Organizers of the Inaugural Tough Mudder Indiana Classic were hoping for 5,000 competitors and another 1,500 spectators on Saturday.
As it turned out, about that many spectators came to Ceraland, but about 6,000 competitors braved the 8-mile and 5K courses, which included 25 obstacles with mud-filled trenches and pits, the electroshock therapy obstacle and the “Blockness Monster.”
“This a little bit exceeded what our best estimates were,” said Ike DeClue, director of sales and business development for Columbus Visitors Center. “Originally, when we signed the contract to bring the event here, the target was 5,000 competitors, so we beat that, which is just phenomenal.”
Another 1,500 participants and a couple hundred spectators are expected today. Action begins at 7:45 a.m.
The Tough Mudder will be back for the next four years, as local organizers have a five-year contract with the competition.
In addition to the Tough Mudder, the competition included a Ruff Mudder for dogs, where about 80 dogs and their owners took to the course. And kids weren’t left out of the action, with a planned Mini Mudder for ages 8 to 12 on a quarter-mile course featuring eight to 10 obstacles.
Several of the participants on Saturday morning’s Tough Mudder, including a team of nine women, were local residents.
“We had a lot of people from Columbus who signed up last week,” DeClue said. “We had good Columbus representation today.”
DeClue said a few competitors needed minor medical attention, but nothing serious.
Adam Baylor of Floyds Knobs and Deanna Brasz of St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada, were the men’s and women’s winners of the competition wave, which went off first early Saturday morning.
“A lot of the competitors stayed around, and a lot of people were hanging out in Tough Mudder Village,” DeClue said. “It was good to see. It was a good day.”
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For more Tough Mudder coverage, including more photos, see today’s Sports section on Page C1 and log on to therepublic.com.
Additional coverage of today’s Tough Mudder action will be featured in Monday’s Republic.
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