Things are about to get messy in Oxford – very messy.

That’s because Tough Mudder is coming.

Endurance sports athletes get ready to crawl and slosh through the mud because the 1,200-acre Koenig Sand and Gravel property along Lakeville Rd. will host what bills itself as “probably the toughest event on the planet” on June 3-4, 2017.

“At Tough Mudder, we are always looking to explore new venues and regions to provide a unique experience to thousands of new and returning Mudders,” said Jodi Kovacs, communications associate for Tough Mudder, which is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York.

“The property at Koenig Sand and Gravel is ideal terrain for hosting our events. It’s been used for movie shoots and now, it’ll be open to Mudder Nation.”

Founded in 2010 by Will Dean and Guy Livingstone, Tough Mudder is a team-based obstacle course challenge that tests the “physical strength, mental grit (and) stamina” of participants along with their ability to work together.

Tough Mudder courses are 10 to 12 miles long, contain more than 20 hardcore, military-style obstacles, and typically involve hundreds of thousands of gallons of mud, tons of ice and even 10,000 volts of electricity.

“The main focus is teamwork,” explained Anamaria Rojas, senior associate, community development – hotels. “A lot of the obstacles you can’t do by yourself. You have to rely on your teammates to lift you up (and) pull you when you need help.”

During Tough Mudder events, groups of participants are released onto the course in waves every 15 minutes.

“It’s not a timed event,” Kovacs said. “It’s not competitive. There are no medals or top-finishers involved.”

In the end, Rojas said the real “reward” is “knowing that you did this,” pushing yourself and “overcoming your fears.”

The Koenig course, according to Kovacs, will feature “lakes, slick hills, mud pits, meadows, fields and wooded trails,” plus “a lot of sand and gravel,” making for “a serious, yet rewarding challenge.”

“We’ve had our eyes set on Koenig for quite some time, and have been working closely with the community and key stakeholders to host the event,” she said.

“It’s going to be a great course for our participants,” Rojas said. “It’s going to really challenge them and give them something different.”

“This is a great opportunity to raise awareness about Oxford and gain some notoriety,” said township Trustee Jack Curtis, who chairs the Economic Development Subcommittee (EDSC). “Tough Mudder is a big thing, particularly among the millenials. They’re all about doing stuff like this.”

Curtis worked with Tough Mudder and Koenig owner Peter Fredericks for “well over a year” to help make this happen.

“It all started with some casual conversation,” Curtis said. “That’s what we do on the EDSC – we talk to people and find out what’s needed. We make matches to bring people to town and help our landowners and businesses make money.”

“The support that we’ve been getting from Oxford Township has been great,” Rojas added. “I think both parties are equally excited to bring the event there.”

Running alongside the Tough Mudder that weekend on the Koenig site will be a Tough Mudder Half event. It will be 5 miles long and contain 13 obstacles.

Launched last year, it’s meant to be a more-accessible version of the full event, according to Kovacs.

“It’s designed to require less training,” she explained. “It doesn’t include those more daunting obstacles that the Tough Mudder’s known for.

“It’s definitely a great introductory course for someone who might not feel quite ready for 10 miles or might not want to dive into the Arctic Enema obstacle, which is filled with ice.”

For those wondering, the Arctic Enema involves sliding into 10 tons of ice and the only way out is to scale a wall. The Tough Mudder website calls it a “frigid dumpster dive.”

Tough Mudder events are huge in terms of participants.

This year’s Michigan event, held last month at the Michigan International Speedway, drew more than 8,500 participants. Given that, Kovacs expects Oxford’s Tough Mudder to involve more than 9,000.

“We’ll also have a couple thousand people who are coming as spectators,” she added.

“This is going to bring thousands of people to see what Oxford has to offer,” Curtis said. “This is going to expose them to our downtown businesses, the Polly Ann Trail and our 500 acres of parks.”

What type of folks test the limits of their bodies, minds and washing machines in Tough Mudder?

“People from all walks of life and athletic abilities do these courses,” Kovacs said. “You’ll see retired veterans, you’ll see business executives, you’ll see mothers and daughters and fathers and sons doing it together. The oldest participant we’ve had, I believe, was 82.”

“The average person might be 29 to 35 (years old),” she noted. “I’d say 65 percent are male for the full Tough Mudder, but for the half, we’re seeing about 55 percent female, which is really awesome that we’re able to attract this new demographic and bring more women into this event.”

Tough Mudder is looking forward to “hopefully” making a “positive economic impact” on Oxford with its participants and spectators spending money on lodging, meals and gasoline.

“We estimate an economic impact of at least $1.5 million for the region,” Kovacs said. “It will certainly vary from city to city, depending on the size of the event.”

“We have an economic impact report that we’ll do at the end of each event and that’s where those figures come from,” she noted.

“There are a lot of people involved in this sport – people with money,” Curtis said. “These people spend a lot of money to play in the mud.”

In Curtis’ view, the ability to attract visitors and outside dollars is essential to ensuring Oxford’s future economic growth.

“You can’t feed yourself your own skin and live forever,” he said. “You’ve got to find new ways to bring people here.”

If things go well next year, there’s a chance Tough Mudder could hold future events on the Koenig property.

“We hope so,” Kovacs said. “It would be wonderful to be able to return to the community once again.”

There’s no denying the popularity of Tough Mudder. More than 2.5 million people have participated in more than 200 Tough Mudder events in six countries since 2010. Next year, Tough Mudder is expected to host more than 120 events in at least 10 countries.

To register for the Oxford Tough Mudder, purchase spectator tickets, volunteer to work the event or learn more about it, please visit www.toughmudder.com.

Businesses interested in sponsorship and/or vendor opportunities can contact Rojas at anamaria.rojas@toughmudder.com.