Spartan Lahti 2026: grit, precision and a great weekend together
SPARTAN LAHTI 2026
The 2026 Lahti Spartan Weekend brought athletes, families and supporters to Lahti Sports Centre for three days of racing and festival activity. The main race programme on 22–23 August included the Sprint, Super and Beast distances, while the Kids races and opening programme began on Friday 21 August!
More than 2,500 participants from over 30 countries took part. The courses moved from the stadium area onto the Salpausselkä trails, through the city landscape and up the landing slope of Lahti’s iconic ski jump. It was a setting that demanded endurance, control and plenty of Spartan determination.
Ecoaims at the laser obstacle
Ecoaims was on site with P3EXP laser pistols and LT600PRO laser targets. At the laser obstacle, athletes had to shift quickly from running and climbing to controlled shooting. With their heart rates high and the clock moving, the challenge was to settle, aim and complete the task before returning to the course.
Jeremy, Zahid and Katja formed our team in Lahti. They kept the range ready for competitors and met many of you throughout the weekend for great conversations.
For us, those meetings were one of the best parts of the event. It was great to speak with experienced racers, first-time Spartans, Para athletes and families from Finland and abroad. The Spartan community brought energy to the venue from the first Kids races to the final finishers.
Para athletes take on the Super course
Lahti also hosted the second Spartan Para World Championship. Fourteen adaptive athletes competed on the 10-kilometre Super course with 25 obstacles.
Ukraine’s Vladyslav Chechur recorded the fastest overall Para time at 1:15:46. Thomas Delattre completed the course in the PO1 wheelchair category in 3:57:35, and Great Britain’s Dawn Jolleys won the PO5 visually impaired category in 1:49:47.
The elite Beast races also produced strong performances. Richard Hynek of the Czech Republic won the men’s race in 1:40:51, while fellow Czech athlete Zuzana Kocumová won the women’s race in 1:49:47. Finland’s Sami Maamela and Petra Arvela both reached the elite podium.
Thank you, Spartans
Congratulations to everyone who raced, supported a teammate or helped make the weekend happen. Thank you as well to every athlete and visitor who stopped to talk with Team Ecoaims. Lahti gave us hard racing, memorable meetings and a close view of the determination that defines the Spartan community. See you at the next start line!
