Out-Fit Challenge Mud Run Supports Family Equality Council

On June 21 in New York's Tuxedo Ridge Ski Center in Tuxedo Park, the Out-Fit Challenge Mud Run will bring together members and friends of the LGBT community to compete, make new connects and celebrate community via outdoor endurance sports. Proceeds of the race will benefit the Family Equality Council.

"It's amazing to watch Out-Fit Challenge and our mission begin to branch out," begins Founder and CEO of Out-Fit Challenge, Tory Fitzgerald. "I created this organization in the hopes that it could bring together people from opposite ends of the spectrum for one cause, and Out-Fit Challenge has definitely accomplished this. It has grown to extraordinary levels of participation, and we can't wait to see the turnout in other cities as well."

The sport event features over 15 military style obstacles such as the "Cherry Picker," "Is that Mud in Your Pants," and "Hello Sailor." To celebrate the victory of finishing the course, there will be an after party at the finish line that will be hosted by local drag queens with a varied selection of dance beats by local DJs, as well as a wide selection of delicious food and drinks.

In addition to putting on race events, the organization aims to aid national and local charities making a significant difference in the lives of LGBT individuals across the U.S. This event has grown to be a state to state national event open to all supporters of the LGBT community. For this year's New York event, the charity of choice is the Family Equality Council. Past events have benefited the LGBT charities Ali Forney Center and Care Resource of Miami.

Out-Fit Challenge's mission is to create a competitive experience that people will love, while also giving everyone an opportunity to feel a sense of community through fun challenges. Future Out-Fit Challenges will be held in Reno, Nevada on September 20 at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park; in Boston, Massachusetts on October 11 at Amesbury Sports Park; and in San Francisco, California on December 13 at the Solano County Fair. These cities were selected based on Out-Fit Challenge's voting contest, where the public received a chance to choose the city of their next major sporting event.

This year, the gay social app Jack'd has signed on as an official sponsor of the event. Jack'd is the fastest growing gay app in the world with over five million users across the globe. Eighty percent of Jack'd users are 18-30 years old, making Jack'd a phenomenon among a diverse cross-section of young, active gay men. The app consistently ranks among the top four gay apps in both the iTunes and Google Play stores. It was recently acquired by Online Buddies, the largest company in the world connecting men seeking men.

"We want the boys and Jack'd has the boys!" said Tory Fitzgerald, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Out-Fit Challenge. "Jack'd is a natural sponsorship fit for Out-Fit Challenge Mud Run. We love that they are tapped into the gay community across the globe. People come from all over to experience NYC Gay Pride and we want Out-Fit Challenge Mud Run to be at the top of their list of exciting things to do."

Out-Fit Challenge premiered with two very successful mud runs in Miami and New York in 2013. For 2014 they expanded their 5K cross-country trails to four cities chosen through a public online voting contest. They hope that the expansion will bring out LGBT athletes to compete and to enjoy a sense of community.

"We see a lot of parallels between the Jack'd community and the Out-Fit Challenge community," begins Adam Segel, Chief Executive Officer of Jack'd. "Our users are young, they come from a wide range of diverse backgrounds, and most important they aren't afraid to get a little dirty for a good cause! The guys on Jack'd love to get a little physical so sponsoring Out-Fit Challenge was an obvious fit. What could possibly be sexier than saying you are either training for or just finished a 5K endurance run with mud and obstacles? I can't think of a better way to have fun while meeting hot guys."