The obstacle racing world turned on its head recently with the news that two of the world’s biggest race leaders are set to merge.

Spartan Race announced via a press release that it is acquiring Tough Mudder’s UK, Canadian and German events as the first steps of a “complete merger.”

“This is a goal we've had for some time,” said Joe De Sena, Spartan founder & CEO. “Tough Mudder UK, Canada & Germany bring a unique experience and putting the success of the two together strengthens our global mission of getting 100 million people off the couch."

According to Spartan Race, the Tough Mudder events in those countries would continue to operate under that moniker but become part of a greater Spartan family of brands and events.

It sounds like the Tough Mudder UK, Canada and Germany races and events would be less competitive and more teamwork-based.

“I look forward to creating a lasting partnership with Will and Guy as we seek to complete the merger,” De Sena said. “I'm excited about the prospect of what we can do together, as one team.”

According to Spartan, the company will continue to work with Tough Mudder's founders, Will Dean and Guy Livingstone, in efforts to complete the acquisition and renewal of Tough Mudder's US-based events and operations in the coming days.

In a recent interview with De Sena on Obstacle Racing Media, the Spartan Race head honcho explained the decision.

"There was an opportunity here in the last two-three months to start the conversations. And I just thought we could do more together," he explained.

"At the end of the day, the litmus test for us, are we going to be able to change 100 million lives to saying yes to whatever the decision might be, because that’s our test that’s our goals, and so I think this is just going to get us closer," he continued. "They have a giant audience, a big footprint like we do, they have an enormous amt of customers come through their gates, and they are not similar customers to ours. When we look at the data, surprisingly, the overlap is less than five per cent."

Link to the full video below.

Founded in 2004, Spartan Race is the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand with events in 30 countries.