Tough Mudder, the world’s largest mud run challenge, recently selected the Ates Ranch in Santa Rosa County as the venue for its first Gulf Coast event next March.
Tough Mudder events attract more than 5,000 participants, said Kyle Holley, Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Council appointee and local Tough Mudder recruiter.
“The event will deliver significant impact to local economies,” said Holley. “In 2013 the impact measured between $3 and 20 million, depending on the region. To date the company produced over 100 events in 6 countries, with more than 1.5 million global participants,” he said, “This is big and exciting.”
Holley said the event is for all walks of life. It’s both an individual and team challenge. It’s not a race.
“Teams travel from all over the country. Locals are invited to support participants at each obstacle,” he said. “We will have people from all over the country see Santa Rosa County truly as Florida’s playground.
Santa Rosa County’s Tourist Development Council released its new brand ‘Florida’s Playground’ last year in hopes of attracting large scale events, like Tough Mudder.
“For years we have been marketing Santa Rosa County as a leading Florida outdoor recreation county. Tough Mudder’s decision to bring an event to the area is evidence our TDC’s performance is working,” said Holley.
“If Orlando is Florida’s arcade, by contrast Santa Rosa County is Florida’s playground,” he said.
June Ates, wife of sixth generation rancher, Sonny Ates, said she sincerely hopes visitors to her ranch and Santa Rosa County will see great recreational opportunities, including solid vacation values and share the news of the industrial parks with the companies they work for.
“We expect this event to sell out all of our Santa Rosa County accommodations, the hotels in Crestview, condos in Navarre Beach and some hotels near the Pensacola International Airport,” said Kate Wilkes, TDC representative.
Kate Fitzpatrick, director of community relations for Tough Mudder said noting the demand for hotels is high and Tough Mudder participants travel great distances for each event and prefer to stay with other athletes involved.
The 2015 Gulf Coast event will take place March 7 at the East Milton ranch and is scheduled as the first Tough Mudder event in North America for the 2015 year. To register for participation or for more information about the event, visit www.toughmudder.com/events/2015-gulfcoast, or contact the Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Council at 712-8788.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: County to host 2015 Tough Mudder event