Spartan Race, Inc.

Apparel Design / Apparel Concept & Copywriter / Digital Design / Campaign Copywriter / Photography Direction

Overview:

Spartan Race is a series of obstacle races of varying distance and difficulty ranging from 3 miles to marathon distances. They are held in the United States and have been franchised to 30 countries, including Canada, South Korea, Australia, and several European countries.

I designed venue-specific apparel and lifestyle graphics, including all concept copywriting, that embodied the true Spartan Racer mindset, capturing the mental grit, resilience, and badass spirit of those who conquer the course.

The Problem

Spartan Race venue tees and event merchandise weren’t selling as well as they could. The main point of purchase was in the merch tent right after racers crossed the finish line, when they were exhausted but riding a wave of euphoria, pride, and accomplishment.

Previous designs failed to capture that powerful post-race emotion, missing the opportunity to turn a hard-earned achievement into a wearable memory. Merchandise remained an underutilized revenue stream.

Design Approach

Venue-Specific Apparel

Every Spartan Race venue has its own unique energy and audience. To create apparel that truly resonated, I developed a research-driven process for each location. I studied local apparel trends, popular color palettes, and graphic styles (ranging from vintage and retro to modern and minimal), while also analyzing previous years’ sales data to understand what actually sold.

I also factored in the race distance and difficulty: Sprint races tended to attract more fun, light-hearted participants, while Super and Beast racers were significantly more serious and performance-driven. This insight allowed me to craft venue-specific designs with the right tone and aesthetic for each audience.

The result was a collection of apparel that felt authentic to both the location and the specific Spartan Racer mindset.

Lifestyle Graphic Apparel

For the lifestyle and retail graphics, I focused on capturing the broader Spartan Racer mindset: the mental grit, endurance, and resilience mentality of people who push their limits through training and racing.

To gain deeper insight, Spartan Race had me attend multiple events, including the World Championship in Lake Tahoe, California. I spent time in the merch tent talking with racers fresh off the course, while also completing several races myself to experience the full physical and mental journey firsthand. This combination of direct observation and personal participation allowed me to create authentic, powerful verbiage and graphics that racers genuinely connected with and were proud to wear.

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Special & Seasonal Collections

For special & seasonal collections, I developed a collaborative and iterative design process focused on powerful verbiage that would resonate with racers.

I began by creating a wide range of concept copy, then placed each phrase in plain typeface on a simple black t-shirt mockup. This allowed us to evaluate how the messaging felt when actually worn. I presented these raw concepts to the Head of Merchandising, and together we narrowed them down to the strongest options. The selected concepts were then fully designed with custom typography, color palettes, and applied to specific product styles.

Concept Mocks

Final Apparel Graphics

The Outcome

As Lead Merchandise Designer and Copywriter, I created venue-specific apparel and verbiage graphics that resonated deeply with the overall mindset of racers and in their moment of accomplishment. The new designs successfully captured the pride and euphoria of finishing a Spartan Race, driving a 30% increase in merchandise revenue in my first year in the role, with continued growth every year throughout my five-year tenure.

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Marathon Events