The Tough Guy race is one of the hardest events in the land – brutally separating the men from the boys. The Oxford Mail’s Alex Castle gave it a go for a cause close to his heart...and lived to tell the tale

It was not your average Sunday country walk. Last autumn, I signed up to what would be the most testing and toughest challenge I have ever taken – the Tough Guy challenge – in a bid to raise money for a charity close to my heart, Prostate Cancer UK.

I was joined by two friends, Oliver Lloyd, a 24-year-old engineer from Bampton, who was raising money for the St Thomas Lupus Trust, and Henri McKechnie, a 24-year-old fireman.

Tough Guy the Original is classed as one of the world’s toughest events, and set in beautiful countryside near Wolverhampton, in the midst of winter.

Friends and family said I was mad, but nonetheless, this spurred me on to accomplish something I never would have dreamed of doing.

Tough Guy is an unforgiving course, with many hopeful participants failing to complete the course each year.

Having checked to see the figures, just 2,500 of the 4,500 or so runners completed it. Every year there are broken bones, hypothermia and twisted ankles – and you have to sign a death warrant waver before you run, which brings home the risk.

I might add at this stage, that Tough Guy consists of a 15km cross country run littered with challenges, before you ultimately reach the pleasant-sounding The Killing Fields – a 2km stretch that will toy with even the strongest of minds as you tackle obstacle after obstacle.

Before reaching this stage, there are a set of five submersion obstacles through icy water, electric wires designed to sap the energy from your mind and muscles, jumps through fire and the wretched slalom run.

There are few words to describe this event, other than just, indescribable.

It’s torturous, unforgiving, relentless, but of all things, it changes you, leaving you feeling you can conquer anything.

The sense of euphoria on crossing that finish line would make any man cry.

And it’s all for the glory of Tough Guy. Well, not quite. It was really for my Grandpa, who, in 2014, passed away from prostate cancer; and it was for my family and friends who are related, or know someone, with this disease. I managed to raise a total of £765 for this wonderful charity. Men United, I did this for you!

If you want to find out more about prostate cancer, or you are unsure of what to look out for, visit prostatecanceruk.org.

Would I do it again? Absolutely!

To support Alex’s fundraising, you can still donate at justgiving.com/alex-toughguychallenge.