Nettle Warrior 2007

Me and my dad just got back from completing the Nettle Warrior 2007 Tough Guy challenge (www.toughguy.co.uk). I have to say that it was pretty tough! The whole course was about 8 miles, and the obstacles were pretty crazy. It started off with the 'country miles' which we thought would be a nice trot through the country, but as we headed into the woods area there was mud everywhere. I stepped to something that i thought would be a puddle and ended up waist deep on my face caked in mud, followed by 'wahhhaayyy!' by many around, and it was all downhill from there!
It was a really good event, very well organized and there were around 2500 other competitors so obstacles were literally jam packed. There were electric fence wires that you had to run through, barb wire to crawl under, logs to swim under, rope obstacles to traverse, 30 foot long pipes to crawl through in pitch black, crazy mud ditches to jump in and scramble out of.....it was a really crazy event. The entire course would have not too bad but the other 2500 competitors and mud covered obstacles made it harder. I have to admit as well that at the top of the bigger structures it was pretty dodgy at times because it would have been pretty easy to misplace a foot. My dad said that the lake we had to swim through had a huge dead fish floating next to him....god knows what is in that water!
Like anything else i did come with my preconceptions of this event, and it was similar to what i thought, although actually more challenging than i anticipated. After plunging into the lake and swimming under logs and platforms, i was affected by the cold more than anything for the rest of it, especially since it was 2 laps. At the end i couldnt hold the camera still and i was shaking all over the shop!
Really great event though, was exhausting and felt rinsed the rest of the day. Was nice to randomly see fellow northern traceur luke there too!
All in all took 3 hrs to complete, including getting all the stones and grit out of my sandals! (My dad overheard someone say i looked like Jesus lol).


Pre-event recce of the course: Just some of the many obstacles:


These tunnels were pretty nuts and it was hard to find the best technique to get through.
Pretty strange sight, sums up the day really!
My dad and his spartan sandal-esque shoes (eveyone else had trainers and trail shoes)

Looking nice and clean before the event,
Check out the new brown apparel!
My trusty Jesus running sandals, blister-tastic!