Tough Guys at Trent College

Eight brave teachers from Trent College have taken part in what is said to be the world’s most demanding one day survival ordeal, all in the name of charity.

Teachers Geoff Thompson, James Prince, Max Stevens, Guy Hope, Dan Brown, Kevan Taylor, James Marriot and Ben Ward competed in ‘Tough Guy’ during the last weekend in January to raise money for the Haiti Earthquake Appeal.

Tough Guy is an annual charity event run in Perton, South Staffordshire and claims to be ‘The World’s safest, most dangerous taste of mental and physical pain, fear and endurance’. The Tough Guy charity operates a horse sanctuary for retired/injured racehorses, which is used as a rehabilitation centre for young offenders.

The event, which was first staged in 1986, consists of an eight mile cross county run, followed by a two mile assault course consisting of 21 obstacles including high rope-climbs, barbed wire crawls, electrified obstacles, icy underwater tunnels, walls of fire, and lots of mud! Competitors even sign a ‘Death Warrant’ before the event, accepting full responsibility for their own recklessness.

Around 5000 people entered this year’s event, with just over 4000 completing the course. Design and Technology teacher Ben Ward, who organised Trent College’s participation in the event, came in a magnificent 150th place, with a time of just over 1 hour and 40 minutes. This is the fourth time Trent College have entered a staff team and they are looking to compete again next year.

Ben said: “Tough Guy is unlike any other event; the freezing temperatures really add another dimension to what is already a very challenging course. There is a fantastic camaraderie between competitors that shows just how well people can pull together when the going gets tough!”