TOP 10 BRITAIN'S TOUGHEST CHALLENGES

Prepare to be amazed and inspired by these extreme tests of mind and body, plus some easier alternatives

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1 Man V Horse Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys, Wales

Man V Horse began, as all great events should, following a debate in the pub (the Neuadd Arms in Llanwrtyd Wells) over the merits of humans and horses over mountainous terrain. Beers duly sunk, the first Man V Horse race was in 1980, and it’s now become an established annual event where runners pit their endurance capabilities against horses over a 22-mile course in Llanwrtyd Wells, in the hills of mid-Wales.

The course has a six-hour time cut-off and starts outside the Neuadd Arms. The route takes in the trails, roads and hills of the South Cambrian Mountains in mid-Wales.

The runners may have a 15-minute head start over the horses (and riders), but the equine contestants have long dominated this hoof-friendly podium. It took 25 years for a horse to relinquish the top spot. In 2004 Huw Lobb took home £25,000 as the first human victor; the escalating jackpot increases by £500 for every year that a horse wins.

Equine entrants have only lost four times in the event's 45-year history. But, with human victories in 2022 and 2023, could the momentum now be shifting to those on two legs? We'll find out when Man V Horse returns on 14 June in 2025. Matt Baird green-events.co.uk

2 Slateman Ultra Llanberis, Wales