Media Releases

Monday, April 22, 2013

Tough Mudder Returns in June -- bigger and better

Tourism Whistler media release
For immediate release - April 22, 2013 

Tough Mudder returns to Whistler in June – bigger and better

   

Suggested tweet: Time to get dirty. #ToughMudderWhistler returns in June. Find out more and book your stay at http://bit.ly/12G4Lk1

 
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Whistler, B.C. – The adventure race Tough Mudder returns to Whistler in 2013 with a bigger and better challenge.

Tough Mudder – a series of obstacle course competitions billed as “the toughest one day on the planet” – saw approximately 15,000 participants for its inaugural Whistler event in 2012. It will return in 2013 with the opportunity for extension for an additional four years.

Tough Mudder Whistler will take place June 22-23, 2013 at Whistler Olympic Park. Event organizers hope to grow registration to 20,000 participants.

Tourism Whistler, working with the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Whistler Sport Legacies Society and Whistler Blackcomb, secured the agreement with Tough Mudder, incorporating Whistler into the event name and positioning www.whistler.com as the official call to action.

“Part of Tourism Whistler’s mandate, in working with our partners, is to explore and secure sport tourism and event opportunities for the resort,” explained Barrett Fisher, Tourism Whistler’s President and CEO.

“We are thrilled to bring Tough Mudder back to Whistler, and thank the Resort Municipality of Whistler for their support in securing this event, providing necessary funding through the provincial Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI). Adding Tough Mudder to our growing events calendar – which now also includes a five-year commitment from Ironman Canada – will help drive business to the resort and showcase Whistler to global audiences,” Fisher said.

“Tough Mudder is an excellent example of how Whistler can invest RMI funds to build tourism,” said Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden. “On behalf of the resort community I am very pleased to welcome Tough Mudder back this year as an important component of our robust 2013 Festivals, Events and Animation program and a great cultural fit for our active and adventurous community.”

As a host destination for Tough Mudder, Whistler stands to benefit significantly in terms of economic impact, with the event drawing thousands of entrants along with family and friends. Occupancy during the inaugural event in 2012 was more than 90 per cent, making it one of the busiest weekends of the summer.

“Events like Tough Mudder enhance our event calendar and drive room nights to the resort during what would otherwise be considered a slower period, in terms of room nights booked,” said Fisher. “Not only did Tough Mudder bring overnight visitors to the resort last year, we heard from our business members that the event also had a positive impact on business levels for the retail and restaurant sectors.”

Tough Mudder events are held in North America, Europe, Asia, South Africa and Australia and New Zealand. Tough Mudder events are 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by the British Special Forces to test strength, stamina and camaraderie. Through its events, Tough Mudder has had more than half a million participants worldwide and raised more than $3 million for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Video footage of the 2012 Tough Mudder is available here: http://www.whistler.com/tough_mudder/

 

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About the FE&A Program
Celebration has always been an important aspect of Whistler culture as was highlighted during the 2010 Winter Games when the community presented the most outstanding display of sport, entertainment and culture the town had ever seen. The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) and resort partners have continued to build on this momentum by coming together to develop quality year-round, programming to help ensure Whistler offers a non-stop line-up of festivals, events and resort animation. Complementing the many great events the resort has become known for, the Festivals, Events and Animation (FE&A) program showcases a variety of events, concerts and lively village entertainment for all ages. The FE&A program is financed by the funds it receives from the Province of British Columbia’s Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) designed to invest in programs and projects to build tourism in the province. The program is overseen by the FE&A Oversight Committee, which is comprised of staff members from the RMOW and Tourism Whistler, a community member at large and one member of Whistler Council.

Whistler is Canada's premier year-round leisure and meeting destination located in the Coast Mountains 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Consistently rated the top ski resort in North America, Whistler was the Host Mountain Resort of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The resort offers an extensive range of accommodations totaling 10,000 bedrooms among 24 hotels as well as townhomes, condos, B&Bs and chalets. Whistler also boasts more than 100 restaurants and bars, 200 retail shops, 25 spas and countless activity options from world-renowned skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and golf, to hiking, rock climbing, and watersports. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is home to a diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent residents.

Tourism Whistler is the member-based marketing and sales organization representing Whistler, operating the Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler Golf Club, Whistler Visitor Centre, as well as 1.800.WHISTLER and whistler.com - Whistler's official source for visitor bookings and information. As the convention and visitors bureau for the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Tourism Whistler represents more than 7,000 members who own, manage and operate properties or businesses on resort lands including hotels, restaurants, activity operators and retail shops.

Media can visit whistler.com/media for Whistler facts, media releases, story starters, local personality profiles and access to images and B-roll.

Broadcasters: Whistler now has the capability to take you live with our enhanced fibre network.  The significantly expanded network of more than 200 kilometres of fibre optic cabling throughout the resort allows instant transmission of HD signals to any location at any time.  Details on how to access, and book the fibre are available on our media site. http://media.whistler.com/contact-us/filming-in-whistler/

Media Contact

Patricia Westerholm
Manager, Corporate Communications
T: 604.938.2748
E: pwesterholm@tourismwhistler.com

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