WESTBROOK – As three teams of workers with machinery prepared obstacles Monday for the upcoming Tough Mudder – a messy, 10- to 12-mile endurance race – to be staged at Sunset Ridge Golf Links in Westbrook, course superintendent Logan Greenlaw, whose job is to keep the course looking its best, had accepted the destruction as a good thing.

“It’s all for a better cause,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of business coming from this.”

Greenlaw, like the other staff at Sunset Ridge, has seen the progress, and mayhem, associated with building a course that will feature 21 unique obstacles, with equally unique names, such as “Fire in Your Hole,” and “Sewage Outlet.”

Tough Mudder is an international craze that has conducted more than 100 events since 2010, with Westbrook’s event, dubbed the “Great Northeast,” the first ever in Maine.

It could attract a two-day total of some 13,000 people, and has the potential to bring a significant economic boost to the Westbrook community. A few local businesses have already seen the impact.

An estimated 7,700 people, mostly participants with some spectators, will participate Saturday, followed by 4,900 Sunday.

Bill Baker, Westbrook’s assistant city administrator for business and community relations, surveyed the scene Monday, driving between obstacles in a golf cart.

Baker, who initiated the effort to bring the event to Westbrook, said that the process began by brainstorming.

“Being an athlete all my life, I wanted to bring that demographic to the city,” he said.

According to figures based on a recent Tough Mudder event of similar proportions, the total economic impact could be some $5 million.

Sam Landis, who has led a team of about six in preparing multiple Tough Mudder courses, was pumping water into a manufactured pool to be used in the “Fire in Your Hole” obstacle, where participants shoot down a large slide with flames underneath and land in a pool of muddy water.

Landis said the team usually has about three weeks to work on a course.

“We try to hire the local guys as much as possible,” he said, referring to Westbrook businesses Les Wilson Contractors and Hillside Lumber.

Chris Wilson, of Les Wilson Contractors, hired to help build some of the course obstacles, said Tuesday that the Tough Mudder has already had a positive economic impact and that he expects it to increase as race weekend gets closer.

“They have been great to work with and we are very pleased that they chose to keep the work with Westbrook companies,” he said.

Wilson said the company has already been on site for more than a week, building race obstacles, and has seen progress as well as challenges.

“Shallow bedrock has forced us to haul over 3,000 yards from the front of the property to the back of the course to construct the water obstacles,” he said. “The rain last week was a challenge, as well. We feel as though with all the rain and mud, we’ve already done the Tough Mudder.”

There have also been delays in utility work on Cumberland Street, which will be the main hub for event traffic, with shuttles coming to and from event parking at Idexx Labratories, off Eisenhower Drive, and a makeshift lot at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham.

Baker said paving on Cumberland Street is scheduled for the end of the week in order to ready the area for the traffic influx.

“About 14,000 people are going to have to come through Westbrook,” he said.

The Westbrook/Gorham Community Chamber of Commerce has also organized shuttles to bring participants and spectators to and from downtown Westbrook.

Tough Mudder also encourages participants to support charities associated with the event, and provides discounted ticket prices for those who pledge to raise money. To date, Tough Mudder has raised more than $6 million for the Wounded Warrior Project, a veterans organization. Many participants, joining as teams, also raise money for charities of their choosing.

The course also stretches to land owned by the city of Westbrook, the Portland Water District and private landowners. One of the obstacles farthest away from Sunset Ridge, “Arctic Enema,” will be situated not far from the Westbrook Community Center. Landis said the obstacle requires 44,000 pounds of ice.

Allen Hayman, the owner of Sunset Ridge, said Wednesday that city officials like Baker “have all been instrumental in bringing this vision to reality,” adding that the event is a great opportunity to bring people not just into his business, but also into the Westbrook community.

“Rough estimates from prior post-event surveys have shown that approximately 90 percent of participants would not have visited the area if it wasn’t for this event,” he said. “That means that this impact is completely uncaptured revenue for the surrounding areas. These are not people that were planning on coming to Westbrook anyway.”

Sunset Ridge, at 771 Cumberland St., will also host the New England Sled Dog Championships this winter.

Hayman said he hopes participants and guests have an “unbelievable” experience in Westbrook.

“I want to make sure that everyone can’t wait to come back and visit our beautiful city and state, and maybe run another Tough Mudder or play a round of golf,” he said.

He added that his staff has shown “a tremendous sense of pride for the venue and for the event itself,” after putting in so much hard work.

“My staff is really excited to be a part of something this big and their excitement is infectious,” he said.

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A CLOSER LOOK

For those interested in participating in Tough Mudder, registration is still available until Aug. 22, at $185 for Saturday and $145 for Sunday. Participants can register each day of the event for $220.

Spectator registration is available online for $20 until Aug. 22, and spectator tickets will be available for $40 on site. For more information, see www.toughmudder.com.

A team of workers builds staging Monday for a Tough Mudder slide obstacle known as “Fire in Your Hole.” Crews have made progress at the site at Sunset Ridge Golf Links, despite some wet conditions. Westbrook Assistant City Administrator Bill Baker stands on the back of “Everest” at Sunset Ridge Golf Links Monday. The Tough Mudder event, taking place Aug. 23-24, is expected to bring some 13,000 people into Westbrook.