Newry, Maine (August 28, 2014)—Sure, the Tough Mountain Challenge is great (and Sunday River Resort’s pretty good at staging it), but the truth is, when it comes to obstacle course design, nature itself is second to none. That’s the idea behind the newest event to come to Sunday River this fall, the O2X Summit Challenge, September 27, 2014.

O2X’s mission is to “return the world of outdoor fitness to its roots.” Accordingly, the O2X Summit Challenges Northeast Points Series, which includes four races at various East Coast resorts, presents trail runners with natural obstacles as they work toward mountaintop finish lines.

During Sunday River’s O2X Summit Challenge, competitors will choose from two courses of varying difficulty. The Single Diamond-rated course and a more challenging Double Diamond course both begin at BaseCamp (at Sunday River’s South Ridge Lodge) on Saturday, September 27 and cover three to six miles of the resort’s most rugged terrain before finishing atop Locke and Jordan peaks, respectively.

Racers will compete for their shares of a $1,500 prize purse and points, which can be accumulated at each Series event. The male and female competitor with the highest point totals at the end of the 2014 Series calendar will each claim an additional $1,000.

The O2X Summit Challenge is a weekend-long event, beginning with early check-in and camping on Friday night. The race on Saturday will be followed by live music, games, food, and drinks. O2X is deeply committed to sustainability and is proud to work with Reverb to ensure that the Summit Challenge is as eco-friendly as possible. Reverb is Portland, ME-based non-profit that creates custom greening programs for touring musicians and other events.

Registration for the Sunday River Challenge (from $80) is open at o2x.com. This price includes everything except concession and tent space. Tent space is available for an additional $30. Racers may also choose to register for all four Summit Challenge events for $300 with the Series Pass.

Other O2X Summit Challenges Northeast Points Series locations include Loon Mountain in New Hampshire (Oct. 18), and Windham in New York (Oct. 25).

For more information about the Sunday River O2X Summit Challenge, visit sundayriver.com or contact Sunday River’s Communications Department at communications@sundayriver.com.

About Sunday River Resort

A four-season destination, Sunday River Resort is home to eight interconnected mountain peaks of world-class skiing and snowboarding and the most slopeside lodging in the East including two Resort Hotels, the Snow Cap Inn, Ski Dorm, and hundreds of condominiums. In the summer months, the resort offers 20 miles of lift-serviced mountain biking, Zipline Tours, and golf at the highly acclaimed Sunday River Golf Club. Sunday River is a member of the Boyne Resorts family of resorts and attractions and is located in Newry, Maine, amidst the scenic Mahoosuc Range.

ABOUT 02X SUMMIT CHALLENGES

Taking trail running off the trail and adding created natural challenges, a summit finish and a festival atmosphere, O2X Summit Challenge (www.O2X.com) courses are tailored to runners, weekend hikers and nature lovers across a range of fitness levels. The events will also include a first-of-a-kind “remediation commitment” from race organizers to leave each venue better than they found it. O2X is a member of 1% for the Planet (www.onepercentfortheplanet.org), EPA Wastewise (www.EPA.gov/wastewise), and Leave No Trace (www.lnt.org). Upcoming events include Sugarbush, Vt. (Sept. 13, 2014), Sunday River, Maine (Sept. 27, 2014), Loon Mountain, N.H. (Oct. 18, 2014) and Windham N.Y. (Oct. 25, 2014). For more information, please visit O2X.com or go to facebook.com/O2Xchallenges.