned based on an athlete’s final place and their gender, within their specified STWC category. Each stop has a specific top score, which is pointed out on the race Schedule above (could be either 2000 or 1000 points)

Every single finisher of a Championship distance of an event will score points.

Points calculation

Points are calculated using the following formula:

1st Place Gender/Championship Finishers Time (Minutes)/Your Finish Time (Minutes) x Event’s top scoring points = Total Points Score

Example, using Transgrancanaria’s top scoring:

1st Place Gender/Championship Time – 60:00 Minutes
Your Time – 72:00 Minutes
60/72 x 2000 = 1667 Points

Example, using Brisbane Trail Ultra’s top scoring:

1st Place Gender/Championship Time – 60:00 Minutes
Your Time – 72:00 Minutes
60/72 x 1000 = 834 Points

Rounding of decimal points will always tend up.

Bonus per position

To reduce the possibility of ties, we will add bonus points for the top 3 finishers the following way:

1. 100 Points
2. 70 Points
3. 50 Points

Leaderboard scoring races

A runner can participate in as many races as wanted, with a minimum of two races of any quota to be counted towards the Final Leaderboard. The best 3 performances of 2000 points quota races will be counted, and the best 2 performances of 1000 points quota.

Each athlete will be able to create its own strategy to score more points towards the end of the season.

Tie Rules

If there’s a tie at the final leaderboard in any podium / prize position: awards will be unified and will be distributed equally as a tie for each athlete. If there’s an athlete that has the same amount of points in fewer races, it’ll be considered as the winner towards the tier with more races.

7- Prize Money

Spartan Trail World Championship events awarding prize money are indicated in the event schedule above.

Important notes:

• Prize money is expressed in US Dollars, but may be delivered in awarded athlete’s residence country legal currency, subject to the athlete’s residence country official exchange rate.
• Prize money delivery may take up to 90 days after the race to allow checking if the awarded athlete is free from doping charges.
• Prize money delivery may take from 90 to 120 days after the athlete submits his payment information to Spartan Trail’s admin POC.
• Final Leaderboard prize money will be delivered after the final race of the Championship, and also, will take in count the three points above.

Prize Money Distribution  – STWC Events

8- Elite Athletes

STWC events won’t have a special elite category. Top 3 overall for each category distance will be awarded with prize money, on events where prize money is distributed as indicated above. You don’t need to apply or do any special extra step to participate for awards or prize money.

We have a limited amount of slots available for elite runners on all our halo events. To be eligible for those slots, especially for races that are sold out, you need to contact us up to one month before race date. After that period of time, we can’t guarantee entry to the race.

Elite Athlete Guaranteed Registration Criteria

Free registration (ticket) will be given to:

• Top 10 Overall ITRA Ranking (Men/Women) at date of request.
• Top 10 Overall (Men/Women) on past edition Trail World Championship (ITRA / IAU / WMRA – THAILAND 2022)
  • Long Trail Race Championship -> ULTRA Championship Races
  • Short Trail Race Championship -> TRAIL Championship Races
• Top 3 Overal (Men / Women) on other STWC races, but same Championship Category (Same season)
  • IE: If someone was top 3 on Transgrancanaria 42k 2023, can have free registration to Patagonia Run 42k, Brisbane Trail Ultra 30k, Fjällmaraton 45k, Ultra Pirineu 42k, etc.
• Top 3 Overall (Men / Women) same race and distance, past edition
• Top 3 Overall (Men/Women) STWC Season 2 Final Leaderboards – Any category
  • They can choose whatever Spartan Trail distance we have on any event.
• ≥ 850 ITRA or UTMB Index (Men) / ≥ 700 ITRA or UTMB Index (Women)

Elite Athlete POC

Reach us at elites@spartantrail.com if you match the registration criteria, and also, to find out available support for our races.

9- Press

To subscribe to our press releases and get exclusive news about our World Championship and its races, and also, for any detailed information / interviews please reach out to press@spartantrail.com 

10- Spartan Unbreakable Pass

Spartan’s first truly global offering that will gain you access to the world’s trails, obstacles, fitness challenges and cultures. A Global Pass and digital NFT that gains you unlimited access to over 450 events globally and 50+ countries around the world.

The Unbreakable pass is the key to all of our Spartan Trail World Championship races. To find out more, please visit https://race.spartan.com/en/race/passes

11- Other Details

All registrations will be made through the individual race organizer’s website. For questions/concerns about registrations or specific event questions, please contact the individual race organizer.

Each race organizer is responsible for setting their own rules regarding cancellations, refunds, transfers, etc. Championship races cannot be transferred to another Championship race, no exceptions.