Spartan, Tough Mudder, and others will honor race entry for anyone affected by Warrior Dash’s sudden closure.
Born from the CrossFit craze of the 2000s, obstacle racing exploded onto the fitness and events scene within the last decade. While many companies offer their own unique twist — flames, paint, zombies, and more — three quickly rose to the top: Spartan, Tough Mudder, and Warrior Dash.
But this week, Warrior Dash unexpectedly announced it was ceasing operations and canceled all upcoming races. According to a tweet from Warrior Dash, its parent company, Red Frog, decided to vacate the obstacle course industry to focus on “other endeavors.”
Warrior Dash Nation,
We spent the past ten years pouring our blood, sweat and tears into Warrior Dash, and our journey has brought us to a place where Red Frog has decided to exit the OCR industry to focus on our other endeavors. (1/3)
— Warrior Dash (@WarriorDash) July 31, 2019
The announcement initially left hundreds of Warrior Dash customers in limbo, until Spartan founder Joe Desena made a surprise announcement on the Obstacle Racing Media Podcast.
“Anybody that’s raced in a Warrior Dash ever, in the last decade, can come and race for free,” Desena said.
Multiple other OCR brands also offered comped race entries to anyone who purchased a ticket for an upcoming Warrior Dash race.
Warrior Dash Out of Business
While Warrior Dash’s tweet suggested Red Frog was shuttering its racing entity in favor of more popular events, like the Firefly Festival, Obstacle Racing Media (ORM) reported it had obtained an internal email suggesting Red Frog was closing altogether.
According to ORM, an event operations manager at Red Frog sent a message to employees that read, “Today we just got word that Red Frog is no longer a company. I wanted to let you guys know sooner than later … This sucks all around. Please let me know if you’re ever in Chicago — you all still have a place to stay!”
As for racers, there will be no shortage of options for those needing an alternative to the Warrior Dash. Desena posted on Spartan’s Facebook page that the brand will release details on how Warrior Dash customers can receive free entry into an upcoming Spartan race.
Tough Mudder also confirmed it will offer free entry to Dashers for a 2019/20 5K, with a $50 upgrade to a Tough Mudder Classic race.
Savage Race, Rugged Maniac, Bonefrog, and Conquer the Gauntlet will also honor free race entries for Warrior Dash customers. Click the links to learn more.
