FARNHAM resident Ben Yallop has taken part in the Rat Race Dirty Weekend 2016 which has been dubbed “the world’s biggest obstacle course” raising more than £1,000 for the Surrey Care Trust.

The event is 20 miles long and contains 200 obstacles. It features plenty of mud and some “pretty nerve-wracking obstacles” which saw Ben crawling through a water-filled shipping container buried underground, and jumping from the top of a lorry among many other hazards.

Ben Yallop, said: “It was pretty tough. I completed the course in five hours and 14 minutes, which is a respectable time. The winner completed the course in two hours and 43 minutes. The slowest was 10 hours and 44 minutes.

“I came 497th in a field of 3,746 starters taking part in the ‘full mucker’ of 20 miles. It was very hot, but great fun. The high temperatures made the sections involving swimming in the lake the ideal way to cool down.

“I am feeling fine, but just don’t ask me to walk down stairs. I do a fair few of these sorts of events each year being something of a glutton for punishment when it comes to being submerged in icy water, jumping through fire, electrocuted, swimming through rivers and crawling through gas-filled chambers.

“Rat Race is undeniably on a bigger scale than any I have done before so, for the first time, I thought I would see if I could raise anything for charity. I have chosen to support the Surrey Care Trust, a charity which works with young people and adults in our local area.”

Surrey Care Trust identifies people who need training and mentoring to help them overcome challenges caused by illness, family breakdown or substance misuse which might otherwise put them at risk of becoming caught up in the justice system.

Ben added: “They also help past offenders including those coming out of prison. I am passionate about supporting justice and have worked for 13 years, my entire civil service career within the justice system.

“For the last eight years I have been supporting the most senior judges at the Royal Courts of Justice and I have just returned from a trip to Sierra Leone where I spent some of my annual leave supporting the development of their court administration.”