Dear all,

Thank you for taking the time to check my page. As you may or may not know, recently one of my best friends passed away, so I wanted to take this opportunity to raise some money for the charity that helped his family and friends whilst he was presumed missing.  

12 May 2012 sees me and a few of my comrades attack the Midlands leg of Tough Mudder UK. 

As people will probably know by now, my attention span is way too short to do a marathon. But I wanted to do something good to raise money in memory of Tim, so I've decided to do this 10-12 mile obstacle course (see photos for some of the obstacles or go to - http://toughmudder.co.uk/events/south-eastmidlands/south-east-midlands-2012-course-map/). There are about 27 obstacles to negotiate!

Tough Mudder is not a race. It is supposed to be a personal challenge – the goal is simply to complete the course.

I'll be putting my body on the line in aid of the Missing Persons Charity, which is for the charity that helped when our best friend Tim went missing. Please dig deep and donate what you can, big or small.

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I'll be running through obstacles such as:

"Electroshock Therapy" - Sprinting through a section of livewires (some with a 10,000V shock).

"Walk the plank" - 15ft jump into freezing cold water and swim to other side. 

"Mud Mile" - running through thick mud for a mile and negotiating my way through trenches.

Crawling Through Stinging Nettles - ...

"Boa Constrictor" - Crawling through tunnels ending in freezing cold muddy water.

"Berlin Walls" - Scaling a series of 12ft walls.

"Fire Walker" - Running through lanes of diesel soaked blazing straw. 

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The Tough Mudder Pledge: 

As a Tough Mudder I pledge that…

* I understand that Tough Mudder is not a race but a challenge.

* I put teamwork and camaraderie before my course time.

* I do not whine – kids whine.

* I help my fellow Mudders complete the course.

* I overcome all fears.

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Tough Mudder blurb:

Tough Mudder tests toughness, fitness, strength, stamina and mental grit all in one place and all in one day. Tough Mudder is a truly exceptional event for truly exceptional people. Fair weather runners should stay at home.

Marathon running is simply bad for you – FACT. The human body is not designed to run 26 miles straight over hard ground. Unless you are an Olympic athlete, road racing is a guaranteed way to say goodbye to your knees before you hit 40. At Tough Mudder, we want to test your all-round mettle, not just your ability to run in a straight line getting bored out of your mind on your own for hours on end.

Tough Mudder is also about experiencing a true sense of camaraderie that, sadly, is rarely seen outside of the military these days. To get over some of our obstacles you will need the help of others – they are simply too much for one man to tackle alone. Tough Mudders, unlike some other types of endurance racers, are team players; they help out other Tough Mudders. We want everyone to compete, but being a Tough Mudder is also about making sure no man is left behind, not worrying about your race time.