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Tough Guy Challenge

Blood, Sweat and Fun

Ice water, mud and fire – the Tough Guy Challenge in Perton is considered to be the toughest race in the world. It is indeed, believed Bachmann-Price-Winner Kathrin Passig and her fellow writer Aleks Scholz. And besides, it's the most amusing way to spend a Sunday.

The race starts with a cross-country run, going across meadows, through thorn bushes and finally in a slalom up and down a steep hill.

We ask our neighbor what he is carrying around in his small Rucksack.

"Just a fleece pullover, if I should feel cold or get wet".

We look at him in surprise.

To try staying warm and dry in the Tough Guy Challenge seems to be as hopeless as the use of a fire extinguisher in a super nova.

After obstacle part of the course has started, it just takes approximately ten minutes until every participant is more wet, cold and dirty than a dead tree frog.

This condition is created by deeper and deeper mud ditches, in which one sinks into the smelly slush first up to his knees, then to his belly and finally up to his neck.

But the crowed swallows the strange neighbor, and we will never know what happened to him and his fleece pullover.

At the "Tough Guy", it is not easy to separate truth from palliating - or better to say loathsomeness of the facts.

The competition near Wolverhampton in mid-England is quoted in the press coverage always as "one of the toughest races in the world".

The press photos show fear, blood and faces distorted with pain.

On one side, all this is not wrong: those who do participate are faced with mud, ice water, acrophobia, claustrophobia, barbed wire, fire and electro shocks.

But the essential is invisible for the eyes of reporters: there is – even though it sounds most incredible – practically no more enjoyable way to spend a Sunday in January.

Every normal child regularly does come home perfectly dirty and is seldom praised for that.

From a certain age onward, most people prefer to continue living without dirt, most probably because it is not a socially respected hobby to grub in the mud.

Bit at the "Tough Guy", it is not only allowed to roll fully dressed in the dirt of a huge adventure playground, but you even do get a medal for that.

And the spectators are cheering at you.

Never had being adult been so much pleasure.

The participants do know that and appear in bast skirts, batman outfits, evening dresses, with painted mustaches or masked as smurfs.

They have been persuaded to participate – according to the most popular explanation heard – at a pub when being drunk and did – at least in our starting group of "Wetnecks" –invest a similar amount of time for the training as ourselves: none!

Those who wear real gloves rather than those for construction workers or dish cleaners do belong the more professionally dressed runners.

The cheerful Brits do throw themselves into the mud with passion, sing songs while crawling through concrete tubes and do help each other at difficult obstacles.

But since at the start as well as at the goal precision-measuring is not really done and there is a lot of queuing in front of obstacles in midfield, all results are relative anyway.

Screams from the next water hole

Until shortly before the start there are good reasons to doubt that the race will be started anyway. Every participant does receive approximately 20 pages or weird and partly contradictory information and does have to sign a "death warrant", which keeps the organizer free from any responsibility.

Insurance companies curve round the "Tough Guy" with it's cockeyes obstacles constructed from raw trunks and ropes.

Those who do hurt themselves in the "Tough Guy" do that according to the Death warrant due to their "own bloody fault".

Accordingly, the organization is quite relaxed. There is no terror or commands nor barrier fences. Instead, everywhere is a friendly kind of chaos.

Unguarded barns are used for keeping the luggage, a pipe band plays, and the organizing Mr. Mouse, robed in tartan and white gloves, does give signals which are equally dignified as non-understandable.

Practically, all couldn't work well at all, but actually, all works perfectly.

Approximately at half of the final course, the "Killing Fields", you hear screams from the next water hole. Here, at the "Fear Tunnel", the "Tough Guy" turns to be a bit less cheerful. For the first time, one has to dive completely, underneath four thick poles, and has to swim to the shore.

The gesture of participants surfacing does show a mixture of shock and happy surprise to be still alive. Cold water in the face does reduce breathing and heartbeat via a reflex of the body, and hence the ability to keep air in the lungs and to make coordinated moves.

Many more times this day one is "allowed" to come out of some ice cold pools.

And only a few hours later, the uncontrolled shivering is already disappearing.

Mr. Mouse's dirty wonderland

Whether this year again one third of the participants really dropped out does only Mr. Mouse know, who is juggling in interviews and on his "Tough Guy" website enthusiastically with metaphors of war and death.

The obstacles bear names like "Somme surprise", "Stalag escape", "Vietcong tunnels" and "Death plunge".

This marketing by deterrence seems to work very well. Even though there is no active advertisement for the race, the number of participants increased from a mere 100 to more than 5000 during 20 years.

From the surplus money, the "Mr. Mouse Farm for Unfortunates", where old horses are put out to grass, is financed.

Because Mr. Mouse is not an evil guy: "I teach people happiness", he explains.

Probably, this means the relativity of happiness: already after a short while one feels happy about every water pool in which it is required to dip partly only.

While crawling below barbed wire, one is satisfied about the fact that the mud is a few degrees warmer than the water in the pools.

And "hurray", after those come a few obstacles perfectly without any barbed wire at all.

The happiness of a hot shower after the race does have to wait, though. The shower situation may have made Georges Bataille happy: naked figures of both sex are shoving under a few cold dripping showers, up to their knees in a slush of mud, rescue blankets and abandoned clothing.

And although many do reach the goal, there are no official winners: "no one completed the course in its entirety".

The smart Mr. Mouse has created a set of rules well in time, by which even very eager participants have been stopped.

Or not. Who wants to prove the contrary?

At least us will make a trip again next January to Mr. Mouse's dirty wonderland.

