Mud, sweat and cheers for Tough Guy 2014 - in pictures
Leaping flames, barbed wire barricades, thick mud and freezing waters. This is no war zone – instead an extreme assault course that pushed its thousands of competitors to the limit.
Thousands of people hauled themselves through extreme conditions for the annual Tough Guy challenge in South Staffordshire.
The event, held at South Perton Farm, is widely seen as one of the toughest assault courses in the world.
With a World War One theme this year, it saw competitors take on challenges named after some of its bloodiest battles, such as the Somme.
And those taking part waded through freezing cold water up to their necks, as well as crawling under barbed wire, running through burning bales of hay, and taking on high rope challenges – all as winds howled and rain fell.
It was reported that 56 people received first aid for injuries sustained during the race.
Around 7,000 people took part in the event from across the world yesterday.
Organiser Billy Wilson previously defended the World War One theme of this year's contest. The former Grenadier Guardsman said: "The Tough Guy is a very serious event, and a very serious taste of what it was like in the war."
Among them was Sandwell Council worker Matt Johnson, who took part to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust after his late wife Karen died from the disease a month after giving birth to their only son at the age of 32.
Father-of-one Mr Johnson, of Churchfield Drive, Rowley Regis, had set himself the brutal assault course as one of several challenges in the year of his 40th birthday.
Mr Johnson, father to nine-year-old Harry, took on the challenge with fellow Sandwell Council worker Tom Davies, and the pair trained for the event by running around the borough's canals near Oldbury and Tipton.
The 40-year-old Mr Johnson said he was hoping to raise £500 from yesterday's event. Anyone who still wants to sponsor Mr Johnson should visit http://www.justgiving.com/maf40.
