Bin your baggy cotton tee-shirts and shorts! That’s one of the top tips for the 750 competitors who will be taking to the start line on August 1 for the Tough Mann Adventure Challenge in association with Manx Telecom. The 10km assault course race – held at Ballamoar Farm, Ballaugh – includes 25 obstacles such as muddy bogs, rope scrambles and monkey bars. It’s a real challenge just to complete the course – so we asked co-organiser Richie Cryer to give his five top tips to help get you round.

• Don’t wear baggy cotton tee-shirts and shorts because they will soon be soaking wet and will stretch. You don’t want to carry extra pounds in water all around the course. Cotton underwear is also a no-no. Wear tight-fitting, quick-drying technical fabrics – and garments that ideally cover your knees and elbows to give extra protection when scrambling and crawling.
• Shoes: Normal trainers will do, but they will carry a lot more mud and water. Ideally you want trail shoes which will offer extra grip and won’t soak up as much water. Whatever shoes you wear, make sure to tie them tight so they don’t come off in muddy sections - but don't tape them on as the tape may work loose and trip you up.
• Unless you are an experienced fell or cross-country runner, pace yourself up ‘Killer Hill’ at the start of the course which climbs 1,000 feet in just 2kms. Power-walking up the hill is better than trying to run up and finding that you’re exhausted at the top.  Remember, there’s still 8km to go when you get to the summit!
• Gloves are useful for a lot of the obstacles, but some obstacles such as the monkey bars are easier to tackle with bare hands. If you do use gloves, just wear a cheap pair that you can discard if you need to.
• Don't bother with a Camelbak/water backpack. It will just get caught on netting or weighed down with mud. Instead, make sure you eat well and drink plenty of water on the morning of the race, and the day before. There are also two drink stations around the course.

All entrants have a chance to win some great prizes from Manx Telecom with Sony smartphones and fitness bands being awarded to the fastest man and fastest woman in the under 21, 21-40, and over 40s categories. All three members of the fastest team will each receive a Sony smartphone and fitness band. The first man and first woman to reach the summit of ‘Killer Hill’ will be presented with ‘King and Queen of the Mountain’ jerseys made by www.provisionclothing.co.uk which is the company run by Steve Joughin, the Manx cycling legend who was twice crowned British Road Race Champion. The polka-dot design of the jerseys is inspired by the Tour de France King of the Mountains jersey.

On race day, there will be ample car-parking but organisers are urging anyone arriving by car to get there before noon. The event starts at 1pm. All those who have entered must attend a registration session in person on July 31 at Paragon Recruitment, 1 Hill Street, Douglas. It runs from 5pm to 7.30pm and competitors must bring photographic ID.

Earlier this year Manx Telecom announced a three year deal to sponsor the event until 2017. Tough Mann is also being supported by event partners including Paddy Power, Paragon Recruitment, and Manx Independent Carriers to name just a few. Full event details can be found at www.toughmann.com.

Photo - Super hero Daniel Looney competing in the 2014 Tough Mann Adventure Challenge.