CASTING BEGINS FOR NEW NBC COMPETITION SERIES "SPARTAN RACE"

Participants Wanted as NBC Teams Up With Spartan Race and the Producer of "American Ninja Warrior" to Bring the Ultimate Team Competition That Tests Mental and Physical Limits, as Well as Determination, Endurance and Teamwork

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - Aug. 26, 2015 - NBC has begun casting for its newest competition series, "Spartan Race" (working title).

From the producers of "American Ninja Warrior," "Spartan Race" is the ultimate in team competition. Friends, families and co-workers must work together and push each other to their mental and physical limits as they race across specially designed Spartan courses engineered to test their determination, endurance, and will. Teams of five - comprised of two men, two women, and an elite Spartan athlete - will battle over mud, water, and fire for a chance to win a large cash prize.

For those interested in becoming a contestant, please go to www.spartancasting.com.

Spartan Race - voted Outside magazine's Best Obstacle Race - is the world's leading obstacle race company and the first of its kind to feature timing and global rankings. With more than 120 events in 20+ countries, Spartan Race has more than 1 million global participants and offers open heats for all fitness levels as well as competitive elite heats. Spartan Race features races at three distances - 3+ Mile/20+ Obstacle "Sprint," 8+ Mile/25+ Obstacle "Super" and 13+ Mile/30+ Obstacle "Beast," culminating each year in the Reebok Spartan Race World Championship. Visit http://www.spartan.com for more information, a schedule of events and to register for a race.

"Spartan Race" will be executive produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions' founders Arthur Smith and Kent Weed ("Hell's Kitchen," "Unsung," "Ellen's Design Challenge"), along with Anthony Storm.

About A. Smith & Co. Productions

Smith & Co. Productions creates some of the most innovative, highly rated, and high-quality programming for the domestic and international television marketplace. The company has produced more than 3,000 hours of award-winning programming, with budgets totaling over one billion dollars across more than 45 broadcast and cable networks. Current hits include "Hell's Kitchen," "Kitchen Nightmares," "American Ninja Warrior," "Ellen's Design Challenge," and "Unsung." Past hits include "Wizard Wars," "Full Throttle Saloon," "Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura," "UFC Countdown," "Joe Rogan Questions Everything," "Paradise Hotel," "I Survived a Japanese Game Show," "The Swan," "Trading Spaces," "Pros vs. Joes," "Skating with Celebrities," and many others. For more information, visit www.asmithco.com.

About Reebok Spartan Race Elite Series on NBCSN

Following the success of its debut season, the Reebok Spartan Race Elite Series returned to NBCSN in 2015 with new obstacles, new race locations and more of the world's best athletes competing for $500,000 in cash and prizes, as well as the title of 2015 Reebok Spartan Race World Champion. During each telecast, viewers are provided a front-row seat to competitors tackling a gauntlet of obstacles, including fire jumps, aerial traverses over water, challenging rope climbs and barbed wire crawls. In addition, the all-access experience chronicles the inspiring stories of many of the amazing people overcoming obstacles in the race and in life. NBC Sports, NBCSN and "NBC Sports Live Extra" will present six Reebok Spartan Race telecasts in 2015.