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Spartan Race Co-Founder Brian Duncanson on Why People Seek Discomfort, Building Resilience, and Scaling a Global Brand
In this @SilverDisobedience Perception Dynamics Podcast episode, host Dian Griesel interviews Spartan Race co-founder Brian Duncanson about the psychology behind why people voluntarily pursue difficult challenges and how Spartan built a global obstacle-racing brand around discomfort, resilience, and community. Duncanson shares how endurance and adventure racing inspired the concept; how Spartan was sketched on a paper napkin in Hartford in 2009; and, how they simplified complex adventure races into a run-plus-obstacles format with iterative participant feedback. He explains Spartan’s event progression from a 5K to 10K, half marathon “Beast,” and multi-lap Ultra, and how a reward system like the Trifecta medal increased retention. He recounts early scrappy growth, international expansion, and lessons that led to his business-focused book, “Becoming Spartan,” including stories like Hurricane Irene and his own leukemia experience.
Follow Brian Duncanson here and learn more about Spartan Races
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-duncanson-6825971a/https://www.spartan.com/
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I’m Dian Griesel aka @SilverDisobedience to my hundreds of thousands of monthly blog readers. You can learn more about me here: https://diangriesel.com
For three decades, I’ve helped people understand what they may be missing — in themselves, in others, and in the situations they face — so they can communicate with greater clarity, make wiser decisions, and navigate both business and life more effectively.
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