Spartan Race & Tough Mudder 2027 Team Shirts: Dates, Tips

Spartan Race and Tough Mudder, which share one company and one event calendar, have published dozens of U.S. dates for 2027, from the SoCal Trifecta in Perris, California, on Jan. 23-24 to the Cleveland Trifecta on Oct. 30-31. Obstacle course races are made for team shirts. Groups register together, take photos at the finish, and want something that tells the crowd who they are. Then the shirt gets soaked, dragged through mud and thrown in the wash. This guide covers the 2027 calendar, what the races include, why fabric matters more here than at any other race, and how to print shirts that survive.

Spartan and Tough Mudder are one company

Spartan bought Tough Mudder in 2020. Spartan bought the UK business in February 2020 after Tough Mudder UK went into administration, and it bought the U.S. business through a deal with the trustee in Tough Mudder's Chapter 11 case. Both brands now appear on Spartan's race finder, and that is the calendar this guide uses.

Remaining 2026 U.S. Spartan dates

The 2026 Spartan World Championship runs Nov. 19-22 in Abu Dhabi, in the Al Wathba desert.

2027 Spartan U.S. dates

2027 Tough Mudder U.S. dates

More dates get added through the year, so check the race finder before quoting a deadline. Savage Race, a separate company, lists a Georgia Spring race on May 1, 2027, in Dallas, Georgia.

What the races include

• A finisher shirt comes with entry. Spartan's FAQ says every athlete who finishes gets a medal, a T-shirt and an adult beverage. The finisher tee is only handed out at the finish line. A team shirt is what people race in, not a replacement for the finisher shirt.
• Group discounts are built in. Spartan's teams page lists automatic discounts at checkout: 10 percent for 2 tickets, 15 percent for 3 to 5, and 20 percent for 6 or more. Groups over 10 can use Spartan's team concierge. The page also points groups to custom team kits through Pressio, so a local shop is competing with an official option and should compete on speed, design and price.
• Doubles is the only formal team format. A standard Spartan race is an individual, timed event. Spartan Doubles pairs two racers on one ticket at the individual price.
• Costume rules are not published. Spartan's FAQ does not list attire rules. Keep team gear practical: no capes, loose costumes or anything that can catch on a rope or a barbed wire crawl.

Why fabric matters more at a mud race

Cotton holds water. A cotton shirt that goes into a mud pit comes out heavy, cold and stretched. Spartan's Japan race guide tells racers to wear moisture-wicking, quick-drying fabric and not cotton, and Spartan's European training page warns that wet cotton socks cause abrasions. Our is cotton moisture wicking guide explains why.

That points to 100 percent polyester performance tees, which bring their own printing rules:

1. Press at a lower temperature. Polyester scorches and dye can migrate into the transfer. Most DTF suppliers publish a lower polyester setting; the DTF temperature and time chart lists them by fabric.
2. Block dye migration on colored poly. Red, orange and black sublimated polyester can bleed through white ink. Use a transfer with a blocker layer, or see the dye migration guide.
3. Pick a stretchy transfer. Racers climb, crawl and twist. A soft, thin film with less coverage stretches better than a solid block of ink.
4. Go bright. Orange, neon green and royal blue stand out in muddy race photos. Black looks good in the photo at the start line and like mud everywhere else.

Blanks that work well include the Port & Company PC380 performance tee and the Jerzees 21MR Dri-Power Sport tee.

Design ideas for mud run teams

• Team name plus race and year: "Team Mud Butts, Spartan San Antonio 2026"
• Back-of-shirt roster with first names, so teammates can find each other at the finish
• Inside jokes and pain humor: "We paid for this," "Mud is my love language," "Will crawl for beer"
• Memorial and charity teams, with the person's name and dates on the back
• Office and gym teams with the gym's own logo, which the gym owns and can approve

Leave the official Spartan helmet logo, the Tough Mudder headband logo and the race names in their trademarked styling off team shirts. Those are the companies' trademarks, and they sell official merchandise. Naming the race in plain text, as part of what the team is doing, is how most team shirts handle it.

After the race

Tell customers to rinse mud off before washing, wash the shirts inside out in cold water and hang them to dry. Dried mud is abrasive and wears a transfer down faster in a hot dryer.

Does a Spartan Race include a shirt?

Yes. Spartan's FAQ says every finisher receives a medal, a finisher T-shirt and an adult beverage. The finisher shirt is handed out at the finish line, so teams still buy their own shirts to race in and for start-line photos.

What should you wear to a Spartan Race or Tough Mudder?

Wear moisture-wicking, quick-drying synthetic clothing, not cotton. Spartan's race guidance recommends quick-dry fabric because cotton holds water and mud. For team shirts, that means 100 percent polyester performance tees printed with a stretchy DTF transfer.

Can DTF transfers survive a mud run?

Yes, if they are pressed correctly on the right fabric. Use the lower polyester press setting, a transfer with a dye blocker on colored poly, and a soft, stretchy design. Rinse the mud off before washing, wash cold inside out and hang dry.

Do Spartan Race teams get a discount?

Spartan's teams page lists automatic group discounts at checkout: 10 percent off for 2 tickets, 15 percent for 3 to 5 tickets and 20 percent for 6 or more. Groups larger than 10 can use Spartan's team concierge service.

Can I put the Spartan logo on our team shirts?

Not without permission. The Spartan and Tough Mudder logos and names are trademarks, and the company sells official gear and custom team kits through a partner. Most team shirts use the team's own name and art, and mention the race in plain text.

Where it fits in the DTF Database

Mud runs share the spring calendar with road races: see the spring 2027 marathon guide, the January and February 2027 race guide and the Polar Plunge team shirt guide, which deals with the same wet-fabric problem. The supplier directory lists DTF transfer shops by state for team orders.