Where better a place to start than at the beginning?

Obstacle racing has been a staple part of military training for many years. It was back in 1987 that it was made available to the public for the first time by Tough Guy in Wolverhampton, England.

Over the last 25 years, the Tough Guy course has developed a legendary status and its magnitude is still unsurpassed.

A large part of the 15km course is a tangled monstrosity of wood, rope, metal and barbed wire that forms punishingly exhausting obstacles, some of which tower up to 40 feet high.

With the event taking place in January, it’s not unusual to have thick ice covering the many lakes and rivers that contestants jump into, swim through and dunk under. Those that aren’t dangerously hypothermic by the end have done pretty well!

Find out how to enter Tough Guy here