Tough Mudder challenge: Man in wheelchair competes 12-mile race

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Rob Camm takes part in the Tough Mudder challengeImage source, PA
Image caption,
Rob Camm and team take part in the Tough Mudder challenge

A man paralysed from the neck down has taken part in a 12-mile off-road race controlling a wheelchair with his chin.

Rob Camm, 21, said he had wanted to do the Tough Mudder challenge since hearing about it before his accident.

Mr Camm, who was injured in a car crash, is believed to be the first tetraplegic to take part in event.

He could not tackle every obstacle in Cirencester Park, Gloucestershire, but powered across muddy terrain in the wheelchair.

Competitors tackle assault course obstacles, including mud. Events are held across the world.

Image source, PA
Image caption,
Mr Camm had wanted to do the Tough Mudder since before his accident in 2013

Speaking after the race, Mr Camm told BBC Radio Bristol he was "happy that I've done it, but a bit tired - but probably not as tired as all these guys who have been round with me".

His support team, including his father Ian Camm and cousin Simon Camm, tackled obstacles such as walls and tunnels.

Mr Camm practised by driving round the fields and the woods near his house in Breadstone, Gloucestershire, to get used to being off-road.

He said he wore a poncho for much of the way around to keep the rain off.

"This is what I wanted to do before [the accident] and it's what I'm doing now. There's no reason not to do it," he said.

Mr Camm, a keen rugby player, was paralysed in the crash in September 2013, a week before he was due to start university.

He is now studying politics and philosophy at the University of Bristol.

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