Spartan Race Will Track Athletes’ Biomarkers in New Partnership
The endurance world is getting a new kind of testing ground, as Spartan teams with Joi + Blokes to understand how internal biomarkers influence athlete performance and race outcomes
The “gym-as-a-clinic” model is already here. The next evolution? Turning performance training inward, guided by biomarkers, with Joi + Blokes and Spartan leading the way.
The telehealth platform has teamed up with the endurance and performance events brand to launch Project 300, a large-scale study tracking how internal biomarkers influence endurance, strength and even mindset outcomes.
The 200-day initiative follows 300 athletes through detailed lab testing spanning everything from hormones and inflammation to recovery and metabolism, with Joi + Blokes serving as Spartan’s exclusive diagnostic and clinical partner and overseeing the testing and analysis of more than 55 biomarkers.
“Real change happens when you measure it,” Project 300 metabolic health science lead Ben Bikman, PhD, said. “Performance and physiology are two sides of the same coin.”
Project 300 launches at a time when endurance and hybrid events are multiplying, from Hyrox to Ten Thousand’s burpee-heavy 10K, Life Time’s LT Games, and Urban Iron’s citywide gym crawl. But for now, Spartan may have the upper hand in turning endurance events into something more clinical. It also stands to reason that the most devoted athletes may be ready to invest not just in a great pair of race-day sneakers, but in biomarker testing and data-driven insights as a competitive advantage.
Joining Bikman is an interdisciplinary research team that includes Paul Reynolds, PhD, whose expertise lies in research and statistical modeling, and Lanae Mullane, ND, who will oversee clinical quality and assurance.
Participants will receive access to Joi + Blokes’ Complete Hormone Biomarker Panel, a guided consultation with a licensed clinician, and ongoing access to certified health coaches for support and personalized guidance.
“Spartan athletes have always pushed the limits of human performance,” Spartan CEO and founder Joe De Sena said. “Now, with Joi + Blokes, we’re measuring what happens inside the body when they do. Project 300 will help every athlete understand the link between physiology and performance beyond the finish line.”
While there has been an explosion of data, dashboards, and AI-driven metrics, Joi + Blokes’ co-founder and CEO Josh Whalen said the focus needs to shift toward meaning rather than the current “arms race” in the diagnostics space.
“Project 300 is about what comes next: context, clinical depth and real-world results,” Whalen said. “We’re merging performance, science, coaching and care to define the future of performance medicine.”