Tough Guy Competition
Encyclopedia
Tough Guy claims to be the world's most demanding one-day survival ordeal.
First staged in 1986, the Tough Guy Challenge is held on a 600-acre (2.42 square km) farm in Perton
, Staffordshire
, near Wolverhampton
, England
, and is organised by Billy Wilson (using the pseudonym "Mr Mouse"). It has been widely described as "the toughest race in the world", with up to one-third of the starters failing to finish in a typical year.
After 24 stagings of the winter event, Wilson still claimed nobody had ever finished all the course according to his extremely demanding rules. The race, and its summer equivalent, has suffered two fatalities during its history.
Taking place at the end of January, often in freezing winter conditions, the Tough Guy race is staged over a course of between seven and eight miles (about 12 kilometres). It consists of a cross-country run with over 75 Slalo Obstacles, Ditched Steeple Chased, Fell, Logged, Muck and & Mush followed by an assault course tougher than any other worldwide. The organizers claim that running the course involves risking barbed wire, cuts, scrapes, burns, dehydration
, hypothermia
, acrophobia
, claustrophobia
, electric shocks, sprains, twists, joint dislocation and broken bones.
Although the course is adjusted each year, its features have included a 40-foot (12.2 meters) crawl through flooded underground tunnels, balancing planks across a fire pit, and a half-mile wade through chest-deep muddy water. Marshals dressed as commandos fire Amphibious Tank Gun blanks and let off thunder flashes and smoke bombs over the heads of competitors as they crawl under a 70-meter section of barbed wire. Until 2000, some runners took part in the event carrying heavy wooden crucifixes.
Entry fees range from £80 to £1,000, depending on the sign-up date. Entrants have to be 16 years old or older. The event regularly attracts fields of up to 6,000 competitors, many from the United States
and more than 20 countries around the world.
Before taking part, entrants must sign a "death warrant", which acknowledges the risks and dangers, and which the organizers claim absolves them of any legally liability in the case of injury. First aid is provided by St. John Ambulance
.
The winner of Tough Guy 2009 was James Appleton, 23, a student at Cambridge in 1hr 18min. 2010 Knut Hoehler in 1hr 11min.
In 2010 Paul Jones (1:18:53) leading home five men inside 1hr 21min.
In 2007, a man in his 30s was newspaper headlined collapsed and died when taking part in the summer version of the Tough Guy, the "Nettle Warrior". He was ceremonially buried in the beloved Tough Guy™ Country.
Other injuries suffered in the event are common. Local newspaper reports suggested that among the competitors in the 2009 event, one suffered a broken neck,another broken pelvis, yet another broken pubic bone while there were a dozen broken or dislocated bones and 600 runners - including the winner - suffered hypothermia.
in 1981 dressed as a pantomime horse to raise funds for his Tettenhall Horse Sanctuary, which together with a local homeless hostel, is the principle beneficiary of the Tough Guy event.
A former Grenadier Guards Trained Soldier in the British Army, Wilson's earliest sporting exploits had been as a cyclist, a career that was curtailed after an accident on the Aldersley track.
Wilson was among the pioneers of the running boom in Britain in the 1980s, helping to found the Wolverhampton Road Runners club, of which he became chairman, and from 1982 to 1987 organizing the annual Wolverhampton Marathon and half-marathon.
Road related leg injuries and increasing traffic saw Wilson shift his focus to his off-road events, staged on his own land, and which have been extremely successful, raising £170,000 at a typical event.
On October 13, 2010 Bam's World Domination
showcased Bam Margera
, Ryan Dunn
, and skateboarder Tim O’Connor doing the Competition.
First staged in 1986, the Tough Guy Challenge is held on a 600-acre (2.42 square km) farm in Perton
Perton
Perton is a large village and civil parish located in Staffordshire, England. It lies to the south of Codsall, and to the west of the city of Wolverhampton.-Perton:...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, near Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and is organised by Billy Wilson (using the pseudonym "Mr Mouse"). It has been widely described as "the toughest race in the world", with up to one-third of the starters failing to finish in a typical year.
After 24 stagings of the winter event, Wilson still claimed nobody had ever finished all the course according to his extremely demanding rules. The race, and its summer equivalent, has suffered two fatalities during its history.
