The Tough Guy Challenge: The Hardest Race in the World
People all over the world are always looking to push themselves to the limit. One of the best ways for people to do this in today’s health and safety obsessed world is by taking part in the Tough Guy Challenge. This is a one of a kind race that is an extreme sport like no other. It pushes contestants to the limit and a large proportion of them do not even finish the gruelling competition. Over the years it has changed and evolved to become a sort of proving ground for all those who want to show that they have what it takes. There is even a tough guy race for kids. We will see this event growing in popularity over the coming few years.
The Tough Guy Challenge was first started in 1986 by an endurance enthusiast named Billy Wilson who wanted to show the world something new and different from all the boring races out there, (Wikipedia, 2010). The race was started as a test of human endurance and to see what exactly people can achieve. It was born out of a disdain for the way the health and safety requirements of the UK had become an obsession. Every little thing had a health and safety tag attached to it, from taking kids to the park to a trip to the supermarket. Employment forms had almost 10 pages of extra health and safety information attached to them and people were a little fed up.
Enter the Tough Guy Challenge; a race like no other. The race has been called the world’s hardest endurance course ever. The one of a kind eight mile obstacle course is made up of underwater tunnels, barbed wire fences that have to be crawled under, fire walks and swims across ice ponds, (Associated Newspapers Ltd, 2010). The course is so gruelling that a large proportion of the participants do not even finish the course. It is definitely not for the faint of heart, but has attracted people from all over the world and from all walks of life.
The 2010 Tough Guy Challenge was the 24th edition to the long standing tradition. It saw 5000 competitors line up at the starting line to try and overcome the massive challenge before them. 600 people could not complete the course this year and the barb wire or the icy swims probably got the better of them, (Alan Taylor, 2010). The most interesting aspect of the race is the fact that it is all done in the name of charity. The founder of the race, Billy Wilson, was also known as Mr. Mouse and he set up a charity called the Mr. Mouse Farm for Unfortunates. So along with being a very cool and unique extreme race, it is also doing something to help people in need across the world. Most people set up extreme races or extreme sporting events with the aim of doing something wild and crazy and also earn a good amount of money along the way. The Tough Guy Challenge is different; it is built on the same principle of doing something exciting and unique in the world but it wants to change the world in a small way as well.
There are three different types of races that make up the Tough Guy Challenge; the first is the original Tough Guy Challenge, the next is the ominous sounding Nettle Warrior and the third is Screwball Thug which is the Tough Guy Challenge for kids. Yes kids; 10 to 14 year olds take part in a watered down version of the race accompanied by an adult. While we should all be proud of the Tough Guy race throwing a blind eye to the crazy health and safety rules of today, a kid’s race might be taking it one step too far. The Nettle Warrior race is the summer version of the Tough Guy race. It is exactly like the Tough Guy race that takes place in the blistering cold of January, except for a few painful details. Instead of having to deal with sub-zero temperatures, the contestants have to do the course twice instead of just once and have to deal with the added pain of 7 foot stinging nettles, (Rachel Dixon, 2010). This does not sound pleasant at all but for those that took part this year it was the most exhilarating thrill ride of their lives.
The Tough Guy Challenge gives ordinary people a chance to escape from their boring lives for one day a year and push themselves to the limit. It makes them feel alive and gives the extreme sports junkies out there a taste of something new. This race has been going strong for the last 24 years and looks all set to continue in the future. What new innovations and variants will emerge, we will have to wait and see. But for the time being there are the existing and very cool Tough Guy races to deal with. Anyone for running through nettles?
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