The Tough Guy race, held last week in South Staffordshire, England, bills itself as the world’s most brutal test of endurance—tougher even than the training British soldiers go through before heading off to Afghanistan, and, with frozen lakes to swim, burning hedges to cross, and more than a few electrical prods, it’s hard to muster an argument against it for short-form terror and pain. “We have a zipline this year that takes you down 1,000 meters very quickly,” the organizers practically cackle, “and if you don’t let go above the water you’ll go straight into the wall. We’ve had a fair few broken bones.”

It’s not cheap—117 U.K. pounds to enter—but, with characteristic British aplomb, organizers say, “Where in this wide wonderful world can you find such grace laced with fear, panic, and claustrophobia, together with the magic which joins up the Family of Man circle in the wealth of honest love of life?

Where, indeed?

The price seems the least of the issues with entering—and is little deterrent as more than a thousand folks were turned away. Among the challenges are:

1. The Tiger—two 40-foot A-frames that competitors must clamber up and run down and if that wasn’t tough enough in between the two is the ‘Sting in the Tail’, a series of electric fences primed and charged with twice the power required to stun a bull.

2. The Firey Holes—a series of ditches of varying depth filled with the finest spring water, interspersed with raging fires. There are floating islands in the ditches to give the illusion you can cross the ditches without getting wet. So either hurl yourself at the island, leap desperately for the other side or plunge into the murky depths covering yourself in flame retardant mud.

3. The Vietcong Tunnels—a series of ‘used’ sewer pipes that worm their way through the hillside. There is a choice of diameter but choose carefully as there is at least one dead end. You could be stuck in here for hours, no way forward and 10 Tough Guys blocking your passage back.

The Tough Guy is “only” eight miles long. Easy peasy. If you’re game for next year’s event, held in the end of January, drop by here.

Want to see the full list of obstacles at the Tough Guy? Here’s a page that puts those eight miles in perspective.

Is the Tough Guy really the toughest race? Maybe over two or three hours, but here are five ultras that will make you think twice.