Tough Guy extreme obstacle course, running race for those too hard for marathons
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Last Sunday, and with no advertising to lure them, 5,000 people, 90% of them male, converged on a 150-acre area of countryside in South Staffordshire, the Dickensian-sounding Mr Mouse Farm For Unfortunates. There, they spent anything between 57 minutes and five hours running through turbulent streams and ludicrously uneven woodland areas, up precipitous mud hills and down nettle-festooned slopes, tackling obstacles with names such as Tyre Torture and Fiery Holes. This year, only 3,000 managed to finish the course. The 1997 race saw seven people break their legs, and in 2001, 700 people developed hypothermia. This is why participants were encouraged to take out personal insurance and sign health-risk waivers. This is why the event is called Tough Guy.
Okay, so it is a bit of fun and great marketing but is it any good for you?
The organiser was heavily involved in setting up the London Marathon in the early 80s and then decided that road running was breaking people down, causing long term injuries. He got into doing shorter off road events to reduce the amount of stress on joints by picking courses on softer ground.
The article interviews one runner who describes the functional training programme she uses to be able to compete in this race:
The specific training’s really changed my bodyshape: I’m doing a lot of hanging from bars, burpees [jumping to a squat from a press-up position, then jumping to an upright position] and press-ups, which I could never do before.” Hinks completed the course in an admirable two hours and 45 minutes. “I’m very impressed with myself. I’ve got baby biceps, I’ve lost a stone in weight, and my upper body has really developed.”
So, soft ground, full body exercise and a good chance of hypothermia… I guess it is up to you to make the trade off.
Link to the Guardian story
Link to a Guardian gallery of photos
Link to a Flickr Group, lots of good photos
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