Pretty Muddy obstacle race at Sandwell Valley Country Park - in PICTURES and VIDEO

Women and girls battled over a three-mile course throwing themselves down chutes, wriggling under cargo nets, bouncing on space hoppers and charging through a mud pit - whilst continually being drenched by race organisers armed with water guns.

But it was all for a good cause with around £200,000 being raised for Cancer Research UK from Saturday's inaugural event at West Bromwich.

Most of the female-only field had personal reasons for taking part, with many sticking up messages about their loved ones in the warm-up area.

Midwife Lavinia Henry, 49, from Penn, Wolverhampton, had two good friends in mind as she battled her way around the course.

"One of them, Gail, had signed up to do this event but was diagnosed with bowel cancer so this is quite poignant for me. My other friend, Jo, is currently fighting cancer," she said.

Schoolgirl Charlotte Price, aged 13, of Short Street, Wednesbury, was running in celebration of her grandfather's fight against the disease.

She wore a T-shirt with the message: "If it wasn't for research, he wouldn't have seen me grow up into the individual I am today."

Nurse Julie Darcy, of Walsall Wood, organised a group of 15 friends and workmates to take part in the fundraiser after the experience of caring for her mother in the last six months of her life.

Her mum Doreen died aged 72 on New Year's Day 2015 after fighting four different types of cancer over 29 years. Her father John, 76, was at the event, sporting a T-shirt bearing his wife's smiling face, to support the group.

The mission to find a cure for cancer has become a burning passion for 51-year-old Julie. Earlier this year she organised a huge cake sale outside the family home in Sally Ward Drive which raised more than £4,000 for research into the disease.

In the meantime she is studying for a degree in end-of-life and palliative care and plans to move out of general nursing to work in palliative care.

She said: "As a nurse at Walsall Manor Hospital, I've been involved in acute medical assessment but palliative care is a very different type of nursing, helping patients towards as peaceful and painless a death as possible, and supporting their families."

Among her group were 36-year-old Kelly Price, a kitchen assistant from Walsall Wood, who lost her grandmother nine years ago to lung cancer just three weeks after diagnosis.

And doctors broke the news to her father three years ago that he had adrenal cancer, a less common form of the disease. She said: "His only option was open surgery but he has been three years in remission now."

Mother-of-two Caroline Bennett, 37, also of Walsall Wood, said she was taking part to support her friends 'and to have fun', she added.

Bob's Babes, a group of 11 women, were running in memory of Bob Bird who died aged 69 only a week ago.

His daughter Amiee Bird, 24, said they had been planning to take part in the event and decided to continue despite retired site manager Bob's sudden death.

Amiee, from Sutton Coldfield, said: "He was diagnosed with cancer in April and had been due to start new treatment but unfortunately he suffered a sudden decline and then had a heart attack. We decided the best thing to do would be to carry on and run in his name."

The group of 'best friends' said Bob loved playing golf, cooking, Formula 1 and gin. They hope to raise at least £3,200 from taking part.