OA comes third in the 'Tough Guy' alternative endurance race.
OA Alex Brazier (O08) came third
in a gruelling, alternative endurance race called ‘Tough Guy’ at the end
of January.
First staged in 1986, the Tough Guy Challenge is held on a 600-acre (2.42 square km) farm in Perton, near Wolverhampton. 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.
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 machine-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.
Alex said in an interview with King's College:
‘The race is ultimately very macho, but then again, there is a real sense of camaraderie, which is one of the best things about the race. Everyone helps and supports each other with the obstacles and through the cold, which is really nice. Although, unfortunately, if you’re at the front, there isn’t that much help!’