MILTON — Santa Rosa County and surrounding areas saw an economic impact from this spring's Tough Mudder event, according to an SRC spokesperson.
Almost 6,000 people participated in the April 9-10 obstacle endurance course at the Ates Ranch in East Milton. Another thousand-plus joined them as spectators.
As part of their contract with Santa Rosa County, Tough Mudder commissioned the Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development to assess the event’s value.
Analysis showed that overnight visitors spent almost $168 per day, excluding lodging; day-trippers spent almost $69 per day, with most dollars allocated primarily on food, beverage, clothing or retail, including fuel. Hotel operators saw 2,023 room nights filled as a result of the Tough Mudder, generating $255,681 in regional lodging spending.
“Santa Rosa's investment of around $100,000 to bring Tough Mudder back in 2016 resulted in approximately $1.5 million of economic benefit to the county's residents and businesses," Haas Center director Zachary Jenkins said. The assessment showed a total regional impact of $2,753,229.
Approximately 35 percent of respondents had never traveled to Santa Rosa County before attending Tough Mudder. Most were from the Gulf Coast area or other Florida counties, however visitors reported traveling from California, Washington, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Most said they would return to the area within the next year for a non-Tough Mudder event.
See www.santarosa.fl.gov for a complete copy of the Haas Center report on the 2016 Tough Mudder.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Tough Mudder's significant economic impact on Santa Rosa, Northwest Florida