Joe De Sena is the founder of the Spartan Race, a writer, and a serial entrepreneur with a net worth of $5 million.  He is also a 2 times NY Times bestselling author of Spartan Up, Spartan Fit, and The Spartan Way

Joe De Sena was born and raised in Howard Beach, Queens, with his yoga-loving mother Jean, and his businessman father Ralph. At a young age, De Sena started a small business selling fireworks and then moved on to a t-shirt business. Joe later started a pool cleaning business as a teenager, which he grew to 750 customers in his neighborhood. Joe later moved to Ithaca, New York, with his mother and sister, and attended Cornell University for four years after graduating from high school. He eventually relaunched his pool cleaning company, which he later sold for $500,000. He went on to work on Wall Street after that as an equities and derivatives trader.

De Sena became interested in long-distance events after gaining weight at his desk job and attempting to lose weight by running the stairwells of his apartment building. During a 350-mile winter adventure race in Quebec in 2000, De Sena's team became stranded, and he had to dig himself beneath the snow to survive. He believes that it was here that he made the distinction between "difficult" situations and "desperate" experiences, which inspired him to start his own endurance races.

The Spartan race is a series of obstacle races ranging in length and difficulty from one mile to marathon distances. North America, Europe, South Korea, and Australia have all hosted it. The Spartan Sprint (3+ miles of obstacle racing), Super Spartan (8+ miles), Spartan Beast (12+ miles), and Ultra Beast (26+ miles and one of two marathon obstacles with Mudderthon) are all part of the series. There's also a one-mile time trial obstacle course race and a military series with obstacles created by the US military.

Spartan Race's parent company, Peak Race, also hosts the Spartan Death Race, a 48-hour endurance and resilience challenge. Outside Magazine named Spartan Race the "Best Obstacle Race" in 2012. ESPN describes it as a "true test of will."

Spartan gained popularity in the United Kingdom near the end of 2018 when British athlete Jonathan Albon came within one race of winning a £1 million check from De Sena. De Sena completed the Vermont 100, the Lake Placid Ironman, and the Badwater Ultra in a single week before starting his work with Spartan Race. He also competed in the Furnace Creek 508, dubbed "The Toughest 48 Hours in Sport," a cross-country bike race. Since its formation Spartan has hosted over 800 events in 42 countries, attracting over one million visitors each year.

The fitness enthusiast is also known for carrying a 44-kilogram kettlebell named Leo around as part of a deal with a former client who he assisted in losing 430 pounds. Leo is still with him wherever he goes. De Sena has written for publications such as Entrepreneur. He also hosts the Spartan Up! podcast, in which he interviews public figures about their accomplishments. In Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans, De Sena has a chapter where he gives advice.

SOURCES: JoeDesena, Forbes, Spartan, Marriedbiography

This article was updated on April 6, 2021 by Vanessa Shumbanhete

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