Questions mostly came about because in our blog post, Click HERE. There was an omission compared to information that appeared on the Points Ranking System page on the main Spartan website, clickHERE, where it was originally stated that the Vermont Beast elite wave counted for double points awarded. This should have been repeated in the recent announcement to avoid any confusion arising.

The 2012 Spartan Race season has marked incredible growth in our sport and gratified us with the incredible enthusiasm of our athletes and fans. We want to be as responsive as possible to our fans and clarify questions following the announcement of the $500K prize giveaway, the Vermont Beast and Ultra Beast, and how points and races will be calculated beyond 2012:

The Spartan Beast and Ultra Beast:

• The Spartan Vermont Beast is the Spartan Race 2012 Championship Race – in 2011, the championship race was held in Texas in December. However, for 2012, the winner of the Vermont Beast in Killington will be declared Spartan Race Champion and the World’s Greatest Obstacle Racer for 2012.
• The Spartan Ultra Beast was created in 2012, and will be the most epic race in the world of obstacle racing, a marathon distance race, with over 60 obstacles, on the toughest course in the Spartan Race series.
• Entry for the Ultra Beast is by application only.

On Race Day:
There are three start times to be mindful of Race Day:

• 8:00A.M. is the Elite Individual Beast Cash Prize Heat and the Individual Ultra Beast start time. If you expect to be a top 25 finisher in the Beast, this is the heat for you.
• 8:15 is the Team Ultra Beast Start time.
• 8:30 the Competitive Individual Beast Heat start time. There are separate prizes (non-cash) and awards will be given to the top finishers in this wave.

Beast and Ultra Beast Cash and Prizes:

• Cash Prize Heat Individual top finishers for the Beast AND the Individual Ultra Beast in Vermont will walk away with $5,000 (top male and top female), $2,000 for 2nd and $1,000 for 3rd place.
  • Beast 4th through 10th Men and Women – Season Passes
  • UltraBeast – season passes for UB finishers is being determined. More information coming soon.
• The Ultra Beast is also offering an additional incentive and reward with a team challenge format with a $15,000 prize to the 1st place team of THREE racers. There are qualifications and requirements to this team challenge. As mentioned before, the team heat will start separately.

The Beast and Ultra Beast Wave:
What does this mean for racers in the Elite Beast/UltraBeast Wave. The “fastest” Beast can be won by someone entered in the Ultra Beast category, and the fastest Ultra Beast race can be run by an Elite Beast racer, if they choose to go out for the 2nd lap. If it is the “same” person they get paid and points based on the higher of the purse and points. This means that the same athlete could win the Beast AND the Ultra Beast. If an athlete is planning on doing BOTH events, they must register for both events and pay both event fees. 

Points Summary:
The Points Competition has galvanized Spartans racers to compete to be the most consistent performer in 2012 over multiple Spartan Races. Going forward beyond 2012, the Vermont weekend will mark the end of the race season, with the new season beginning in October.

• To bridge the gap and remain fair, 2012 will end in December but going forward the schedule will adjust to account for Vermont being the crowing jewel competition in our racing season.
• So for 2013, points will be counted from October 2012 to September 2013.
• Beyond 2013, the season will run from October to September.

Vermont Points:

• It will be possible to race the Vermont Beast, and then continue on to finish the Ultra Beast.However, you can only be eligible for the points and prizes in one race category and the heats will be start separately.
  • TO GIVE PARITY TO THE ULTRA BEAST, RACING THE ULTRA BEAST WILL SATISFY ELIGIBILITY FOR END OF SEASON POINTS RANKING PRIZES.
  • THE ULTRA BEAST WILL ALSO BE COUNTED AS DOUBLE POINTS (CHANGED FROM 150%).

Season Ending Points for 2012:

• The points competition will run through the end of 2012, ending with the Texas race.
• The Points Ranking System creates a table for athletes to share in the Points Leaders Prize Pool (a mixture of cash and prizes that will reward the Top 300 Spartan athletes at the end of the year for their commitment to racing, cash awards going to the Top 20 men and women) to be awarded at the Spartan Texas race.
• To be eligible for the cash award in the Points competition, it was required that the athlete compete in the elite wave at the Killington Beast, Spartan Race’s World Series Championship.

Ultra Beast vs. Beast:
Ultimately which race an athlete chooses for point’s purposes is an individual choice based on a calculus of where they think they do the best relative to their competition, assessing their own strengths and weaknesses, and weighing their goals and desires. There is no doubt that to participate in the first ever Ultra Beast will be legendary. To complete it will be a badge of honor that is unlike any other in the sport. If an athlete is planning on doing BOTH events, they must register for both events and pay both event fees. It is possible that an athlete could win the Vermont Beast Championship Race, and not end the season on top of the Points Ranking (if they did not do enough races or did more lower scoring races as their 2nd-4th scoring races, such as Sprint distances). But, as set out on the Points Ranking Page, to qualify for the Points Pool distribution eligibility, doing the Beast is required. We are now amending this to allow doing the Ultra Beast as an option and giving the Ultra Beast parity as a double points race.

Other Questions:

1. Is the Beast prize money for all Beast races or just Vermont? Just Vermont
2. Can you win both the Beast and the Ultra Beast? YES. Why? Because then you are the ultimate competitor.
3. Can you in effect race in both the Vermont Beast and Ultra Beast? Yes, but you can only be eligible for points in one category. If you enter the Ultra Beast in order to have a chance at the team or individual prizes, you will be excluded from eligibility the Beast points distribution. If you are registered for both, and wish to make your distinction, email [email protected] to ensure you are flagged for your preference.
   • If you do the Beast for points/prizes, and then continue and do UB and finish – you will earn post-race schwag being given, but no UB points.
   • If you do UB Sat and Beast Sunday – as it is the non-champ heat on Sunday, it would count for 125% if 9a competitive wave, 100% otherwise – this is in accordance withhttps://www.spartanrace.com/spartan-point-ranking-system.html -but you have to register for both separately.

If you are currently registered for the Ultra Beast and want to transfer registration to the Regular Beast for points/prizes, email [email protected] to have that coordinated. We’ll ensure your registration is flagged accordingly.

Running Both on Saturday:

• If you are racing the UB for chance at prize and points, and the Beast in an open heat, you will start with that heat and race the regular Beast on Sunday.