Tough Guy History

From humble begins Tough Guy has evolved into a world renown phenomenon.  With just a couple of hundred competitors in the first few years and the odd hay bale making up the killing fields, the event has grown bigger and better every year.

1987 - Year of the Horse
The killing fields were made up of straw bales, wooden cliff tops and deep manure piles and to top it all the take home prize for everyone was a bag of of that 'oss muck!'  The athletic world was gob smacked by our brazen audacity to change the face of countryside running forever.

1992 - Jungle Commando
Without the aid of machetes the brave bodies slashed their way through the jungles of our forest.  It was simply amazing to see the bark shredded from trees by the passage of thousands who had red blood streaming from their legs, arms and torsos.

1992 - Tough Guy V Mountain Bike
No Contest - Even out on the country miles, through the slaloms and the adder slope the powerful mountain bikes were hopelessly lost.

1996 - Gladiator Challenge
Can you remember that far back?   ITV was screening the indoor answer to Tough Guy.  With fit guys challenging a set of super fit gladiators around plastic assault courses, cushioned and crash helmeted (Wimps!).   We threw out a challenge to bring the mighty Gladiators to the reality of Tough Guy.  A number of them came but finished way down the field - Not a patch on the regular Tough Guys.

1997 - The Fiery Holes
We reinvented fire walking and plonked competitors into a situation similar to that which our great grandfathers experienced in World War I at the Battle of the Somme, when men were used as cannon fodder.  Thousands perished and their bodies sank into muddy trenches, 'Too expensive to bring home' was the real reason.  Horses were left to die or hobble on scratching for food with horrific injuries - we should never allow such things to happen again.  Thus Tough Guy gives you a taste of what our granddads suffered for us to enjoy freedom of choice and this the greatest country in the world.

1998 - Seventh Broken Leg Contest Announced
The increases in competitor numbers meant the inevitable increase in in serious injuries.  The broken bone department was having a record year, so much so that an announcement was made that an all expenses holiday Caribbean style would be won by the seventh broken leg.  (A very friendly Caribbean lady was to provide her bed with scenic pictures of South Sea magic)

1998 - Summer Tough - Nettle Warrior
The Nettle Warrior was created to offer an 'in between fix' of beasting.  So we doubled the trip around the killing fields, replaced ice with masses of nettles and brambles, built a lake for water ordeals and added a tree log carry just for good measure

1999 - Year of the Tiger
This was the year really jacked up the extreme challenge and commenced an overhaul to make the course totally safe whilst still taking you to the limits of your endurance and fears.

2000 - Jesus Warriors
The millennium 2000 years after Christ, Tough Guy marked the occasion by getting competitors to lug a massive wooden cross the last mile of the course, recreating the ordeal of the original Tough Guy!  Did we inspire Mel Gibson?

Medical fallout History

See what our competitors think of Tough Guy here!