Kaci Calaway has traveled the world as an elite Spartan Race competitor, from Abu Dhabi to Mexico, but there’s something special about the hometown race where she got her start in the sport.  

This weekend, Calaway, a 41-year-old Bigfork native, will compete in the Montana Spartan Race, which is returning to the village after a two-year hiatus. The race, hosted in partnership by Discover Kalispell and Bigfork Chamber of Commerce this year, is set to bring more than 5,000 racers of all skill levels to the Flathead Valley and provide an important shoulder-season boost to the local economy. 

Spartan Race is an athletic fitness brand that runs obstacle course races around the world, including the Montana race. When Bigfork first hosted the contest in 2013, Calaway was burned out on running after a challenging collegiate career at the University of Montana. She entered the race on a whim and was quickly hooked on the challenging format, which combines distance running with obstacles like spear throwing, log carries, and barbed wire crawls. She raced in the Open Division, but her time beat out the fastest woman in the Elite Division. 

Over the next decade, Calaway competed at the highest levels of Spartan Racing, including membership of the Spartan Pro Team and World Championship appearances, but she always made time for the race in her home state. From 2013 to 2023, the race was held at the same Flathead Lake Lodge property owned by the Averill family, but in 2024 the land was needed for other purposes, so the race relocated to Bozeman.  

Those two years reminded Bigfork residents just how important the Spartan Race is for the village’s seasonal economy, according to Bigfork Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rebekah King.  

She said the Spartan Race plays a critical role in bringing tourists to the area at a time outside of the busy summer months, when the village is already operating at maximum capacity. The weekend also serves as a “pressure test” for local businesses, restaurants and hotels before the summer season kicks off in full swing.   

In a bid to bring the race back to Bigfork, the chamber reached out to Discover Kalispell about officially partnering with them to host the race. While the race takes place in Bigfork, Discover Kalispell has been the sole host throughout the race’s tenure in Northwest Montana.  

The chamber contributed $25,000 to support the race’s return to the Flathead Valley. That amount is a significant portion of the chamber’s budget, King acknowledged, but reflects just how important the race is to Bigfork’s economy.  

Diane Medler, executive director of Discover Kalispell, said that in 2023, the race brought in more than $1 million to the valley’s economy. More than 67% of racers travel to attend the event, and thousands of participants and spectators bring business to hotels, shops and restaurants during an otherwise slow month.  

The new race location at Wrangler Springs Ranch, also owned by the Averill family, will offer a different race experience, according to Calaway. The previous location was part of Spartan Race’s Mountain Series and was well known for its extreme elevation gain and rugged course through the woods. The Wrangler Springs Ranch course takes racers through open farmland and is flat but still features the same beautiful mountain views that racers travel to Montana for, according to Medler. 

Calaway said one major upside with the new course is its closer proximity to Bigfork. In years past, many racers skipped Bigfork altogether because the race location was on the outskirts. Now, with the race hub much closer to the center of town, Calaway and King hope racers will be more inclined to experience all Bigfork has to offer.  

The four-race series includes the Sprint, Super, Beast and Ultra races, which range in distance from 5 kilometers to 50 kilometers and feature up to 60 obstacles. There is also a race for kids aged 4 to 14, with distances from 1 to 3 kilometers and 10 to 20 obstacles. 

For those who aren’t quite ready to commit to the obstacle course, Spartan offers spectator tickets to experience the energetic environment that captivated Calaway 13 years ago.  

“It feels like a bit of a novelty to have a race in your hometown,” Calaway said. “Having it back in your hometown, where you don’t have to drive and travel, I’m very excited.” 

The Spartan Race takes place May 9 and 10 at Wrangler Springs Ranch. For more information about the race, visit spartan.com/en/races/montana. 

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.

    Three competitors take a flying leap over the Fire Jump at the end of the Spartan Super - a 6.2-mile race with 25 obstacles. Mackenzie Reiss/Bigfork Eagle
  

    Elmer King, of Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania, who placed first in the Ultra 50K race, crawls through a water obstacle at the Spartan Races in Bigfork on Saturday, May 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider