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What is SEL? SEL (Sports & Entertainment Ltd) is a market leader in sport and entertainment, management, marketing and commercialisation, with offices in Australia and the UK.
What is SEL’s involvement with Spartan Race? We’ve been engaged by Spartan to manage its business elements in the UK. This includes creating business efficiencies, sponsorship and marketing development, as well as identifying new and exciting venues to challenge all levels of Spartan participants.
Tell us about Spartan Race Spartan isn’t your average race – compared to normal road races, it’s the adventurous, adrenaline-junkie friend who thrives on excitement. There’s running, climbing, crawling, splashing through mud, tackling challenging obstacles and finishing with a fiery leap of victory.
The secret to Spartan’s success is its camaraderie and the challenge element. People of all shapes and sizes, and from all walks of life, have completed Spartan Races. If you don’t want to run, then walk. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and before you know it, you’ve done the first mile.
The Spartan community is well known for being helpful – they don’t like seeing people struggle. Watch how quickly a helping hand extends your way. Don’t be surprised if you feel someone pushing up on the soles of your feet to boost you up. That’s normal. They’re just helping you.
Why did SEL take on the Spartan Race brand? The mass participation sector has grown massively in the last five years. People are looking for new and interesting ways to exercise. They’re looking for challenges and something that’s going to push them not only physically, but also mentally.
Spartan is already a hugely strong brand within that sector in the US and we felt, with a few tweaks, it could be just as successful in the UK. There isn’t much I’d change about the races themselves, but I believe locations are key – the races need to be easy to find and access – and that’s what we’re focusing on.
These aren’t major changes, but rather refinements that I hope will grow awareness of Spartan across the UK. I believe the brand is strong enough that it will eventually be the point of reference for the category – people will say “oh, is that like a Spartan Race?”
Will there be some sort of Royal connection moving forward? Well, we had a race at Aston Down in May and will have one at Windsor Great Park in October for the season finale, but I think that’s about as far as it will go.
Bio: First child of Anne, Princess Royal and Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest grandchild. He is currently 13th in line to the throne. After graduating from university in 2000, Phillips worked for Jaguar, followed by a stint at Formula One racing team Williams F1. He was appointed managing director of SEL UK in 2012. This year, Phillips organised the street party on The Mall for 10,000 people to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
AKT Group
AKT Group is the Franco–Italian parent company of SKYY, C.O.D.E. and AKTMe, operating as an integrat [more...]
What is SEL? SEL (Sports & Entertainment Ltd) is a market leader in sport and entertainment, management, marketing and commercialisation, with offices in Australia and the UK.
What is SEL’s involvement with Spartan Race? We’ve been engaged by Spartan to manage its business elements in the UK. This includes creating business efficiencies, sponsorship and marketing development, as well as identifying new and exciting venues to challenge all levels of Spartan participants.
Tell us about Spartan Race Spartan isn’t your average race – compared to normal road races, it’s the adventurous, adrenaline-junkie friend who thrives on excitement. There’s running, climbing, crawling, splashing through mud, tackling challenging obstacles and finishing with a fiery leap of victory.
The secret to Spartan’s success is its camaraderie and the challenge element. People of all shapes and sizes, and from all walks of life, have completed Spartan Races. If you don’t want to run, then walk. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and before you know it, you’ve done the first mile.
The Spartan community is well known for being helpful – they don’t like seeing people struggle. Watch how quickly a helping hand extends your way. Don’t be surprised if you feel someone pushing up on the soles of your feet to boost you up. That’s normal. They’re just helping you.
Why did SEL take on the Spartan Race brand? The mass participation sector has grown massively in the last five years. People are looking for new and interesting ways to exercise. They’re looking for challenges and something that’s going to push them not only physically, but also mentally.
Spartan is already a hugely strong brand within that sector in the US and we felt, with a few tweaks, it could be just as successful in the UK. There isn’t much I’d change about the races themselves, but I believe locations are key – the races need to be easy to find and access – and that’s what we’re focusing on.
These aren’t major changes, but rather refinements that I hope will grow awareness of Spartan across the UK. I believe the brand is strong enough that it will eventually be the point of reference for the category – people will say “oh, is that like a Spartan Race?”
Will there be some sort of Royal connection moving forward? Well, we had a race at Aston Down in May and will have one at Windsor Great Park in October for the season finale, but I think that’s about as far as it will go.
Bio: First child of Anne, Princess Royal and Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest grandchild. He is currently 13th in line to the throne. After graduating from university in 2000, Phillips worked for Jaguar, followed by a stint at Formula One racing team Williams F1. He was appointed managing director of SEL UK in 2012. This year, Phillips organised the street party on The Mall for 10,000 people to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this
percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of
Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
AKT Group AKT Group is the Franco–Italian parent company of SKYY, C.O.D.E. and AKTMe, operating as an integrat [more...]
