'Tough Guy' contest: Eight miles of mud, barbed wire, broken glass and fire... the race that defies our 'elf and safety culture

By Daily Mail Reporter
Updated: 14:39 EDT, 5 February 2010

More than 5,000 people worldwide descended on a small corner of farmland today to brave mud, rain, ice and fire on a gruelling assault course dubbed 'the world's hardest endurance test'.

Thousands of competitors, some in superhero fancy dress as Superman and Robocop, flocked to the 'Tough Guy' contest in Perton, Staffordshire, today to push their bodies to the limit in frosty temperatures.

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A competitor runs through the field of fire during today's 'Tough Guy' race

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Endurance: A man calls out in pain as he crawls across chunks of ice beneath barbed wire

Flaming hell: Two competitors clears a fire obstacle during the Tough Guy Challenge this afternoon

The eight-mile long assault course features terrifying underwater tunnels, barbed wire fences and fire walks.

It sees competitors stretched to their physical boundaries as they clamber over nets, walls and even an electrified fence dubbed 'The Tiger'.   

Brave Britons, Aussies, New Zealanders, Chinese and Japanese all took part in the rainy event - which saw its fair share of broken bones and bruised bodies.

Among the competitors were serving policemen and military personnel - but some of the more daring wore costumes, including 25 people dressed up as Liquorice Allsorts.

Event organiser Mouser Wilson, said: 'We' didn't have much ground space, we had about 7,000 people here and we had to shut the doors to the public because everybody wanted to do it.

'We have had to turn at least a thousand away.

A competitor emerges from the water as he takes part in the Tough Guy 2010 race near Telford

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A racer comes up for air after crawling through a water-logged tunnel

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The Tough Guy Race consists of a cross country run followed by an assault course

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Tired, muddy but very happy: Two women competing in the Tough Guy Competition at South Perton Farm

'We had plenty of military with us, many said that this course was harder than the army.

'I had a captain in Afghanistan write to me saying the British Army recognise Tough Guy as the most arduous test of physical and mental endurance.

'They want to send a lot of troops here to try the course before they send them off to Afghanistan.

'There is nothing like this in the world, and that is why people from all over the globe want to come here.

'Every year there's something new - we have a zipline this year which takes you down a 1,000 metres very quickly and if you don't let go above the water you'll go straight into the wall. 'We had a fair few broken bones.

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Hotting up: A competitor leaps across flaming peat at the end of the Tough Guy assault course

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Bloodied but unbowed, a racer crawls beneath barbed wire

'But people attempt the course as a journey of self discovery, if people break their legs, they don't come whining like many in our blame and claim culture - they ring up and apologise saying "Please let me come back next year".'

Mr Wilson added: 'We've had more and more children asking to do it, so we're going to hold the first ever kids-only Tough Guy in October.'  

One competitor, Liam Posthewaite, 32, from Bristol, said: 'This is the hardest thing I've ever physically done.

'Every single inch of you aches afterwards but the sense of achievement is so satisfying that it's worth the pain.

'This is the first time I've done it... but it won't be the last.'

For 20 years, consistant development and over £2 million has been invested in creating over 100 obstacles on our dedicated 150 acre venue

In 1990 organisers decided to name females Tough Amazons. There was a mass outcry from the ladies shouting we are Tough Guys

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The annual event to raise cash for charity challenges thousands of international competitors in a cross country run followed by an assault course consisting of 21 obstacles including water, fire and tunnels