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Tough Mudder challenge a shoulder season boom weekend for restaurants, contractors and hotels
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SHOCK AND AWE A Tough Mudder racer wades through freezing cold, muddy water while wires deliver mild electric shocks. Photo by John French

The village was packed this weekend for the second straight year thanks to Tough Mudder attracting an estimated 25,000 visitors to Whistler during a weekend previously thought of as a classic shoulder season weekend.

The mass-participation event at Whistler Olympic Park (WOP) attracted competitors on Saturday and Sunday to run or walk an 18-kilometre course dotted with military-style obstacle courses. With names like Kiss the Mud, Arctic Enema, Electric Eel, Walk the Plank and Mud Mile the obstacles tested mental strength along with physical abilities. The obstacles challenged participants' fears by confronting the competitors with cold water, mud, barbed wire, heights and fire.

Tough Mudder management indicated through a media relations representative that they weren't ready to answer questions about the event ahead of the Pique editorial deadline but the organizers did confirm that more than 16,000 people participated in the event and more than 6,000 people registered as spectators. The organizers also confirmed that $45,000 from the Whistler event was donated to the Wounded Warrior Fund, the main charity supported by Tough Mudder.

Whistler Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden said that once again Tough Mudder seemed to be a really good fit for Whistler. An economic study of the event is being done. There are no numbers immediately available to confirm the benefit of the event but the mayor said that in her discussions over the weekend with business owners and village workers the consensus was that many Tough Mudder participants stayed in the village and turned their participation in the event into a full Whistler weekend.

"It was very interesting to speak to people in the restaurant and hospitality sector because they were talking about how so many of the race participants and their friends and family were just so thrilled to be in Whistler. They had a great event, they were happy. I didn't hear one negative report," said Wilhelm-Morden.

Vancouver Coastal Health also had nothing negative to report as the Whistler Health Clinic was particularly quiet because the first aid and medical team at WOP effectively dealt with all event-related injuries at the venue.

The Resort Municipality of Whistler gave the event organizers $112,000 in Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) money to support the shuttle system between the resort and WOP. The aim was to reduce traffic between the venue and the village while also making it easier for visitors to spend more time in Whistler. The effectiveness of the shuttle as an economic development vehicle will be explored through an economic impact study being done by the Canadian Sport and Tourism Alliance.

"We were very happy to host them again this year," said Wilhelm-Morden of the Tough Mudder organizers and participants. "We're looking forward to talking about next year's event."

Lindsay Durno, the WOP director with Whistler Sport Legacies, is also looking forward to next year. Many improvements were made over last year. Durno said the shuttle system was better this year and the addition of a mobile Wi-Fi system on the top of the judging tower meant Internet communications were improved this year.

"We're immensely impressed with the way the organization went," said Durno.

The course was more compact this year so he noted that garbage collection, which was ongoing through the weekend and continued into Tuesday, was easier.

More than 200 people paid to shoot a biathlon rifle and Durno said WOP sold significant amounts of bug spray and sunscreen over the course of the weekend.

According to Durno, other Whistler businesses like Rona, Whistler Cooks, construction contractors and Carney's Waste Systems did well by offering their services to Tough Mudder.

Sara Jennings said a van full of leftover bananas was donated by Tough Mudder to the Whistler Food Bank. Some of the bananas were sent to the Helping Hands Society in Squamish because the bananas won't last until the next food bank distribution in Whistler. Jennings said some of the bananas would be mixed into the pancake batter at the Canada Day Pancake Breakfast on July 1.

Stella Harvey got her writing friends together to collect running shoe donations made by Tough Mudder participants after the event. A total of 3,000 pairs were donated and Harvey said that amounted to a contribution of just over $2,200 for the Whistler Readers and Writers Festival in October.

"I still have the black hands to prove it," Harvey said Tuesday morning of her experience bagging the shoes, 10 pairs per bag, with a team of 18 volunteers.

"People were so kind," Harvey said of the Mudders who donated shoes to an organization called Green Sneakers. The shoes are to go to people in Africa and other places where shoes are scarce.

Dwight Davison from Sechelt was one of the participants in the event. He did the challenge with friends, family members and co-workers in the BC Ambulance Service. He and members of his group said they really enjoyed doing the Mud Mile, a long stretch of mud trenches.

"The Arctic Enema one was pretty insane," said Davison at one of the hydration stations along the course. "First thing in the morning it's an eye opener."

Many of the event participants took to the course in large teams dressed in costumes or matching team clothing.

A five-year agreement is in place between Tough Mudder and Whistler Olympic Park. Durno said the deal allows for the addition of a second weekend if the organizers decide there is enough demand. Registration for a 2014 Whistler event hasn't opened yet but organizers are taking names and email addresses for a pre-registration list.

See page 62 for photo highlights from Tough Mudder.