A that time maybe costumed as a horse.

I just wanted to say thank you for yesterday

I had the most amazing day - can't believe how much I enjoyed myself

And it was all so well organised

Can't wait til next year

Marianne Hunter

PS: Are you aware that’s today's Metro newspaper has reported that out of 5000 runners there was no winner as no one finished lol

Just a quick mail to say thanks to the organisers, marshals, st johns, and helpers who made the event really fantastic - have never been so glad to see a cup of hot chocolate before in my life !!

Unique experience in this current age of nanny state - wear goggles when you play conkers - world.

Thanks again - and see you at the next one.

Cheers

Steve

Dear All

WOW! What a truly amazing experience! I know that standing waiting for the 'off' shortly before 11am on Sunday January 27th I was thinking many things, mostly 'What the f*!@ was I thinking? I must have taken leave of my senses' and that I had the look of a terrified turkey on Christmas Eve, that a painful and certain death was imminent, who would have thought within the hour, whilst being knee deep in freezing cold water, or throwing myself over walls, under net, and eventually through blazing flames, that I would be having so much fun?! Now, don't misunderstand me, I was still terrified, and challenged with pretty much every step, but I cannot not speak loud enough when I say that it restores my faith in humanity, that so many people from such far flung places come together and act as one. Whilst everyone wanted their own acheivement from it, whether it was to 'just finish' (just? helloooo?!) or better their time or place from last time; ultimately they all pulled together to help each other out. I feel so proud and priviledged to have been a part of it. In the weeks running up to this my first Tough Guy, I lost sleep, I slept but had nightmares about the heights, the confined spaces, the underwater tunnels etc etc etc, and swore that when I finished I would never, never, never do anything so foolish again... you know where this is going don't you? Yes indeed, as I'm sure you've seen itcountless times before, you've recruited another addict!!! Summer here we come!

I just wanted to thank you to everyone there who makes this madness possible, from organisers, administrators, First Aid, Marshalls, young cadets who drew a heavy moustache and beard on me (I think it helped!) and those who we probably didn't see, THANK YOU, you were awesome!And indeed thanks to all the other Tough Guys who took part (actually special thanks to the Welsh Gunners who assisted me on more occassions than I care to admit ;-) )

Let it not go unsaid that I have rarely known that pain that followed on Monday, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. See you in the Summer, bring it on, YOHIMBE!!!!

Many thanks again

Colette Francis

HI all,

I once again took part in one of the best days in my life under your
care and awesome course. I had an excellent day and would like to
thank
you and all the team who make it possible. Toughguy 08 was awesome
the
course was a rale test of ability and courage. I really liked some of
the new obstacles and took plessure in testing myself once again.

I would like to state my dissappointment though with Runner 4827 (the
one who got put in the stocks first) It was I that Grassed him up for
his lack of care for the Rules. He was wearing a pair of football
boots
with metal spikes in. Bad Lad he clearly missed the notice on BAN ON
SPIKES.  The pirates got him though with some slight direction from
me.

Do i qualifiy for that T-shirt prize for my skills in detection of
rule breakers and for my help to keep the tough guy codes. I hope so.

This young male has seen the error of his ways and will take better
care when reading his instructions in the future.
I would like to thank you all again and i will see you all soon.
Toughguy rules

Chris Savage

Dear Mr Mouse,

Thank you for sending the photos and DVD, that’s wonderful. And special thanks for your kind message, it’s very much appreciated by everyone in the team.  I’ve included the few pictures that we have of Ivan enjoying himself last year, he was a lovely guy who really did embody the Tough Guy spirit.

Many thanks,

Simon

Yohimbe!
 
Check out this stowaway i found in my shoe when getting changed after Tough Guy last weekend!! The little fella was still alive too! surely the worlds toughest fish!?
 
Cheers
 
Richard Gaskell
 

Dear Mr Mouse,

I would like to thank you and your marshals in general for the splendid entertainment on Sunday and in particular those marshals and St John’s ambulance staff who rescued me so efficiently from the bottom of Viagra Falls (where it turned out I had fractured my fibula) and took care of me afterwards.  Despite the fact that I will be in plaster for the next 6 weeks I don’t regret it for a second and will be back to compete again soon though probably not in a year when I am planning to run the London Marathon (it is no problem to defer my number to next year so no major harm done)!

Thanks for running a great event and issuing me with a medal despite not quite being able to get across the last few yards under my own steam.

Cheers

Rob.

Dear Mr Mouse,
 
 I have an entry for the forthcoming 2008 Toughguy event, and has training hard for it until I was involved in quite a nasty car accident early in December. 
 
 I sustained a very badly broken jaw amongst other injuries and was healing well until my head-strong immune system decided to reject all the plate and metalwork holding the bones in place requiring 2 further emergency operations and 9mm of my jaw bone being removed and my teeth being wired shut for a 2 month period- 5weeks of which I still have to complete! 
 
 When asked if I could get away with doing the Toughguy treck even so 4 weeks after the op, as long as I kept the mud out of my mouth, the doctor's eyes rolled and stated that I would be risking a major infection with the possibility of permanent disfigurement should I either get another infection in the bone or break it in situe again- let alone the obvious 'ripping-out-of-teeth-by-wires' that would have to happen in order to move my jaw at the moment should I fall on it. 
 
 It is therefore with a heavy heart that I have to admit that I will not be able to answer the call this winter, but ask if my entry can be moved from the winter event to the following summer Nettle Warrior when I will be in the peak of good health and fitness, traffic permitting.