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Tough Guy
Would you run through fire and carry a cross? That's what it takes to finish the world's toughest race
One-third of the starters fail to finish in a typical year.
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IT’S THAT TIME of year where everyone is feeling super healthy after their “dry January” and thinks they can take on the world – well, a race or marathon at least.
Over on this side of the pond, many people sign up to do Tough Mudder or Hell and Back – both equally difficult races.
Back in 1987, a bunch of friends in the UK decided to set up a hardcore obstacle course to find out who was the toughest among them.
Tough Guy
Almost 30 years later, the Tough Guy race is an annual meeting that takes place close to Wolverhampton and is thought of as the toughest race in the world.
Rather than just a race, Tough Guy is a marathon journey of physical obstacles akin to a marine boot camp.
So, while you think you may be tough, have you ever been smoke-bombed while you run or have you ever had to carry a 40 kilogram cross that makes you look like you’ve come straight out of a scene from the Life of Brian?
No, well, take a look at these brave souls:
Parts of the race involve running through a field on fire. Real fire. The race consists of about 15 km of running and a similar length of obstacles.
Crawling is a favourite Tough Guy activity: Here is the barbed-wire version.
One section involves swimming through freezing muddy water. All pretty standard, but then…
… Crosses like these weigh 40 kilograms and must be carried. Easy, you might say.
Then fireworks and smoke bombs are thrown at competitors. Okay, enough is enough.
Of the 5,000 who started, almost 1,500 racers retire before the finish line. So, who’s signing up for next year?
Additional reporting Christina Finn
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