Taking place at the end of January, often in freezing winter conditions, the Tough Guy race is staged over a course of between seven and eight miles (about 12 kilometres). It consists of a cross-country run with over 75 Slalo Obstacles, Ditched Steeple Chased, Fell, Logged, Muck and & Mush followed by an assault course tougher than any other worldwide. The organizers claim that running the course involves risking barbed wire, cuts, scrapes, burns, dehydration
Dehydration
In physiology and medicine, dehydration is defined as the excessive loss of body fluid. It is literally the removal of water from an object; however, in physiological terms, it entails a deficiency of fluid within an organism...
, hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
, acrophobia
Acrophobia
Acrophobia is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort that share both similar etiology and options for treatment.Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, especially if there is little...
, claustrophobia
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms...
, electric shocks, sprains, twists, joint dislocation and broken bones.
Although the course is adjusted each year, its features have included a 40-foot (12.2 meters) crawl through flooded underground tunnels, balancing planks across a fire pit, and a half-mile wade through chest-deep muddy water. Marshals dressed as commandos fire Amphibious Tank Gun blanks and let off thunder flashes and smoke bombs over the heads of competitors as they crawl under a 70-meter section of barbed wire. Until 2000, some runners took part in the event carrying heavy wooden crucifixes.
Entry fees range from £80 to £1,000, depending on the sign-up date. Entrants have to be 16 years old or older. The event regularly attracts fields of up to 6,000 competitors, many from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and more than 20 countries around the world.
Before taking part, entrants must sign a "death warrant", which acknowledges the risks and dangers, and which the organizers claim absolves them of any legally liability in the case of injury. First aid is provided by St. John Ambulance
St. John Ambulance
St John Ambulance, branded as St John in some territories, is a common name used by a number of affiliated organisations in different countries dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid and the provision of ambulance services, all of which derive their origins from the St John...
.
The winner of Tough Guy 2009 was James Appleton, 23, a student at Cambridge in 1hr 18min. 2010 Knut Hoehler in 1hr 11min.
In 2010 Paul Jones (1:18:53) leading home five men inside 1hr 21min.
Deaths and injuries
In 2000, one competitor, Michael Green, from Leicestershire, collapsed midway through the race and later died in hospital, reportedly of a massive heart attack brought on by extreme hypothermia. Green was 44 years old. According to Wilson, this was the first fatality in 15 years.In 2007, a man in his 30s was newspaper headlined collapsed and died when taking part in the summer version of the Tough Guy, the "Nettle Warrior". He was ceremonially buried in the beloved Tough Guy™ Country.
Other injuries suffered in the event are common. Local newspaper reports suggested that among the competitors in the 2009 event, one suffered a broken neck,another broken pelvis, yet another broken pubic bone while there were a dozen broken or dislocated bones and 600 runners - including the winner - suffered hypothermia.
Nettle Warrior
Nettle Warrior is the summer version of Tough Guy, first staged in 1998, and is normally run at the end of July. Though the course is essentially the same as Tough Guy, there are notable differences. Nettle Warrior involves two laps of an area the organizers have called "The killing fields", a log carry and some rafting as part of "The Lake" obstacle.Billy Wilson
Before he began staging the Tough Guy, Billy Wilson was already known as a high-profile organizer of road running races and a sometimes eccentric participant, most notably for taking part in the first London MarathonLondon Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
in 1981 dressed as a pantomime horse to raise funds for his Tettenhall Horse Sanctuary, which together with a local homeless hostel, is the principle beneficiary of the Tough Guy event.
A former Grenadier Guards Trained Soldier in the British Army, Wilson's earliest sporting exploits had been as a cyclist, a career that was curtailed after an accident on the Aldersley track.
Wilson was among the pioneers of the running boom in Britain in the 1980s, helping to found the Wolverhampton Road Runners club, of which he became chairman, and from 1982 to 1987 organizing the annual Wolverhampton Marathon and half-marathon.
Road related leg injuries and increasing traffic saw Wilson shift his focus to his off-road events, staged on his own land, and which have been extremely successful, raising £170,000 at a typical event.
