Interview With Kyle McLaughlin – The Business of Tough Mudder
What a fun interview. I have been doing Tough Mudder events since 2011 and they have changed me and my life. I asked Kyle, the CEO of Tough Mudder to come on the podcast to talk about the business side of TM and he said yes.
Truly, Tough Mudder has changed my life in so many ways. You can watch my TEDx talk for a few of my favorite stories.
In this episode we discuss:
- Kyle's background with experiential marketing and live events
- His "almost" with Tough Mudder in 2012
- What led him to Tough Mudder
- The opportunities he saw when he started
- How he led Tough Mudder through both bankruptcy and the pandemic
- The community of Tough Mudder
And we laugh and reminisce about old obstacles, favorite venues and a few behind the scenes stories.
BIO
Kyle McLaughlin is the Chief Executive Officer of Tough Mudder, the global obstacle course and experiential fitness brand. He joined Tough Mudder in 2018, previously serving as Senior Vice President, Live Events. He directs strategy, development and operations on all Tough Mudder brands and products worldwide as part of the larger Spartan group family of brands.
McLaughlin is a mass participation events industry veteran with over 15 years’ experience in event production, marketing and sponsorship. Since joining the company, McLaughlin has steered the reimagining of Tough Mudder’s core obstacle course offering, directed enhancements to the on-site customer experience, and supported significant growth in sponsorships and corporate sales. Prior to Tough Mudder, he served as a senior production executive at New York Road Runners, the producer of the TCS New York City Marathon and over fifty-five other major races in the New York City area. He began his career in experiential marketing & production agencies, producing athletic, civic, promotional and festival events across the globe.
McLaughlin has a degree in International Affairs from the Whitehead School of Diplomacy at Seton Hall University. He is a frequent keynote speaker, lecturer & global educator on sports and event production, safety and security and experiential marketing. He is the chair of the Endurance Sports Coalition, a board member for the World OCR Federation, and a board member at Running USA. He previously served on the national Sports Council for the Department of Homeland Security, and on the advisory board for the National Center for Sports Safety & Security (NCS4).
He can be reached at kyle.mclaughlin@toughmudder.com
Sign up for a Tough Mudder
Ready to do your first Tough Mudder?
Find your perfect distance - 5k, 10k or 15k at a regular event.
Want to go farther? 12 hours? 24 hours?
Find all events at https://toughmudder.com/
Use code: BRANDAMB700AH
for 20% off your registration.
Would you like podcast episodes, business & life stories and strategies and so much more directly to your email?? Click below and I can't wait to share with you more deeply there.
https://bit.ly/fitnesswellnessemail
Are you a fitness/wellness professional who is growing business AND trying to have a fulfilling life at the same time?
I lead a support, education and coaching group focused on YOU, the professional. You can find more information below. See you soon.