Olly Murs said completing the first day of his 400km endurance challenge for Soccer Aid’s 20th anniversary was the “hardest thing I’ve done pretty much all my life”.
The 41-year-old is carrying out the Into The Unknown challenge to raise money for Unicef by running, cycling and rowing for 249 miles between Manchester and London.
The singer and presenter hopped onto his bike at Manchester’s Old Trafford stadium, where Soccer Aid first kicked off two decades ago, to head towards the London Stadium, home of this year’s landmark match.
He only discovered his route hours before he set off on Monday morning, cheered on by comedian John Bishop and a crowd of wellwishers.
Murs cycled south through Stockport before leaving his bike in Glossop, Derbyshire, and tackling the Peak District’s highest point on foot.
Speaking from the finish line after completing the first day, Murs said: “That was a hard day. That was the hardest thing I’ve done pretty much all my life – and I’ve got to do that for another four days.
“The hardest part was coming down Jacob’s Ladder and that sounds ridiculous, because you think going down is going to be easy but my knees are so sore,” Murs said of the stone steps in his hillside running route.
“Just as I got to the bottom I could feel every operation in every step. I had to stop. It feels alright now but whether that will swell up overnight, I don’t know.”
In 2022, Murs had to cancel a major summer tour after undergoing knee surgery the year before, one of four operations he has had on the joint.
Explaining why he has taken on such a tough challenge, he said: “I hope people are watching it, backing it, getting behind it, donating and getting involved.
“It’s driving me on every time I take a step, or if I feel something in my hamstring or if my calves hurt.”
As Murs will only be informed about his route for the day before he sets off each morning, he will have “no clue when he’ll be scaling the steepest peaks, biking the most brutal uphill climbs or facing his long-held fear of deep water”, organisers said.
Bishop, who cycled alongside Murs as he left Manchester, said: “I’m so proud of what he’s doing.
“I know what he’s going to go through and how hard this week is going to be.
“Doing the equivalent of 10 marathons over five days and not knowing what he’s doing each day, that’s going to be the thing.”
Murs first laced up his boots for Soccer Aid for Unicef in 2010 and has played seven times.
He recently travelled to Romania with Unicef where he visited the Pipera Primo Hub in northern Bucharest, a play, learning and parenting project, which supports Ukrainian children, who have been displaced by conflict, as well as Romanian children.
Soccer Aid director Sophie Capleton said: “We’re so grateful to Olly for taking on this epic challenge all in the name of supporting Unicef’s work to make sure that every child can grow up safe, healthy and able to play.
“It’s going to be a very difficult week but we know that Soccer Aid fans and the great British public will be cheering him on from homes, offices and roadsides across the country.”
Murs will chronicle his journey in a one-off documentary, which will be available to watch on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player on May 29 at 9pm.
For more information and to donate, visit socceraid.org.uk/challenge
