Wading on his hands and knees through the icy waters of a dark tunnel David Cameron brought to mind another active young leader-in-waiting as he tackled an obstacle during a charity run to raise money for a local school on Saturday.
Self-confessed fitness-fanatic and president elect Barack Obama is just one of several political figures who've made headlines with their action man approach this year. Russian premier Vladimir Putin has also been pictured tracking tigers and stripping off for an afternoon's fishing.
And while the Conservative leader's efforts along the Great Brook Run's mile-long Oxfordshire course may not have been in quite the same league, the message was the same - fit, healthy, and up for a challenge.
Cheered on by wife Samantha and their three children, the 42-year-old finished in a respectable 25th place out of more than 100 runners.
"We had to crawl under a bridge and it was very muddy. But, you know, I really enjoyed it," said the Witney MP, before adding it was "a good way to run off the Christmas turkey".