FOUR friends will push themselves to the limit when they tackle two Tough Mudders on the same day.

Doctors David Todd, Stephen Weatherhead, Jonny Rust and teacher John-Paul Riley will head to Skipton on August 1 for the challenge, which will see them navigate a 12-mile course up hill, down dale and through bogs, mud and woodland.

And then – once they have crossed the finish line – they have vowed to do it all again in support of The Encephalitis Society.

David, a clinical psychologist who was raised in Ilkley, said: “Three of us have done the Tough Mudder before but we wanted to set ourselves a big challenge in order to show our support for The Encephalitis Society, so we decided to do two Tough Mudders in a day.

“We all train fairly regularly but this will take things up another level.

“You are pretty wrecked after one Tough Mudder – caked in mud, heavy because you are wet, and exhausted after all the hard work to get through it.

“The plan is to do the first one as quickly as we can and then plod through the next one!”

The awesome foursome are raising money for The Encephalitis Society, the North Yorkshire-based charity that is the leading resource of its kind in the world for people affected by the condition – an inflammation of the brain – and their families.

They were inspired to support the organisation after David, Stephen and Jonny – all clinical psychologists specialising in neurological conditions – were impressed by the work of Dr Ava Easton, the charity's chief executive, when she did some teaching for them.

John-Paul, who is married to Stephen's cousin, also jumped at the chance to support the charity.

Stephen, of Little Neston in Cheshire, said: “We were amazed by the work The Encephalitis Society does and the way it manages to connect with individuals, families and the community.

“It provides a model of care, which we know from clinical and academic experience can make a huge difference to people’s lives.”

Dr Ava Easton, chief executive of The Encephalitis Society, said: “We are delighted to have the support of Stephen, David, Jonny and John-Paul, and wish them the best of luck on the day.

“Their efforts – and the efforts of others just like them – make a huge difference to the society and those affected by such a devastating condition.”

Visit justgiving.com\2mudders to make a donation or text NEUR55 plus amount to 70070.