Tough Guy / Nettle Warrior
The race consists of a cross country run, followed by an obstacle course, also referred to as the "Killing Fields".| Obstacle | Description | Killing Field |
|---|---|---|
| Country Miles | A 6 mile cross country run. | |
| Slalom | An up and down slalom, consisting of running up a hill and back down. | |
| Ghurkha Grand National | A series of fences, ditches and jumps with cargo nets to scramble under. | |
| The Tiger (followed by Sting in the Tail) | A 40 ft A-frame, crossing through hanging electrified cables and another 40 ft A-frame. | K1 |
| Scaffold Bridge | This is traditionally the location of a water break. | K2 |
| Colditz Walls | Three progressively higher walls - 2, 3 & 4m high. | K3 |
| Behemoth | Four 30 ft tall platforms with ropes stretching between them. | K4 |
| Battle of the Somme | Fire Barbed Wire Below Water Brimstone Terror | K5 |
| Fiery Holes | A series of muddy water ditches, followed by burning bales of hay. | K6 |
| Tyre Crawl | Tunnels created from tyres. | K7 |
| Swamp | Knee deep mud crossing with a vacuum that will suck in the strongest of men. | K8 |
| Vietcong Torchure Chamber Tunnels | Underground tunnels created from like Vietcong Saigon Horror. | K9 |
| Sky Walk & Paradise Climb | A 14 metre high cargo net which leads out to ropes draped across a pond. | K10 |
| Splosh Pool | A recreation of walking the plank. | K11 |
| Underwater Tunnel | Three poles to duck under, leading up to the underwater tunnel. | K12 |
| Brandenburger Gate | 40 ft vertical wall climb. | K13 |
| Deux Chevaux Island | K14 | |
| Death Plunge | Planks of wood extending out over a lake. | K15 |
| Jesus Bridge | A bridge of barrels and planks of wood. | K16 |
| Dans Deceiver | A vertical cargo net, followed by a declined cargo net. | K17 |
| Dragon Pools | Series of ropes stretched across the pool. | K18 |
| Gladiatough Colloseum | Lake planked 500 metres figure of 8 intertwined, interlaced Spartacus Jousting.. | K19 |
| Stalag Escape | 20 ft crawl through mud, under barbed wire. | K20 |
| Tyre Torture | A path of randomly laid tyres to stumble across. | K21 |
| Pedestrian Bridge | K22 | |
| The Anaconda | A series of large concrete pipes with hanging Electric Wires | K23 |
| Viagra Falls | A steep muddy hill slide beneath hanging electric eels. | K25 |
| Torture Chamber | Dark tunnel, partially flooded and filled with hanging batons and electric cables. | |
Last Man Standing
There is a smaller course for participants of that day's event. It consists of;- 15 metre underwater swim
- Scottish Thistle Hill roll
- Lassoed Legs Lake Lope
- Highwire Brandenburg Bootlace Struggle
- Highwire TG bootlace Blaney Kiss
- Bite electric wire
Media
In January 2010 CBBC aired the series "My life". On the first episode "Tough Kids" boys aged 11–12 take part in the assault course. Three of the boys are especially determined to tackle the course and they tell their individual story. The film was first aired on BBC1 on the 20th February 2010 as part of the "My Life" series and was produced by Indus Films, in conjunction with Film TankFilm Tank
Film Tank is a multi-award winning film production company based in the town of Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset in the United Kingdom.They work in all areas of film production, from generating and developing ideas to a full range of post production services...
On October 13, 2010 Bam's World Domination
Bam's World Domination
Bam's World Domination is a half-hour television show on Spike TV starring Bam Margera and Ryan Dunn. The special is a follow-up to the shows Viva La Bam, and Bam's Unholy Union. It premiered on October 13, 2010...
showcased Bam Margera
Bam Margera
Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera is an American professional skateboarder, television and radio personality, actor and daredevil. He released a series of videos under the CKY banner and came to prominence after being drafted into MTV's Jackass crew...
, Ryan Dunn
Ryan Dunn
Ryan Matthew Dunn was an American reality television personality and daredevil best known for being a member of the Jackass and Viva La Bam crew. He hosted Homewrecker and Proving Ground...
, and skateboarder Tim O’Connor doing the Competition.
Sources and references
- Episode of Beste Belg ('Best Belgian') program on VTM (Flemish commercial TV), 2005, entering presenter Staf Coppens's brother Matthias
- An article from Jim CapleJim CapleJim Caple is a columnist and senior writer for ESPN.com. He has worked previously with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and St. Paul Pioneer Press.Caple attended R.A...
of ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, recounting his attempt at Tough Guy 2007 - http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=toughguy2007 - Pictures from Sky NewsSky NewsSky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
of Tough Guy 2008 - http://news.sky.com/skynews/picture_gallery/0,,70141-1302857,00.html - 2008 Results from Toughguy.co.uk - http://www.toughguy.co.uk/Tough%20Guy%202008%20Individual%20Results.html
- 2010 Results can be found at http://tdl.ltd.uk/
- 2010 Photographs can be found at http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/02/tough_guy_challenge_2010.html
External links
- http://www.toughguy.co.uk/
- http://www.ballinger.lu/gallery/Tough-Guy
- Location