Superman star Henry Cavill gets muddy taking on Royal Marines in Commando Challenge

He may be Superman, but actor Henry Cavill was put through his paces by the true men of steel this weekend when he joined Royal Marines on the Commando Challenge.

The actor joined hundreds of civilians raising money for The Royal Marines Charity and Devon Air Ambulance Trust by taking part in the gruelling fitness trial through a series of muddy tunnels, pits and ponds.

Henry was joined by Royal Marines for his turn round the obstacle course, which includes the requirement to commando crawl through a muddy pit before taking on the infamous sheep dip and dive through a short underwater tunnel.

The event uses part of the endurance course on Woodbury Common where recruits from the Royal Marines’ Lympstone training base undertake their first commando test.

One of the Royal Marines who joined Henry on the Commando Challenge was Lance Corporal Ben Laws, 22, from Ipswich. He said:

“Henry was a really down-to-earth guy and he gave the challenge a good go, definitely living up to his on-screen persona. He put a lot of effort into the day and really became part of the team, motivating the others and taking it all in his stride. Of course we made sure he got properly muddy and he was a very good sport about it all.”

The Commando Challenge is a chance for families and members of the public to meet Royal Marines and raise money for worthy causes.

Competitors can choose to complete either a 4km, 10km or 17km run and have to demonstrate true Royal Marines Commando spirit – courage, determination, cheerfulness, and unselfishness to get around the challenging course.

The endurance course on Woodbury Common is tackled by the Royal Marines recruits during the latter stages of their 32 weeks of basic training. The endurance course is one of four commando tests recruits have to undertake to earn their green beret.