The borough\u00a0of Palmerton is about to triple its population\u00a0over the weekend when more than 11,000 competitors take part in the 2026 Pocono Spartan Race at Blue Mountain Ski Area.<\/p>\n
St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network is\u00a0the Official and Exclusive Health System and Hospital Provider of the 2026 Poconos Spartan Race Event to be held July 11-12.<\/p>\n
Palmerton has\u00a0a population of about 5,500, so this weekend\u2019s race will\u00a0triple the number of people in the Carbon County hamlet\u00a0during one of the top five Spartan events on the East Coast.<\/p>\n
“Spartan is built on overcoming obstacles and expanding what\u2019s possible, but nobody accomplishes that alone,\u201d said Brian Cox, Director of Global Partnerships at Spartan. \u201cHaving an\u00a0elite Partner in St. Luke\u2019s provides our racers with the high-level preparation and unmatched recovery support they need\u00a0before and after an intense weekend at Blue Mountain.\u00a0 We hope to continue to grow this Partnership for many years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
This\u00a0weekend\u2019s Spartan events will include a 5K sprint with 20 obstacles, a super 10K with 25 obstacles, and kids races from \u00bd-\u00a0to 2-miles with obstacles. It will also feature a Spartan Trail race on pristine single-track trails too narrow and inaccessible for obstacle building.<\/p>\n
All races will take place on Blue Mountain.<\/p>\n
John Graham, Senior Network Administrator, Fitness & Sports Performance, and Spartan participant, is excited to mark St. Luke\u2019s fifth year as presenting sponsor of this event in partnership with Spartan. \u201cIt\u2019s absolutely incredible to see such determination and human spirit on display,\u201d says Graham, who is a co-captain along with Dave Wood of St. Luke\u2019s Spartan team. \u201cAs we celebrate our fifth year, we look forward to everyone stretching their limits and overcoming every obstacle with us. Participants are tested at every turn, making it such an empowering and life\u2011changing race.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the event, St. Luke\u2019s Chiropractic Care and St. Luke\u2019s Sports Medicine team members will be available at the \u201cSt. Luke\u2019s Spartans\u201d tent,\u00a0where participants can go for\u00a0assistance\u00a0with recovery. The tent will include post-race stretching and recovery tools to help\u00a0speed up\u00a0the body\u2019s recovery from the intense event. St. Luke\u2019s will also provide snacks and drinks to help participants rehydrate during and after their events. All finishers receive a T-shirt,\u00a0medal\u00a0and professional photos.<\/p>\n
Experts from St. Luke\u2019s Fitness Centers, Physical Therapy and Running Institute,\u00a0and members of the St. Luke\u2019s medical\u00a0staff provided\u00a0training and racing tips to participants and help coach teams. Spartan Training\u00a0Classes lasting\u00a090 minutes\u00a0and\u00a0were\u00a0held every Monday and Saturday until July 9 at St. Luke\u2019s Fitness & Sports Performance Center West End.<\/p>\n
St. Luke\u2019s Fitness & Sports Performance also offers group fitness classes at its Carbon, Commerce\u00a0Way, Anderson,\u00a0Warren\u00a0and West End facilities. For more information on the metabolic class schedule, email\u00a0mystlukes@sluhn.org<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n About St. Luke\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Founded in 1872, St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network with annual net revenue of more than $4.5 billion. With 23,000+ employees at 16 hospital campuses and 350+ outpatient sites, it is the Lehigh\u00a0Valley\u2019s biggest employer.<\/p>\n The Network\u2019s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital is based at the Bethlehem Campus.<\/p>\n Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke\u2019s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. In partnership with Temple University, the Network established\u00a0the Lehigh\u00a0Valley\u2019s first and only four-year medical school. It also operates\u00a0the nation\u2019s oldest continuously operated School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 60+ fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 550+ residents and fellows. Additionally, the St. Luke\u2019s College of Health Sciences opened in 2026.<\/p>\n In 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ranked St. Luke\u2019s #1 \u2013 ahead of Houston Methodist and Mayo Clinic, two of the nation\u2019s most prestigious institutions \u2013 as the nation\u2019s top health system for quality, safety\u00a0and patient experience. This objective recognition, based on public data reported to the government, reaffirms St. Luke\u2019s preeminent position as THE BEST OF THE BEST among the most respected health care systems in the United States.<\/p>\n St. Luke\u2019s has been named a Leapfrog Group Top Hospital and a Newsweek World\u2019s Best Hospital. In 2026, all of\u00a0the Network\u2019s eligible hospital campuses were awarded Medicare\u2019s highest ratings for quality, efficiency\u00a0and patient satisfaction. The Network also earned straight A\u2019s\u00a0for safety from Leapfrog across all of\u00a0its acute care hospitals. It has earned 100 Top Hospital designations from Premier 12 years in a row, including in 2026 when the Network was identified as THE #1 MEDIUM-SIZE HEALTH SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY. Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of SLUHN\u2019s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling\u00a0and online pricing information.<\/p>\n About Spartan<\/strong><\/p>\n Spartan is a global experiential sport and wellness brand with a 10 million+ strong community. We create transformational experiences, products, and content to help people, companies and teams tear down boundaries and expand what they believe to be possible. Spartan combines large scale global events with a vibrant digital content and community platform. With 250 events across more than 40 countries on six continents, Spartan is the world’s leading extreme wellness and endurance brand. Visit\u00a0spartan.com<\/a>\u00a0for more information and registration.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Information provided to TVL by: <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The borough\u00a0of Palmerton is about to triple its population\u00a0over the weekend when more than 11,000 competitors take part in the 2026 Pocono Spartan Race at Blue Mountain Ski Area. St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network is\u00a0the Official and Exclusive Health System and Hospital Provider of the 2026 Poconos Spartan Race Event to be held July 11-12. … Continue reading 11,000 Participants to Converge in Lehigh Valley for St. Luke\u2019s Pocono Spartan Race<\/span>
\nGary R. Blockus<\/p>\n