Thousands tackle '˜world's toughest assault course' as Rat Race Dirty Weekend event takes place in Stamford

Around 7,000 runners braved 20 miles of challenging terrain and 200 huge obstacles at the Rat Race Dirty Weekend event yesterday.

By The Newsroom

Published 8th May 2016, 09:11 BST

Updated 8th May 2016, 10:47 BST

Burghley Park Rat Race 2016 action EMN-160705-170424009

Held in the grounds of Burghley House, Stamford, and billed as “the world’s toughest assault course” it attracted participants from across the country.

The course included a number of world record-breaking challenges – including the world’s longest monkey bars, the biggest stand-alone structural obstacle, the highest platform jump, an unfeasibly long cat crawl and obstacle racing’s highest pyramid of hay bales

Other obstacles included energy-sapping inflatables, mud runs, huge wooden frames, vertical walls and the Water Wipe Out zone.

Burghley Park Rat Race 2016 action EMN-160705-165358009

And, as if 20 miles wasn’t enough, 75 of the competitors chose to tackle the ‘Dirty Double Ultra’, running not one, but two laps of the entire course.

The action was followed by a huge party with ex-Radio 1 DJ Dave Pearce entertaining the crowds.

Burghley House Stamford