Spartan Partners with Flex to Bring HSA/FSA Payments to Spartan, Tough Mudder, and DEKA

March 17, 2026

The partnership enables eligible athletes to use pre-tax health benefits toward endurance event entries, expanding access to fitness experiences that can spark healthier routines, stronger habits, and long-term behavior change.

San Francisco, CA (March 17, 2026) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Spartan, the world’s largest obstacle course race and endurance brand, announced a partnership with Flex, the HSA and FSA payments infrastructure platform powering leading health and wellness companies, to enable eligible athletes to use pre-tax health dollars toward endurance event registrations across Spartan, Tough Mudder, and DEKA.

Through the partnership, eligible participants can now use HSA or FSA funds toward endurance event entries, unlocking potential savings of 30 to 40% while investing in an experience that can drive long-term physical and mental health.

For Spartan, which hosts more than 250 events across 40+ countries and attracts more than one million annual participants, the partnership reflects a broader shift in how consumers think about health spending. Increasingly, people are looking to use health dollars not only for treatment, but for the habits, routines, and experiences that help them stay well.

For many athletes, registering for an event is more than a transaction. It is the moment a healthier routine begins. A decision that can spark months of training, better habits, greater consistency, and deeper connection to a community. By making that commitment more accessible through pre-tax health benefits, Spartan and Flex are helping more people invest in experiences that support lasting lifestyle change.

The partnership extends across the full Spartan family of brands, giving athletes across Spartan, Tough Mudder, and DEKA access to the same pre-tax health benefit experience through Flex.

“At Spartan, we have always believed that the best prescription for health is a challenge that forces you to show up,” said Joe De Sena, founder and CEO of Spartan. “Putting a Spartan event on the calendar changes how you train, what you eat, and how you live. By partnering with Flex, we are making it easier for more people to commit to that transformation. Using your HSA or FSA to sign up for an endurance event is an investment in your future self.”

The integration also expands access to the Spartan lifestyle. Using tax-advantaged health accounts can reduce the effective cost of participation by roughly one-third, helping more people commit to an event and the training journey that follows.

“Flex was built to help qualifying consumers use their HSA and FSA dollars on the things that genuinely improve health,” said Sam O’Keefe, CEO of Flex. “For many, committing to and training for a Spartan event contributes to their cardiovascular health, metabolic fitness, muscular endurance, and mental resilience in ways that are clinically meaningful. We’re proud to help make those opportunities accessible through pre-tax health benefits.”

The partnership points to a broader opportunity across the health and wellness space: HSA and FSA spending can support not only traditional health products, but also experiences that deepen engagement, strengthen loyalty, and drive long-term behavior change.

Looking ahead, Spartan and Flex plan to explore expanding the integration across the broader Spartan ecosystem, including training programs, recovery tools, and other athlete resources.

Together, the companies are helping broaden how health benefit dollars can support not just treatment, but the experiences and habits that help people stay healthy.

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About Flex

Flex is the HSA and FSA payments infrastructure for leading health and wellness brands. Built for omnichannel retailers, Flex helps businesses unlock over $150B in pre-tax health spending while boosting AOV by up to 50 percent. Flex integrates seamlessly into existing tech stacks and manages HSA and FSA compliance, eligibility, and payments.

About Spartan

With more than 250 events across more than 40 countries on six continents, Spartan is the world’s largest obstacle course race and endurance brand. Providing transformation through sport, Spartan attracts more than one million annual participants across all fitness levels, from beginners to elite.