Butler County, PA, Ready to Host OCR Events

Obstacle racing now has a (muddy) toehold in Pennsylvania in general, and in Butler County, to be specific.

The Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau that the Tough Mudder, a 10-12 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces, will test all-around strength, stamina, teamwork and mental grit for the approximately 11,000 runners expected to participate in the event Aug. 29-30.

A similar event, the Mudderella, is expected to draw approximately 6,000 participants on Sept. 12. This challenge, designed for women by women, features a 5.7-mile course. Both events will be held at Cooper’s Lake Campground, not far from Slippery Rock.

Both events are new to the area, but are more than welcome, according to officials.

“We’ve been working with the Tough Mudder organization since 2013, and we’re excited that we’ve found a venue in Butler County that is a perfect location for their event,” said Jack Cohen, president of the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau. “We’re also excited to expand Butler County’s offerings with the region’s first Mudderella. These events will attract participants and their families from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. We’ll be reaching out to the registrations to make sure they are aware of all the great things they can see and do while they are visiting Butler County.”

Tough Mudder has hosted more than 150 events and more than 1.7 million participants worldwide. The Mudderella event was launched in2013.

“The Pittsburgh region’s new venue at Cooper’s Lake Campground offers challenging terrain and plenty of room to design a unique and exhilarating course for our participants,” said Ben Johnson, head of communications for Tough Mudder. “We’re looking forward to welcoming our participants to Butler County.”