Joel Hicks

In 2008 I began the year in the cold waters of Tooting Bec Lido, before managing to persuade an unlucky lady to act as my wife in the Leith Hill Wife Carrying Race. Having managed to romp home to victory, I picked up more than £150 in charity prize money which I elected once again to donate to Rainbows Children's Hospice.

I then took part in some very tough and brusing affairs. Most notably, in March I appeared in the village of Hallaton in Leicestershire as a Telletubby to take part in the brutal Bottle Kicking event, which was followed by Glass and Fire Walking in Gloucestershire, the Wrekin Barrel Race in Shropshire and Cheese Rolling down Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire.

The summer months weren't quite so dangerous, however I still managed to pick up a number of notable lumps and bumbs after being asking to stand as the target in the accuracy discipline of the World Egg Throwing Championships. This was followed by the Custard Pie Championships, the Worthing Birdman (a late switch after the competition at Bognor had to be cancelled), and the World Pea Shooting Championships.

After travelling to Wolverhampton to once again tread the Nettle Warrior course, and to Lancashire to battle other lunatics in the World Gravy Wrestling Championships, I flew to Spain to take part in La tomatina (the world's biggest tomato fight!), and then to Berlin to compete in the Berlin Marathon as a Gingerbread Man, before hitting the streets of Newcatle once more for the Great North Run!

As 2008 drew to close I galloped my way around the Pantomime Horse Grand National in Birmingham on my horse "Good For Glue... But Not Alot Else!" before finally ending the year by competeing in the Leicester Santa Dash which was held in Victoria Park - this time, however, I elected to show that Santa doesn't have a beard on all of his cheeks!