WILMINGTON, N.Y. — The craze of obstacle course racing is sweeping the nation and now, there’s a new player. His name is Tuffy, the inspirational mascot of the latest bread of obstacle course races, the Ultimate Towner Community Obstacle Course Race, which is coming to Whiteface Mountain, in Wilmington, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 24. He’s an elephant, wears a pink tutu and his serious about having fin and motivating people of all types to overcome their obstacles in life.

The Ultimate Towner courses offer fun to people of all ages and abilities as participants wallow in mud, clamber over walls and tip-toe through tires. A four-mile, 25-obstacle course will challenge participants of all abilities.

The Ultimate Towner Ultimate Community Obstacle Course Race was born in the mountains of Jackson Hole, Wyo., a quintessential adventure capital of the nation and designed by Grand Dynamics, international team building and leadership development organization skilled in the art of challenging individuals and teams.

The Ultimate Towner event takes it a step further, offering local community sponsors the opportunity to name, claim and even create an obstacle to further community engagement.

“Our vision is to create an inspirational experience that supports everyone getting out and overcoming obstacles of all types,” notes Tim Walther, president of Grand Dynamics International. “And we want to engage the whole community through sponsoring obstacles, participating as an individual or on a team, volunteering and even active spectating with photography contests.”

The Whiteface Mountain Ultimate Towner will feature racing for both individuals and teams. The “Fast Class” athletes and teams will begin tackling the course at 10 a.m., while the “Fun Class” participates will start their race at noon. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the awards ceremony is slated for 1:30 p.m.

In addition to racing, music with a DJ will fire up the crowd and participants at 10 a.m., while live music is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. A barbeque, catered by Centerplate, will also be available throughout the day.

Registration for the Whiteface Mountain Ultimate Towner is $59 for adults, $39 for teens (13-17) and $25 for youth (12 and younger). A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Whiteface Mountain Adaptive Snowsports Program.

The Adaptive Snowsports Program is for adults and children with disabilities who want to learn how to ski and snowboard. Lessons range from “Never-Ever” to the advanced skier/snowboarder.

For more information about the Aug. 24 event, visit, http://www.whiteface.com/events/ultimate-towner. To register, log onto http://www.ultimatetowner.com/events/. For a complete event listing, obstacle course descriptions and to experience a little Tuffy in your life, visit www.ultimatetowner.com, or find him on Facebook.

— ORDA —

Established in 1982, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA operates Whiteface, Belleayre and Gore Mountain ski areas; the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg; the Olympic speed skating oval, Olympic jumping complex and Olympic arena. As host to international and national championships, the Authority has brought millions of athletes, spectator and participants to the region, resulting in significant economic development.