WESTBROOK – The dust, or mud, has settled in Westbrook this week following the massive Tough Mudder event, and the direct economic impact of some 13,000 visitors in the city is difficult to judge.

However, there’s one thing everyone agrees on – the event itself was a success, either way.

On Tuesday, Bill Baker, assistant city administrator for business and community relations, said the Tough Mudder “did what we thought it would,” which was to bring a new dynamic and new energy to the city. The impact on Westbrook restaurants and other businesses is a tough call, though.

“I think some people were saying, ‘Where is everybody,’” he said, referring to downtown businesses. “We can bring in the 15,000 people, but we can’t dictate where they’re going to eat or drink.”

Baker added that he heard conflicting reports from businesses, with some stating they saw limited impact, and others reporting large bursts of customers from the event.

For example, he said, Stockhouse Restaurant and Sports Pub off Main Street saw a big boost, but said he was disappointed that nearby Severino’s Variety, on Cumberland Street, didn’t see a larger uptick.

James Tranchemontagne, owner of the Frog & Turtle restaurant on Bridge Street downtown, said Wednesday that his restaurant saw a group of “Mudders” come in Saturday evening, but didn’t see much of an impact Friday or Saturday nights. However, he said, a group of 25 booked a late brunch on Sunday, and the restaurant stayed open later than usual.

“I applaud the city for getting them here,” he said, referring to the event. “It’s something we can learn from. Hopefully, the city keeps going with it, and can build upon it.”

Tranchemontagne said the city needs to find ways to get more people staying here, whether it’s with more hotels in the area or different transportation and parking spots.

“Westbrook was all over the map, and all over the news, so that was a positive from it,” he said.

Steve Lampron, owner of River’s Edge Deli on Main Street, said Wednesday that he saw two customers from Tough Mudder during the weekend, and that he’s spoken with other area business owners who were expecting larger crowds, but saw similar low numbers. He called the weekend “disappointing.”

“The two people that came in told me that everyone leaving, covered in mud, were going back to their hotel rooms,” he said, adding that Westbrook needs more hotel options in the downtown area.

“We need to keep these people here,” he said. “We have no place to put them.”

Baker said the regional lodging, such as the Super 8 motel on Larrabee Road, saw significant impact, as did businesses such as transportation and equipment rental companies in Westbrook.

Chris Wilson, of Les Wilson Contractors, a Westbrook construction company that worked to build the Tough Mudder course, said Tuesday that the company has heard nothing but “positive feedback regarding the course and our role in it.”

“If they do it again next year we would love to work with them. It was a pleasure working with everyone involved,” he said.

The company is also taking part in the clean-up process, repairing roads and other portions of Sunset Ridge.

Baker said a detailed assessment of the economic impact will be put together by Tough Mudder officials.

In response to the economic impact felt downtown, Andrew Cook, president of the Westbrook/Gorham Community Chamber, said Tuesday that from a “chamber point of view, it was an amazing event.”

“I have talked to numerous business owners that saw a direct impact on their business as they had patrons from out-of-state in their business over the weekend,” he said. “I hope that this is an event that continues next year in the city.”

Baker said he was on site all weekend at Sunset Ridge, working with Tough Mudder staff to ensure the obstacles remained stable, as well as checking in on transportation and parking procedures.

Some 10,000 participants and a few thousand spectators were shuttled into Sunset Ridge Golf Links on Cumberland Street from the Idexx Laboratories parking lot off Eisenhower Drive and a makeshift parking area at the much-closer Maine Correctional Center in Windham.

Baker called the parking project “flawless,” adding that he was admittedly surprised by its efficiency.

“Participants and spectators were all complimenting how it was organized,” he said.

Ben Johnson, the director of communications for Tough Mudder, said Wednesday that the Tough Mudder team “is incredibly proud of the Great Northeast event held in Westbrook.”

According to Johnson, the 13,000 people on site represented 36 states and five countries around the world, and the feedback received so far has been “incredibly positive.”

“Everything from parking to the world-class obstacles on course operated as planned, and the teamwork, camaraderie and values of the event were on clear display all over the course and throughout the base area,” he said.

Allen Hayman, owner of Sunset Ridge Golf Links, said Tuesday that the event went as smooth as possible, and that the traffic and parking concerns that the city fielded prior to the event were a non-issue.

“We really did not have any hiccups during this event,” he said. “A special thank-you to all the volunteers and police officers that helped manage the flow of traffic. It was the area that all parties were most concerned about and it went off without a hitch.”

Hayman said that while walking around during the weekend, he heard significant feedback from participants, something that has continued into this week.

“I’ve posted numerous videos and pictures on the Sunset Ridge Golf Links’ Facebook page and have over 1.2 million hits as of yesterday morning,” he said. “It has been an unbelievable response from the community.”

According to Hayman, the rough estimate for weekend numbers is 8,500 participants, and somewhere between 3,000-4,000 spectators, which would put the numbers at slightly less than the 15,000 originally anticipated.

However, Baker said Tuesday that overall spectator numbers were higher than Tough Mudder officials expected, possibly from the event taking place in a more urban setting than is usual for Tough Mudder events.

Baker also said that the event saw a “modest” number of medical transports and participants treated, with numbers on par with what typical Tough Mudder events see. No major injuries were reported.

Hayman has now turned his sights on the clean-up and deconstruction process, which he said began as soon as the last group of “Mudders” started the course on Sunday.

For regular business at Sunset Ridge, he said, the driving range is nearly back to normal and the front nine was back to “playable” Monday afternoon.

Baker said a breakdown crew has been on site this week, and expects to be done by Thursday.

Johnson added that the “breakdown/cleanup effort is nearly complete, and runners wouldn’t recognize the course at this point.”

Hayman said the future of Tough Mudder in Westbrook hinges on post-event survey responses of participants and spectators, but that Sunset Ridge has signed contracts to bring Tough Mudder back for the next five years.

“Tough Mudder will most likely return if the participants and spectators give a good post-event survey response,” he said. “I talked with numerous individuals from the Tough Mudder organization throughout the course of the weekend and they stated that Westbrook and Sunset Ridge were two of the easiest venues that they have ever had the privilege of working with and they were extremely happy with the event response. I look forward to hosting this event for the foreseeable future.”

Real fire, real water, and the faint scent of singed hair surround this “Fire in Your Hole” contestant last weekend, part of the 10-mile, obstacle-riddled slog that turned Westbrook’s Sunset Ridge Golf Links into the Tough Mudder.