“It was brilliant. Mad. Fun. A great laugh. All those things and more,” said a friend, Super Dad Dave, when I caught up with him after he’d taken part in the recent Tough Mudder event at Drumlanrig in Dumfries and Galloway .

“Truly bonkers. Like being drunk and sort of out of my mind all the way through the event… But such amazing fun,” said another pal, Go-Fot-It Gayle.

The Tough Mudder is renowned for being a kick-ass kind of mental event and is billed as “probably the toughest event on the planet”. A series of Tough Mudders take place across the UK and obstacles include Mud Mile, Reed Romp, Swamp Stomp, Berlin Walls, Fire Walker and Turd’s Nest. They appear to be as bonkers as they sound!

The event description says: “Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, determination, and camaraderie.

“But Tough Mudder is more than an event, it’s a way of thinking. By running Tough Mudder, you’ll unlock a true sense of accomplishment, have a great time, and discover a camaraderie with your fellow participants that’s experienced all too rarely these days.”

At Drumlanrig, across two days, thousands took on the Tough Mudder challenge. So what was it like?

Taking part in the Tough Mudder

“There was this ice bath, at the start,” said Go-For-It Gayle,  33, who participated in a team with four friends on July 14. “It is called the Arctic Enema and involves being immersed in a pool of ice. You have to go under things so you have a full-on ice cream feeling to your whole body.

“And there was this lake of mud. God, that was ridiculous. You were wading through thick, gloopy mud and then had to go under obstacles. I have never been so caked in mud in my life and I never thought I’d ever get clean again after this event.”

Gayle, who signed up to the Tough Mudder because she just fancied doing something different, rated the mud obstacles as her “favourite”.

Electroshock Therapy obstacles

Super Dad Dave, 26, thought the Electroshock Therapy obstacle was the most bonkers. He explains: “You had to go through a section of hanging live wires. If your body touched these you got an electric shock. It was crazy. It didn’t harm you but it did give you a shock.”

Super Dad, who took part in the event with a team of three friends, was also stunned by the height of the Berlin Wall obstacle. “You had to rely on your friends to get you over. There was no way you could get up and over it yourself.”

For Go-for-It Gayle, who is only 5ft tall, the climb over the Berlin wall was a huge struggle. “I had to get to guys to hoist me up and then I had to stand on my tip-toes on the upraised hands. It was completely mad!”

Super Dad, who is a father to two young children and enjoys Mixed Martial Arts and hill running for fitness, reckoned his favourite part of the event was the “great atmosphere”.

Dave says: “No one was taking it seriously and everyone was out to have a laugh and to help each other. The camaraderie was amazing. And the imagination that has been put into the obstacles was incredible. The organisers must spend a lot of time creating the obstacles and then building them.”

For some potential entrants, the cost of between £70 and £90 to enter, depending on where you register, was off-putting. But both Super Dad and Go-For-It said it was worth the money. They both talked about the high quality of the event and the amazing obstacles. Plus there were great goodie bags at the end, including t-shirts, beer and energy bars, as well as an after-event party.

For Super Dad the best obstacle was one in which participants had to swim through a lake and under barrels. “I loved being in the water and the challenge to swim under the barrels was great,” he said. “I also really liked the obstacle that involved climbing up to a high platform and jumping off into water. It was awesome.”

Both Super Dad and Go-For-It took more than three hours to go the full distance of the event, although no-one is timed and the aim is to simply finish and to help others to finish.

“It wasn’t that far, about 12 miles, but the obstacles slowed you up and we didn’t run in between every obstacle,” said Go-For-It. “We did some walking. There were also queues to get on some obstacles, too, which gave you the chance for a breather and an opportunity to watch all the others having a laugh!”

Will they take part in the Tough Mudder again?

Both say they will do the event again. Go-For-It has already pre-registered for next year’s Scotland Tough Mudder.

And Super Dad says: “I loved every moment of it. I’d definitely like to do it again. After every obstacle I kept saying to my teammates how brilliant the challenge was. I loved being outdoors, pushing myself and doing mad obstacles. It was all so awesome.”

Their only criticism? The lack of overnight camping close to the event. Gayle simply headed home to Glasgow, although she would have stayed for an overnight if there had been a campsite for the event. Dave wild camped with his wife and sister. But would have preferred a “proper campsite”.

Pre-register here for Tough Mudder Scotland on August 24 and 25, 2013