500 metres west of Southport in the salt water Marine Lake lies Hell Island. That is what it will become on Saturday 20th April for over 1000 tired competitors who will scramble onto her rocky shores.



The manmade island was originally built between 1890 and 1900 as the North West coastal resort grew against the backdrop of increasing fashion and demand for sea air. Today it is an unfriendly terrain of dense vegetation, squawking birdlife and an army of territorial brown rats.

Hell Island will be the one of the key obstacles for the challengers lining up to tackle XtremeSTORM - the World's Toughest Urban Assault Challenge. Adrenaline-loving men and women are set to travel from across the globe to battle it out across 18 stamina testing kilometres, taking in the unique natural and structural assets of Southport seafront.

As Hell Island watches the throngs of competitors make their way through the icy cold water she will crouch in waiting with an armoury of punishments including a 1000 metre-long maze to play cruel games with exhausted minds, sheer climbs that will demand the impossible of legs already numb from the cold, before every weary competitor will be forced to crawl commando-style and face first into the blacked out ‘Rat Tunnel’ to face the ‘xtreme unknown.’

XtremeSTORM. Race Director, Jonathan Cunningham MBE is a former Army Major. With 20 years in the military and a career that included a tour in Belfast and an esteemed battle planning position in the Gulf War, he is no stranger to hostile places. “But when we are here cutting the route through this island, this feels as much like the wilderness as any place I have been, even the webbed and twisted trees themselves seem to forbid you from coming onto this island. It is undisturbed and with the lack of predators, thousands of large rats rule the place, quietly stalking sparrows and ducks. One thing is for sure, they will not be expecting people and they will not make us welcome.”

Revealing the obstacle today as he took in the 360 degree view of the choppy Marine Lake from the island, Jonathan explained: “The XtremeSTORM design team have used all of the natural features of the undergrowth and trees and it really has captured the imagination as we are the first urban endurance obstacle event to include an island as one of our main features. Many locals have also had a foreboding curiosity about the place and it has become somewhat of an enigma to the public. Now here a perfect chance to be a part of the invasion.”

XtremeSTORM is an 18 kilometres grueling race built by decorated ex military forces. The event is based in Southport, Merseyside, UK and consists of torturous endurance racing over some of the North-West’s most spectacular coastal scenery. Launching and concluding from Victoria Park competitors will endure over 35 obstacles over the whole body numbing course of sadistic pain, Entries are available on- line