A HUSBAND and wife team from Bere Alston Trekkers took part in the tough Total Warrior challenges in Cumbria at the weekend.

Among the many contestants from 37 countries were Bats Nathan and Laura Newton taking up the challenge at Shap Abbey in the Lake District.

It is described by organisers as the ultimate test of strength, stamina, agility and mental determination. The unforgiving Lake District terrain along with their specially designed hardcore obstacles means success is about survival and not speed. 

The first few miles are all 'good fun' with hills, hills and more hills.

This section was undoubtedly the hardest, peat and boggy ground, very undulating before a very welcome descent.

This took Laura and Nathan down to the water stop where they endured a barbed wire mud crawl, straight into mud filled tunnels before going up and down across hills through a 20 feet wide seven foot deep river crossing and six feet mud filled pool.

This completed, they went onto encounter a further river crossing, cargo scramble nets, 7ft walls and 30ft hay bail climbs.

Finally into the last leg after a mad dash up a muddy rock incline came another climb to the penultimate hill where they heaved themselves over the slip hazard with ropes, off down the hill to the bottom of the final climb.

The last leg of incline was between them and the finish. Legs aching and lungs burning, they rounded the bend of the final hill into the finish area, only to find that they were to run through some electric hanging wires as a final treat.

Glad to have finished Nathan and Laura enjoyed a thoroughly deserved 'victory' beer and a cold hose down to get clean! Nathan and Laura 'ran' together and finished in a great time of 1 hour 51 minutes 15 seconds.