Thousands of athletes have already signed up for February’s Tough Mudder extreme obstacle run that is expected to draw more than 10,000 participants to Washington- Wilkes for a weekend.

According to the event’s website, ToughMudder.com/Georgia, the entry list for the February 11-12 event to be held at Aonia Pass Motocross Park is nearly 90 percent full. Teams may enter at that site, and spectators may purchase tickets in advance.

Throughout 2011, Tough Mudder events all over the U.S. have attracted thousands of athletes. Designed by former British Special Forces operator Will Dean, Tough Mudder events invite military members, athletes, and weekend warriors to tackle muddy, frozen courses spiked with the most challenging obstacles possible.

“Our 10-12 mile obstacle courses are designed by British Special Forces to test all-around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie,” Dean said. “Forget finish times. Simply completing a Tough Mudder is a badge of honor.”

Two weeks ago, top finishers from other 2011 Tough Mudder events competed in the 24-hour World’s Toughest Mudder event in Pennsylvania. The Georgia event will be shorter, with athletes participating either Saturday or Sunday. The course at Aonia pass is going to be 11 miles long with 25 obstacles. Setting off in groups 15 minutes apart, thousands of entrants will run the course and survive obstacles including pits of icy water, frozen mud pits, live wires, and flaming hay bales.

The first obstacles will get runners wet, and they will stay wet and cold most of the time. For that reason, Wilkes County Emergency Medical Services Director Blake Thompson and other officials have already met with Tough Mudder organizers to ensure proper medical care for runners. Local EMS personnel have years of experience dealing with large crowds at motocross and crosscountry motorcycle events deep in the Aonia woods, but Thompson expects the main medical challenge at Tough Mudder to be hypothermia.

“They’re going to be cold and wet all day, so we’ll be treating a lot of people for hypothermia, but we also expect a lot of ankle and leg injuries.”

With a crowd so large coming for the weekend, Washington restaurants, lodging and other businesses can expect a large impact. “This could be huge,” said Tourism Director Erin Pollock. “Although it’s early to tell exactly how much, I think we’ll have a lot of hungry athletes in town, and local volunteers and businesses will have a lot of interaction with the event.”

To volunteer or enter Tough Mudder’s Georgia event, sign up at the group’s website. Complete information and training routines are also available there.

Tough Mudder events have already raised some $2.5 million for the Wounded Warrior Program.