THE region’s most fearless competitors descended on a Midlands farm to take part in this year’s Tough Guy challenge.

Heralded as “the safest most dangerous taste of mental and physical pain, fear and endurance”, the event saw around 4,000 entrants from all over the globe push their bodies to the limit by undertaking more than 100 obstacles along a gruelling assault course in Perton, Wolverhampton.

After a challenging cross-country run, contestants squirmed through nettles and barbed wire, braved electric shocks, waded through icy mud-filled swamps and leapt over fire-filled ditches.

And they gasped for air while braving bitterly cold water in the dreaded Underwater Tunnel.

Completing the eight mile course first with a time of 1 hour, 11 minutes and 34 seconds was one of Germany’s most successful adventure runners, Knut Höhler.

Just 75 per cent of competitors managed to complete the course.

Triumphant participants took to Twitter to announce their jubilation at getting through the challenge.

Mike Burnetto described it as “3.5 hours of hell”, adding: “The electric shocks and tyre tunnels were particularly unpleasant.”

Mark Denham posted: “Hardest thing I’ve done ever.”

Another user, “Lapchallenge”, wrote: “Never again. Electric shock in Vietcong tunnels nearly killed me. Evil.”