NBC Photo: Paul Drinkwater.

Texas forever, even in the Midwest. Friday Night Lights TV series stars Taylor Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins), Minka Kelly (Lyla Garrity), Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen), and Aimee Teegarden (Julie Taylor), will reunite outside Chicago, for a Spartan Race on June 11, 2016.

Nearly ten years after Friday Night Lights premiered on NBC, Marriott Rewards is bringing the clear-eyed, full-hearted foursome to a can’t-lose race with reunited Marriott Rewards members. With the help of elite Spartan racers, Kitsch, Kelly, Gilford, and Teegarden will train separately in the coming weeks and reunite at the 8-mile, 24 obstacle Spartan Super.

Taylor Kitsch, who played Tim Riggins on the show said “I’m really looking forward to running on the Marriott Rewards team at the Spartan Race in Chicago and catching up with my former cast mates from the show.”

Get more information on this Friday Night Lights cast reunion from the Marriott press release.

Marriott Rewards Announces Cast Members of Friday Night Lights to Reunite to Race as part of Global Spartan Race Sponsorship
Loyalty Program Empowers Cast and Marriott Rewards Members on Journey Towards Victory

Bethesda, MD— May 9, 2016 —Ten years after the hit TV show Friday Night Lights premiered, some of your favorite cast members — Taylor Kitsch, Minka Kelly, Zach Gilford and Aimee Teegarden – are reuniting to race as part of Marriott Rewards sponsorship of Spartan Race worldwide. As the official Global Hotel Partner of Spartan Race, Marriott Rewards is offering obstacle course race devotees exclusive, member only tips, perks and benefits to fuel their training and completion of challenging Spartan Races. Marriott Rewards is also offering members a once-in-a-lifetime chance to follow the Friday Night Lights cast members’ training, and race alongside them on June 11.

“Passionate communities are perhaps the ultimate examples of loyalty. We admire how well Spartan Race has built one of the most adventurous and enthusiastic fan-bases that exists,” said Thom Kozik, Vice President Loyalty, Marriott International. “Bringing Spartan Race competitors the benefits of Marriott Rewards as they train, travel, and race all around the world is the most exciting part of our partnership. Having the cast members of Friday Night Lights join this devoted tribe and provide them, and our members with exclusive Spartan-related benefits is Marriott’s way of showing our loyalty on their journey towards the finish line.

The cast members from Friday Night Lights are teaming with Marriott Rewards members for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to run together in a challenging eight to ten-mile, Spartan Super packed with more than 25 signature Spartan obstacles, being held outside of Chicago on Saturday, June 11. More information on how to receive a chance to race alongside the cast members will be posted on Marriott Rewards Insiders.

Taylor Kitsch, who played Tim Riggins on the show said “I’m really looking forward to running on the Marriott Rewards team at the Spartan Race in Chicago and catching up with my former cast mates from the show.”

Teaming up with Spartan Race globally, Marriott Rewards suits up with the highly engaged community of racers who travel the globe seeking to reach their goals. Marriott Rewards will be onsite at more than 40 races around the world, including ten races in locations such as France, Mexico and Australia. Current and new Marriott Rewards members competing in Spartan Races will be eligible to receive great perks and benefits including:

• Access to Marriott Member Rates at participating Marriott properties around Spartan Race locations.
• Race registration discounts for new members as well as a free VIP bag check and $5 off coupon for Spartan Race merchandise available here.
• Race registration discount code for existing members – to be announced via Twitter @MarriottRewards.
• The chance to receive early start times for races – provided through surprise & delight moments offered exclusively via Twitter @MarriottRewards. *Subject to availability.
• Exclusive Spartan Training tips, tricks and motivation provided by Spartan Pro Team member Ryan Kent and elite OCR competitor Rose Wetzel and via Twitter @MarriottRewards.
• Support for anyone considering, or already committed to running a Spartan Race, at free workout sessions featuring official, Spartan-certified SGX coaches, in cities across the United States with exclusive Marriott Rewards giveaways for members. Dates and locations, with more to be added, include:
  • May 15, 2016 / 2-4pm / Reach Fieldhouse / 1601 W. Chicago Ave Chicago, IL 60622.
  • June 18, 2016 / 8-10AM / Soldierfit / 7175 Oakland Mills Rd. Columbia, MD 21046.
  • June 19, 2016 / 9-11AM / Gateway Park / 1300 Lee Highway Arlington, VA 22201.
  • July 24, 2016 / 8-10AM / Peak Experiences / 11421 Polo Circle Midlothian, VA 23114.

Spartan Racers who are Marriott Rewards members will continue to enjoy program benefits long after they cross the finish including Member Rates (the lowest rate anywhere when they book direct via Marriott.com, Marriott’s mobile app, 1-800-MARRIOTT and Marriott-branded hotels), free Wi-Fi, and through the Marriott Mobile app mobile check-in and check-out, and mobile requests.

To learn more about Marriott Rewards, which is free to join, please visit: www.MarriottRewards.com.

About Marriott Rewards
Marriott Rewards is Marriott International’s award-winning loyalty program spanning 17 brands and over 4,200 properties worldwide. Marriott Rewards is free to join and has no blackout dates and members can earn and redeem points at Marriott International properties around the world and at Marriott Rewards exclusive luxury partner The Ritz-Carlton®. Members can also redeem points for frequent flyer miles, cruises, car rentals, merchandise and more. By making rewards accessible with a modern, easy approach, Marriott Rewards continues to be a leader in the industry. Marriott Rewards has won the Freddie Award for “Best Hotel Rewards Program in the Americas” for the last eight years and is a two-time winner of the Frequent Travel Award for “Best Hotel Rewards Program.” The program was ranked #1 in J.D. Power’s 2016 Hotel Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report. In addition, the program has been named best hotel rewards program by the readers of U.S. News & World Report, About.com, Business Traveler, Global Traveler, Executive Travel and BusinessWeek magazines. To enroll and for more information about Marriott Rewards, guests can visit MarriottRewards.com.

About Spartan Race
Spartan Race is the world’s leading obstacle race company and the first of its kind to feature timing and global rankings. With more than 170 events in 25+ countries planned for 2016, Spartan Race has more than 1 million global participants, and offers open heats for all fitness levels as well as competitive and elite heats. With nearly 5 million passionate social media followers, health and wellness products, as well as the popular NBC television series, Spartan Race has made obstacle racing one of the fastest growing sports—and lifestyles— in the world. Spartan Race features races at three distances, 3+Mile/20+ Obstacle “Sprint,” 8+ Mile/25+ Obstacle “Super” and 12+ 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.

What do you think? Are you a Friday Night Lights fan? Would you watch a Friday Night Lights TV show reunion on Netflix or Amazon?