PORTLAND, ME – September 19, 2008 – On Sunday, October 12, Tri-Maine Productions will present the inaugural Mountain Epic at Sunday River Resort. The new event will combine trail running with obstacle challenges in a gritty, four-mile peak race. The Epic will run in conjunction with Sunday River's Fall Festival Weekend.

Mountain Epic will be the first in a series of similar adventure-based races. These events will showcase a venue's rugged terrain and celebrate the spirit of the mountain culture, in the same vein as Tri-Maine's Urban Epic – a triathlon and festival that highlights the art, music, and active lifestyle in a city.

Individual competitors will race two miles up from Sunday River's base lodge to a checkpoint at the top of North Peak and then two miles back down to the lodge. The final 200-yard chute will send racers over hurdles and through a mud pit on their way to the finish line, along the same course as the Wife Carrying Contest tackles the day before.

Team racers – in pairs – will run the same course in a unique partnership. One team member will run to the peak and ride the chair lift back to the base, and the other will ride the chairlift up then run back to the base. Both runners will reunite before the final challenge course and finish together.

A post-race BBQ and celebration with live music from Jimmy Buffet cover bands will complete the first-time event. Spectators will also have the opportunity to hike and ride chair lifts, viewing the race, and the mountain vistas, from high North Peak points.

 "We're taking the more traditional sport of trail running and incorporating the unique aspects of the resort and venue into the race," says Tri-Maine Executive Director Will Thomas. "Chair lifts, steep ski trails, mud pits – the physical challenge remains at the center, but this event offers so much more. Athletes of all experience and ability levels will find Mountain Epic to be inspirational, exciting, and breathtaking."

Awards will be given to top three fastest overall individuals, age groupers, and relay teams. Other prizes will include fastest ascent split and best outfits.

A schedule of other Fall Festival Weekend events from Sunday River is available here.

About Tri-Maine:
Tri-Maine Productions is Maine's premier multisport event management company. Providing high quality, competitive races in dynamic New England locations, Tri-Maine serves more than 3,000 athletes, 5,000 spectators, and 800 volunteers annually. Tri-Maine partners with first-rate local and national sponsors to provide an athletic experience like no other. Fusing arts, music, environmental consciousness, health, and community together with the active lifestyle, Tri-Maine delivers specialized events that transcend the traditional. Visit www.tri-maine.com for more information.

Contact:
Amy VanHaren, Public Relations Coordinator
Tri-Maine Productions
207.221.5420 Office
651.303.8777 Cell
amy@tri-maine.com