'Action woman' puts male competitors to shame in gruelling Special Forces training

They are the most elite fighting units on earth, and open only to men.

But one woman has braved the “ultimate hell” of Special Forces selection, demonstrating a toughness that put many of her male competitors to shame.

Dr Clare Miller, a 32-year-old doctor, was one of 29 people chosen to take part in an experiment that will reopen the debate on whether women should be allowed to join the Special Forces.

She endured hooded interrogation, sleep deprivation and “surf torture” in a process that saw male competitors drop out because they could not take the pace, and was determined to prove that women are not the weaker sex.

Her performance was so impressive that the first commando to train her, and one who believes women have no place in the Special Forces, singled her out as the strongest candidate in the field.

The process will be broadcast in a BBC Two series, Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week, which begins tonight, with recruits undergoing training by the SAS, US Navy Seals, and elite regiments from Australia, the Philippines, Russia and Israel.

Dr Miller, a hospital haematologist from London, is a champion duathlete and former rower who once cycled 2,626 miles across Europe to raise money for charity.

She is the UK’s fastest female obstacle racer – a pursuit that involves crawling under barbed wire, wading through freezing water and scaling eight-foot walls over a 20-mile course – and earlier this year came fourth in a field of 6,000, with only three men ahead of her. Swimming is her “weakest” discipline yet she can swim 400 metres in seven minutes.

In the first episode of the show, she is put through her paces by Ray Care, a battle-hardened former Seal who declares: “There are certain things that women should do. Going through Navy Seal training is not one of them. I’ve told women before: stay in your lane.”

Explaining why she took up the challenge, she told the Telegraph: “I’ve always loved the idea of seeing whether a woman could get through SAS training.

“I agree that if you took 100 men and 100 women, a greater majority of men would be able to physically manage the tasks involved in Special Forces training. Obviously, there are physical differences. I’m pretty strong but I weigh 55 kilos. If I was asked to lift a man weighing 20 stones I’m less likely to be able to do that than a man.

“So when it comes to strength, the guys have perhaps got an edge. But, equally, we stood up as well as the guys in the mental tasks. In the interrogation task we were at least as good as the men. I think there are roles we would certainly be good at in the Special Forces.”

In her Seal training, Dr Miller was woken on her first day after just two hours' sleep and put through a series of challenges so brutal that six candidates, the majority of them men, had dropped out by nightfall.

It began with the 'breakout', in which the group was doused and dunked in ice cold water while performing push-ups, press-ups and commando crawls until they vomited. They were ordered to continue until at least one person quit.

Over the course of the next 24 hours they were allowed just one energy bar and one drink before beginning 'surf torture': hours of exercises in the sea off the Welsh coast in temperatures of just 10 degrees. Several were treated for suspected broken bones, exhaustion and hypothermia. To warm up, they were ordered to roll down the dunes, with some so tired and disoriented they could only stagger to their feet afterwards with the help of the medical team. Just when they believed the day was over, they were made to undertake a hill climb.

Dr Miller was embarrassed to find that some of the male competitors treated women differently. “They were offering to lift things for us and I thought, that’s not really the point of this – we’re trying to prove we’re up to it as well.”

Other women taking part in the challenge include Danielle Murphy, a 33-year-old firefighter who has played football for England; Amy Jo Simpson, 34, a fitness instructor who this year will run 69 miles along Hadrian’s Wall; and Janet Lycett, who signed up at the age of 52 and is nicknamed “Pitbull”.

Care said he spotted immediately that Dr Miller stood out from the rest of the pack.

“We do this for a living and we had her picked out from the moment she showed up. Straight away we saw she was mentally the strongest.

“She was tough and could analyse problems in high stress situations, which is something that the Special Forces do. Everything she did was executed with precision. She seemed like a soldier who was a team player but was there for one thing: to win. I picked her as class leader and she was my prediction to win,” he said.

However, Care remains adamant that women should not serve in elite units, despite the US Navy announcing this month that women will be accepted as Seals if they can pass the six-month training programme.

“I’m not saying there’s a woman on earth who can’t do it,” he said. “But from a training standpoint, men have to change and get naked in front of each other. Financially, it would make no sense, because everything would have to be segregated.

“I’m not sexist. But women are made for childbearing. They are strong in their lower abs, men are strong in their backs. If I get shot, you will have to carry me over your shoulder. I know perhaps two or three women who could carry me, but they are very big girls. And girls that size have the strength but they don’t have the endurance."

But despite her instructor's doubt, Dr Miller has been inspired to contemplate a career change. “It has made me think I would like to be in the military, and I’ve sent off a few inquiries," she said. "I’m interested in a medical role in the Army in some way.”

Special forces training around the world

Each episode in the series focuses special forces training from different parts of the world

1. Navy Seals

Includes ‘surf torture’ where recruits link arms and lie down in the sea. While being smashed by the breaking waves they are forced to do sit ups and press ups for one hour.

2. Yamam (Israeli’s elite counter terror unit)

Teams dig a three ton vehicle out of a mud pit and push it 200m up a hill.

3. Navsog (Phillipine special forces)

In teams, recruits carry a 180kg log and mannequin for 5km to simulate evacuating a casualty

4. The Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR)

Recruits race for 5km carrying their 20kg backpacks to sort the weak from the strong.

5. Spetznaz (Russian special forces)

The recruits are woken in the middle of the night and put through a punishing night of stress positions. They are also blindfolded with hands bound.

6. SAS

The recruits are dropped in the middle of the Welsh country side and chased by a hunter force. This challenge simulates how a Special Forces operative would have to survive behind enemy lines.