Sara Cox's Grueling Children In Need Challenge Raises £331k
Sara Cox’s Emotional Journey for BBC Children In Need
Sara Cox recently found herself overwhelmed with emotion after her challenging Children In Need event managed to raise an impressive £439,225 in just one day. The expedition, which is the longest-ever BBC Children In Need Challenge for Radio 2, is set to span five days and began on Monda with the star surrounded by locals and a unique group of supporters.
At the starting line, Sara was encouraged by a local bagpiper while she was then met with Alpacas when she reached Northumberland. On Tuesday, BBC Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay informed Sara that she had raised an incredible £439,225. She expressed her gratitude, stating, “Wow! Oh my god, thank you so much. That's incredible...the Radio 2 audience, as ever, are coming for me like a storm.”
She continued, “Yay! We've raised some serious cash - you guys are amazing, thanks so much for donating, keep going!”
Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill discussed with Vernon Kay what it takes for big athletic feats like Sara's challenge. She emphasized the importance of both physical and mental strength. “A lot of it is physical. But actually the mental side is the most important side. For me, it was something we focused on a lot. How do you handle the training sessions. How do you put your mind to a place where it needs to be when you're really struggling. And feeling tired and fatigued. Sara's gonna be feeling that and is going to need to find a good mindset.”
“To be successful, you have to have a strong mentality. She's gonna be feeling this, it's such a huge challenge. You need to think about the bigger picture, this incredible challenge, and the difference it's going to make.”
Just a few hours earlier on The Radio 2 Breakfast Show, Scott Mills told Sara she had raised over £331,000 in a single day. A stunned Sara said, “Oh my gosh, oh wow, that's amazing! Oh gosh, incredible. Thank you so much. Every penny is going to go towards changing and saving lives. Thank you. You're making lives so much easier for so many kids and their parents - for the whole families.”
After months of intensive training, Sara kicked off Day 2 of her Great Northern Marathon Challenge, making the on-foot journey from Hexham to Wolsingham in very wet weather conditions. It's the highest day of the challenge, featuring a gruelling 1,500-foot ascent up Bale Hill — all while carrying a very special Pudsey Bear backpack.
Speaking to Scott, Sara added, “From waking up and having a bit of breakfast and stuff I feel like my anxiety is really high. Everyone is asking how I am feeling, what's hurting, how I am doing. I am nervous basically. But then as we get closer and closer to the start line, the good old adrenaline kicks in and I just start to get a bit more cheery and sort of buzzing.”
“We are in a rainy carpark of a sort of athletic track, sort of stadium place and there's loads of people already with their kids. They have all got their hoods up because the drizzle has started. And so just people making the effort to come out and say hello gives me…gives me a right boost, it does Scott. I mean there are so many dogs. So many dogs. It's really on brand for me.”
Sara added the weather conditions were 'pretty bad' and she'd accepted she would have to get 'wet and cold'. After months of intensive training, Sara headed off while carrying a Pudsey Bear backpack weighing only 270 grams.
The mission is to get Pudsey to Pudsey in Leeds by Friday – a symbolic journey carrying BBC Children In Need's iconic mascot from border to heartland. Covering 135 miles on foot across four counties – Northumberland, Durham, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire – Sara's Great Northern Marathon Challenge marks Radio 2's longest-ever challenge in terms of duration.
She will only be relying entirely on her own feet – whether walking or jogging, with no other means of transport such as bikes or cars on the mission. Locals arrived to cheer Sara on and Stuart Todd from Morpeth Pipe Band played Sara off as she began the journey on Monday morning. Andrea Foote – a trustee of Morpeth Riding for the Disabled Association who provide horse-riding lessons for disabled children – was designated horn-blower.
Sara said, “I am going to be running when I can, and then I will be striding along…I may be occasionally stumbling, limping and weeping, but I will getting my sorry self to Pudsey in Leeds on Friday... There are lots of surprises along the way so listen to Radio 2 this week. The Pudsey backpack is very very light, he has been made by some very clever people. He's super light, I am going to strap him to my back... I am going to be getting him the whole way to Pudsey hopefully – he has even got a little rain mac which is kind of cute so I am going to pop that on in a minute... I don't know what state he will be in to be honest by the time we get to Pudsey, but we will look after each other.”
