This weekend, Oxford will play host to a mass of folks getting sweaty, dirty and sore together as they push their bodies to the limit in strange and extreme ways while a crowd of people watches and cheers them on.

That’s right – Tough Mudder is back.

An estimated 10,000 participants, plus an additional 1,700 spectators, are expected to attend the event being held on Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3 on the 1,200-acre Koenig Sand & Gravel property along Lakeville Rd.

The event will run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. In between will be the Toughest Mudder from 10 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday (more on that later).

Tough Mudder is a popular, team-based challenge where participants tackle a variety of military-style obstacles spread over a course designed to test their physical and mental strength, stamina and ability to work together to achieve common goals.

The obstacles are definitely not for the faint of heart as participants do everything from diving into freezing water filled with ice to sprinting through a field of dangling, live electric wires ready to deliver the shock of one’s life.

Participants will be released onto the course in waves. The first waves are scheduled to take off at 7:45 a.m. Saturday and 10:45 a.m. Sunday. The last waves will be released at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Tough Mudder is not a timed race. Everyone is encouraged to help each other complete the obstacles and finish the course.

No medals are waiting at the finish line.

“You get a headband and you get a free beer,” said Tough Mudder Spokesperson Angela Alfano. “That’s our fun way to (celebrate) overcoming something that is out of the ordinary.”

Tough Mudder events have been taking place since 2010 in the U.S. and last year, more than 60 events were held in six countries.

“We do these events all over the country, all over the world,” said Erica Pollock, event director for Oxford’s Tough Mudder.

The great thing about Tough Mudder, according to Pollock, is it gives folks an opportunity to take a break from the daily grind and cut loose in the great outdoors.

“We all work sort of regular-ish jobs where you don’t really get to go outside and have, essentially, an adult recess,” she said.

It’s also a chance to connect with others, be they friends, co-workers, neighbors or even strangers, and “become part of a larger group.”

“We use the (word) tribe around here a lot,” Pollock said.

This is Oxford’s second time hosting Tough Mudder.

There will be three courses on the Koenig site – the full Mudder, which requires participants to take two laps around the 5-mile course and overcome a total of 24 obstacles; the half Mudder with its 12 obstacles spread over 5 miles; and the new 5K Mudder with its 10 obstacles set up along a 3.1-mile course.

The 5K event is designed to allow participants who are new to the Tough Mudder universe to ease into the taxing sport.

“It gives people a chance to get their feet wet with us,” Pollock said.

Another event that’s new to Oxford this year is the Toughest Mudder, a 5-mile course consisting of 17 obstacles that will run overnight between Saturday and Sunday.

Unlike the other Mudder events in which participants complete one or two laps around the course, then grab a brew at the finish line, the Toughest Mudder doesn’t limit the number of laps. The only limit is you and how much your body can endure.

“Participants will start at midnight and they’ll run as many laps (on) that 5-mile loop as they can in eight-and-a-half hours,” Pollock explained.

Starting this grueling event in the wee hours adds another level of difficulty that challenges people both physically and mentally, Pollock noted.

“Running in the dark for several hours at a time when you’re cold and you’re wet and you’re tired really takes a toll on people,” she said.

You don’t have to participate in Tough Mudder to be part of this unique experience. Folks are more than welcome to watch all the messy action as a spectator.

“Some people just come out because they want to know what is happening,” Pollock said. “Several thousand people are coming into their town and they want to know why and we’re okay with that. We’re very open and we want the public to come, hang out, have some food, have a beer (and) take part in this big, fun weekend.”

For more information about Tough Mudder, please visit toughmudder.com.