MANSFIELD — Mansfield City Council has voted to enter into a five-year agreement with Tough Mudder LLC to host Tough Mudder events on 490 acres of city-owned property next to Mansfield Lahm Airport. The first event included in this agreement is scheduled to occur on April 27 and 28.
Tough Mudder events are described as extreme obstacle course challenges. These events draw participants and spectators from a wide area. Attendance is anticipated to be between 10,000 and 20,000 people.
The Mansfield/Richland County Convention and Visitors Bureau approached city officials in late September to identify potential sites for the Ohio event. The City Engineer’s office prepared topographic maps showing multiple public- and private-property options. Tough Mudder staff met with private owners and City Engineer Jim DeSanto to review the sites in early October. Tough Mudder selected the Mansfield city site based on the availability of mixed land cover, varying topography, transportation network, city staff cooperation and parking potential.
The city engineer’s office and law director’s office worked with Tough Mudder staff to negotiate an agreement that is protective of city facilities and protective of the city’s ability to develop the property in the future, but also facilitates bringing a large number of visitors to Mansfield over the next five years.
In the coming weeks, the city will be assembling and working with a planning team made up of local safety officials, the Visitors Bureau, Tough Mudder staff and others to coordinate traffic and safety efforts associated with the event. The city will continue to coordinate with FAA to allow a portion of one of Lahm’s two runways to be used as supplemental all-weather parking for the event.
Information regarding the event may be found at http://toughmudder.com/events.