The global obstacle race phenomenon suffered a setback this month after the death of a 28-year-old racer in a West Virginia event run by Tough Mudder, one of the fast-growing industry's top producers.
TM, which brought in Ashley Pinakiewicz from Clear/M&C Saatchi to handle PR last fall, is relying on New York-based DKC for PR counsel in the aftermath of the incident.
The public and media have been drawn to the rising popularity of obstacle races over the past two years as they feature extreme conditions, large groups of participants and carry names like Warrior Dash, Rugged Maniac and Spartan Sprint.
The wave of mostly positive press broke April 20 when a 28-year-old Maryland man, Avishek Sengupta, died from drowning during a race produced by Brooklyn-based Tough Mudder, dubbed the most successful of the extreme race companies by "60 Minutes."
TM, which said it is "deeply saddened" by the death, noted that it is cooperating with a sheriff's department investigation and stressed that obstacles are thoroughly inspected with local authorities and consultants.
"As organizers, we take our responsibility to provide a safe event to our participants very seriously," TM CEO Will Dean said in the statement. "Tough Mudder is devastated by this tragic accident."
Pinakiewicz told the local paper in West Virginia near the race, the Journal News, that TM is reviewing protocol for all obstacles, including the one involved in Sengupta's death.
DKC has worked with TM since 2010.
For the past few days, at least, the death has shifted coverage of the races amid lifestyle and sports pieces – reporters often take part in the races – to the news section.
The Baltimore Sun reported this week that City Hospital in Martinsburgh, W. Va., was so overwhelmed with patients from the Tough Mudder race where Sengupta died that it had to turn people away.
As National Geographic put it: "The first fatality in a Tough Mudder endurance event this past weekend raises a dire prospect that's typically far from the minds of participants or buried in the fine print of contracts."
Sengupta's death wasn't the first for the sector. Three people died in Warrior Dash events from 2011-12.
Race organizers burnish the events' image, in part, from ties and homages to the military. In addition to discounts for military members, TM races benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, Spartan Races works with Home for Our Troops, and Boston-based Rugged Races has a tie-in with the USO for its Rugged Maniac events.
The soaring interest in the races has also drawn corporate sponsorship. TM has forged tie-ins with BIC razors, Degree anti-perspirant and Dos Equis beer, to name a few. Spartan has deals with Reebok and Snap candy.
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