Deadly Dozen vs DEKA: distance, stations, price & difficulty compared (2026-27)

Deadly Dozen is a hybrid fitness race that began with a track race in Macclesfield, England, in mid-2024, founded by Jason Curtis. In the original Track Race, athletes alternate twelve 400 m runs, called Journeys, with twelve functional exercise stations, called Labours, for 4.8 km of running in total.

Athletes can race solo, as pairs who share the Labours, or as a relay team taking turns. Alongside the Track Race, the brand runs Deadly Sprint, Ultra and Hybrid formats, a youth race, a swim edition and gym-based races, including strength and barbell formats, through affiliate gyms. UK track races are held at athletics venues such as Lee Valley, Sheffield, Middlesbrough, Bristol, Macclesfield, Edinburgh, Crawley, Liverpool and Portsmouth, and the organisers say the network now spans 44 countries. First-timers are welcome, and the movements are designed to be accessible while still demanding.

DEKA is a functional fitness race series run by Spartan Race and billed as the decathlon of hybrid fitness racing. Every DEKA event uses the same ten DEKA Zones. The time for each zone and the total time are recorded, so athletes can compare results with their own previous marks and with a global leaderboard.

The flagship DEKA FIT puts 500 m of running before each zone, for 5 km in total. DEKA MILE uses 160 m runs for one mile in total, and DEKA STRONG is the ten zones with no running. There are also DEKA Ultra (50 zones and 25 km of running) and DEKA ATLAS, a heavier ten-zone test with a 30-minute cap. Athletes who finish STRONG, MILE and FIT in one calendar year earn the DEKA Trifecta. Heats include Elite, Age Group, Teams and Ruck, so the series suits gym-goers as well as competitive athletes.