In the midst of a distinguished crowd, team American Muscle wins 2022 Abu Dhabi Spartan World Championship

Kris Rugloski, Rylan Schadegg, and Veejay Jones were crowned Spartan World Champions in the 3K Team category today after overcoming a challenging obstacle course in the Al Wathba desert on a day where the sport’s growing community came out in force.

Taking place at Al Wathba Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, 21 teams of elite international athletes from more than 20 countries competed against each other for a share of the $10,000 prize money, while a Sprint 5K, Super 10K, and Kids Opens across 1km, 2km and 3km saw budding Spartans of all ages and abilities take part in the world championship weekend.

Organised in partership with Abu Dhabi Sports Council and Spartan – the world’s leading endurance sports and extreme wellness brand, the two-day festival – only the second time the event has been held outside of the United States of America – saw more  than 5000 athletes test their mettle across both days, with athletes and amateurs testing themselves physically and mentally across a variety of obstacles. The Multi-rig and Sandbag Carry proved particularly challenging under the intense desert sun.

Kris Rugloski, Ryan Schadegg and Veejay Jones won the Spartan 3K Team World Championship title after posting the fastest time of the day with 19 minutes 5 seconds to complete the three laps, ahead of Team Europe which included yesterday’s men’s elite race winner Sergei Perelygin, Valerii Chebrukov and Alisa Petrova who ran a collective time of 19 minutes and 86 seconds.

Veejay Jones, commented: “Yesterday I participated in the individual World Championship and today I ran the 3K team race, it’s been a rough couple of months for me as I’ve had health issues and wasn’t able to train properly. I’m really happy, being a part of the team and winning this race has been incredible. I’ve won two world titles this year, one individual and one for the team race but this is my first ever trip overseas from the US, being in Abu Dhabi has been quite the experience -  I’m looking forward to more races.”

“Yesterday, I did the super and today I did the 3K team race. It’s my first time here in Abu Dhabi, it’s one of best first experiences I’ve ever had. We’ve worked hard for this and it’s so exciting to complete in the race with my team,” said Kris Rugloski, who – like all winners – received her share of the prize purse.

With a host of on-site activations, an array of food truck options and a partnership with Myzone whereby the tech fitness brand provided participants the chance to continually monitor their heart rate, the Spartan Vilage was a hive of activity.

Suhail Alareefi, Executive Director of the event sector of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said: "As the 2022 Spartan World Championships Abu Dhabi draws to close, it’s great to see the so many spectators and participants attend this year’s event here in the breath-taking Al Wathba desert. Spartan is the world’s leading endurance sports and extreme wellness brand, so this partnership is important as we look to continue urging the population to adopt a more active and healthy lifestyle. This weekend’s fantastic event is just another example of Abu Dhabi as a destination, diversifying its offering to both residents and visitors.”

De Sena added: “Abu Dhabi, it’s been a pleasure. On behalf of the entire brand at Spartan, I’d like to personally thank all those in attendance, both competing and watching from the side-lines. It’s always great to see so many people come together and take part, especially in such a stunning location. Congratulations to all those who competed – you are Spartans!”

For further information about the event, please visit: https://race.spartan.com/en/race/championships/world.